In partnership with National Defense University´s Near East - South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA), the Institute has conducted the first two of a series of four workshops for Iraqis who will be occupying senior leadership positions in their country´s new Ministry of Defense and Joint Headquarters (the uniformed military).
In partnership with National Defense University´s Near East - South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA), the Institute has conducted the first two of a series of four workshops for Iraqis who will be occupying senior leadership positions in their country's new Ministry of Defense and Joint Headquarters (the uniformed military). Each program followed two weeks of training that was conducted and coordinated by NESA on the fundamentals of running an effective ministry and on civil/military relations in a democratic society characterized by the rule of law.
In the USIP training weeks, a total of 51 Iraqis worked in classrooms and in interactive exercises to refine their skills in conflict analysis and resolution, to master negotiation styles and techniques, and to understand the roles that third parties can play in mediating disagreements. The participants also engaged in vigorous consideration and discussion of how different cultures interact with each other, and of the situation in Iraq and how to build a better future there. The second group also participated in a run-through of the Strategic Economic Needs and Security Simulation Exercise ("SENSE"), a computer-driven simulation which helped the participants appreciate the need for considered and coordinated decision-making in a post-conflict environment.
The Iraqi participants expressed great appreciation for both workshops. One said, "We learned excellent and useful information on dealing with other parties and different cultures and diplomatic ways of behavior." Another commented that the workshop "has a great effect in building the Iraq of the future." A third said, "You have placed before us a new way towards progress." Another participant commented, "We have learned something new to us, an experience which is worth translating to our people."
