The Challenges of Tomorrow

Last week a friend of mine, Professor Juan Manuel Torres of the Anahuac Mayab University in Merida Mexico, invited me to address his international relations class and discuss the future of international relations. I came away impressed with the caliber of the students and with renewed hope for the future.

One of the great pleasures that I have had teaching at the university level in Merida has been seeing how the next generation is developing. 

We have the stereotype of youth spending their time playing video games, spending hours on Instagram and Facebook, worshiping the Kardashians and other “celebrities” whose only notoriety is being famous for being famous, and seemingly ignorant of the world in which we live and the challenges that we face.

But is this any different from our generation?

I think not.

One cannot fairly generalize today’s youth just as we cannot label my generation of the sixties and seventies who stereotypically spent most of their time listening to rock music, worshiping actors and musicians, getting high and having free sex. 

As in my youth, I have found that the students whom I have had the pleasure of teaching here in Merida are very well prepared, in tune with all aspects of global affairs, and looking to make a significant contribution when they graduate. They are apprehensive of the future in the same way as the generations that preceded them, but they know that they are developing the emotional and intellectual tools they will need to succeed. 

Some will go into diplomacy, as I did when I graduated while others will go into business, the arts, and civil society organizations. These students demonstrate a good grasp of economics, political science, human rights and other major factors that run our lives. There are very curious, and they not only use social media to play in their off time, but also to explore the world and connect with others who share their interests and use social media to communicate and interact with colleagues far beyond their borders. 

When I became a diplomat in 1974, the world was not an oyster but, rather, the great unknown, requiring much effort to get to know and understand. We would go to the library and look for books and articles and this was our only source of information. Connecting with people abroad was limited to pen pals whose letters could take weeks to arrive – precluding an effective dialogue.

While many today succumb to fake news and conspiracy theories, I have found that university students I have met here in Merida are well trained in critical judgment and do not appear to easily fall prey to many of the lies and misconceptions that circulate in cyberspace. 

As was the case in my time, I have no doubt that this generation of international relations students should graduate with a solid knowledge of history, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, and diplomacy, not to mention technology and its broad applications for diplomatic practice.

The creation of multidisciplinary International Relations programs in local universities here ensures that students graduate with an excellent knowledge of the complexities that face diplomats today and that they have the tools to thrive in the international environment.

Bringing together legal aspects, business aspects, international trade, human rights and negotiation techniques is building a strong cadre of graduates who can hit the ground running. Their baseline is the apogee of what I reached as a diplomat before retiring twelve years ago, and they are starting from a position of strength.

This is certainly a model for countries that want to develop a state-of-the-art diplomatic corps that can compete globally.

I congratulate these students and those who have designed the courses that they are taking, and I plan to continue engaging with them.  

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Edition: Estefanía Cardeña