The University of California Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation, on the UC San Diego campus, is hosting 18 national security specialists from around the world in a six-week program called "U.S. National Security Policymaking in a Post 9/11 World." The program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, with the goal of providing insight into American policymaking, is directed by the Dean of UCSD's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, Peter Cowhey, and IRPS Professor Susan Shirk.
Called "National Security Fellows," the participants are mostly young government and university specialists in national security policy. After a total of four weeks at UCSD the group will travel, beginning in early February, to other sites in California then will spend a week of training in Washington, DC.
According to program manager Raymond Clark, the expected result is that "the visiting fellows will gain and disseminate in their home countries a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of the United States and the U.S. policymaking process." Broad themes include: Foreign Policy, National Security and the Opinion-Forming Process; Terrorism and National Security; U.S. Innovation Leadership, Globalization and Regional Security; and One World: Public Health, Energy, Environmental and Border Security.
Participants are from Brazil, Mexico, Greece, China, Malaysia, Albania, Philippines, Uganda, India, Canada, Romania, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Niger, Taiwan, New Zealand and Serbia/Montenegro.