Center
for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS)
National
Defense
University
Washington
,
D.C.
NEWS
RELEASE
ASIA
PACIFIC
CENTER
GRADUATES REUNITE AT
NATIONAL
DEFENSE
UNIVERSITY
Former APCSS Classmates from
Pakistan
,
Nepal
and
Chile
reunite
at the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies of the National
Defense
University
“Mr.
Eduardo Quiroga from Chile
(left) Mr. Pratik Bickram Rana from Nepal (center) and
Dr. Babar Shah from Pakistan (right) reunited this summer in Washington D.C. “
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2005 at 9:00 am) —The
Department of Defense (DOD) actively supports global security cooperation
through its five regional security education centers, three of which are part of
the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, D.C. Fellows are invited to
engage in strategic planning, knowledge-sharing and relationship-building
activities. Their participation is part
of the continuous efforts to support governments by providing leading-edge specialized education, as well as facilitating
multilateral dialogue in defense and international security matters to enhance
effective policy formulation and decision-making.
Initially these multilingual and cross-cultural centers were created as an
effective interaction to address the defense and security needs of each region
in particular. But the imaginary lines dividing the geographic regions in the
world are blurring, and issues are no longer limited to a single region.
Furthermore, some countries belong to more than one region, as it is the case of
Chile
, which belongs to both the
Western Hemisphere
and also the Asia-Pacific region. This attests to the importance of these
centers in serving as an interface that creates —not
only regional, but also global—communities
of international security cooperation based on mutual understanding and
trust.
A good example of how the regional security education centers are actively
supporting global security cooperation is the coincidental and somewhat historic
encounter this summer in
Washington
,
D.C.
of three individuals, who in mid-2004 attended the 12 week Executive Course on
defense and security studies at the
Asia-Pacific
Center
for Security Studies (APCSS) in
Hawaii
. Dr. Babar Shah from Pakistan and Mr. Pratik Bickram Rana from Nepal, were
attending the Executive Seminar at the Near-East South-Asia Center for Strategic
Studies (NESA), when they met their former APCSS classmate, Mr. Eduardo Quiroga
from Chile, who was attending the Interagency
Coordination and Counterterrorism course at the Center for
Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS), the
regional security education center for the Western Hemisphere. The three former
classmates were clearly excited to meet again and wasted no time in exchanging
observations and updates on their respective professional projects.
When asked about the programs in which they participated, all of them agreed on
their value on a professional level because of the relevant theoretical
knowledge and the practical applications. Besides preparing them for assignments
in defense, international security and foreign policy, Mr. Rana, who works at
the Principal Secretariat of the Royal Palace in Nepal, pointed out that the
APSSC program “broadened his horizon” and enabled him to learn
“…different perspectives about issues affecting my country, but also about
issues that affect the other 43 countries in that region and those that affect
the region as a whole.”
Dr. Shah, who is an
associate professor of the
Area
Study
Center
for
Russia
,
China
and Central Asia of the
University
of
Peshawar
in
Pakistan
, added that “…the APCSS program changed the perception we had of the
concept of security. Before, we used to think only in terms of military security
in the defense of our nations. Now, we are aware of security from a human
perspective, as a shared responsibility among domestic law enforcement agencies,
and also from a perspective of international security cooperation among
nations.” Furthermore, since that course lasted three-months, it enabled them “…to
really get to know each other. When I left, I felt that I had made friends that
I could trust.”
Dr. Shah stated that
sometimes he cannot get first-hand information through media reports, and he
relies on these relations “…to get first-hand information from people that I
trust.”
Mr. Quiroga, a
senior advisor to
Chile
’s National Defense Staff, added that the value could be measured “not only
in each program, but also in a cumulative sense; and not only professionally,
but also in terms of personal growth”. He
has embraced a life of public service, but participating in these programs
enabled him to extrapolate from his personal journey as to redefine his
professional role of serving his country and go beyond to include serving the
global community. With this newfound purpose, Mr. Quiroga is now actively
engaged in knowledge-sharing and international affairs, while participating in
defense and international security activities.
When describing the
differences between the programs, Mr. Quiroga also pointed how the subsequent
courses at CHDS built on the excellent introduction received at APCSS by
providing specialized knowledge and tools; a sentiment that was reiterated by
Dr. Shah and Mr. Rana, who attended courses at NESA. Later, Dr. Shah added that
“…it was really helpful to visit some government institutions because it
enabled us to focus on policy formulation, decision-making processes and the
government structures in the United States,” and
Mr. Rana explained that these kinds
of interactions could also make all of us more sensitive to our differences in
culture, while enabling us to work together more amicably on a wide range of
issues.
As they were catching up
with their respective projects, Dr. Shah expressed how these programs enhanced
his knowledge and therefore his confidence in handling defense and security
matters, and Mr. Quiroga pointed out how important it was to be given the
opportunity to meet with their counterparts around the world and build a network
of friends who shared the same goals and interests in defense and security. All
of them expressed disappointment at how quickly the three weeks in
Washington
,
D.C.
went by and wished they had more time to build and cultivate new relations. In
that spirit, they suggested the development of a “cross-regional seminar”
where they could return as alumni to extrapolate and share knowledge across
regions. In the meantime, they made
the commitment to regularly keep in touch with the shared hope that they would
see each other again…soon.
###
Center
for Hemispheric Defense Studies
2100
Second Street
, SW,
Suite
4118
,
Washington
,
D.C.
20593-0001
Tel.
(202) 685-5010 / Fax: (202) 685-4675 / E-mail:
montanezallmanc@ndu.edu
/ Website: www.ndu.edu/chds