Tuesday, March 12,
2013
Today was quite the
eventful day. We began with multiple espressos at the hotel cafeteria. Nothing
to get you going like a double cappuccino. Our first trip was to interview
Professor Ferrell at University College of Dublin. Professor Ferrell explained
his most recent initiative – We The
Citizens –, which brings together 67 ordinary citizens with 33
parliamentarians to debate 8 preselected constitutional amendments. Topics to
be discussed are the length of the president’s term of office, same-sex
marriages, and gender-inclusive constitutional language. Quite a remarkable
event let alone a proposal. Although the US has such a rigid constitutional
amendment process, Professor Ferrell was pessimistic when asked if the US might
import such an amendment system.
Next, we explored two museums – one archeology and one
literary museum. The archeology museum housed similar artifacts to those found
in many other national museums. However, this museum had several human remains
that are thousands of years old. The nerd in me was going crazy; thinking about
how much could be learned from these ancient exhibits.
After visiting the Fixx (Dublin’s finest coffee shop), we
went to Parliament to see how the Irish government worked. Similar to the
British system, we saw a segment called “The Leaders’ Questions”, which allowed
the leader of each party to ask questions and respond and rebut answers from
the executive and other party leaders. Fascinating, we then moved into a small
group discussion with the deputy of the Sinn Fein party. I got the change to
ask him a question about foreign policy – specifically, how the US foreign
policy was received by Ireland and what his ideal US foreign policy would be
toward Ireland. He mentioned that, although President Clinton and Ambassador
George Mitchell had been influential during the 1990s, Ireland’s focus on
developing peace had not aligned with later US military interventions. With
regards to the future, he expressed a more mixed response, noting that, from a
foreign policy perspective, President Obama’s first term had been somewhat
disappointing but that the selection of Secretaries John Kerry and Chuck Hagel
for State and Defense, respectively, demonstrated both the ambition and
optimism for more peace in the global community. As future policymakers, he
charged us to follow this model and focus on stability and peace. To meet such
a mover and shaker in the Irish government was exhilarating, especially since
it was coupled with objective responses and concrete takeaways. This
conversation, along with the observations of Parliament, helped me see how more
knowledge of other cultures and governmental procedures will aid my policy
career in America.
Finally, we are on our way to Inch Island. As much fun as
Dublin has been, visiting the countryside promises to be both interesting and
relaxing. Ireland is known for high-quality livestock and Inch Island is, from
what I hear, no exception. The sheep there look healthy and warm. Interesting
fact that we learned on the bus ride here – sheep are sheered from the back to
the front.
By: Benjamin Lynch
