Government students interact with diplomats on trips to French and British embassies

Nearly 100 students from Liberty University’s Helms School of Government visited the French and British embassies in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, where they engaged with diplomats to learn the critical role the United States plays in their national security interests.

Leaders from both embassies touched on the most pressing issues facing the world today, including the war in Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, China’s economic influence, and how each respective country partners with the United States — a vital ally — to combat terrorism.

Students gleaned insights from Damien Cristofari, head of the Political Section and senior counselor in charge of European Affairs at the French Embassy. At the British Embassy, students heard from a panel led by Sebastian Singh, First Secretary at the embassy’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

“I thought that the embassy visits were very informative and enriching educational experiences for our students,” said Associate Professor of Government Dr. Mary Prentice, who led the students on the trip along with Associate Professor of Government Scott Roenicke. “Students told me they really enjoyed meeting with diplomats from both the British and French embassies. Both countries are strong U.S. allies, so it was very interesting for the students, some of whom want to be diplomats or national security experts themselves, to learn about some of the shared values the U.S., the British, and the French have in common, as well as some points of disagreement.”

Prentice said these embassy trips are strong professional development opportunities for students pursuing careers in international relations, intelligence, or counterterrorism. Most students who participated are enrolled in European politics, international relations, or terrorism courses at Liberty.

For years, the School of Government has partnered with dozens of embassies in our nation’s capital for tours and diplomatic engagement. Past visits have included trips to the Latvian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Finnish embassies, among others.

“I feel uniquely blessed to be a student in the Helms School of Government,” said senior politics and policy student Lindsay Moore. “Not only does (the Helms School) offer hands-on classes with highly experienced professors, but they also provide opportunities to attend trips like today’s. Investing the time and effort to coordinate these events for students further confirms the mission of the Helms School of Government. They aim to equip their students with knowledge and hands-on involvement by allowing students to implement their classwork into real-life experiences.”

Roenicke, who retired from a 30-year career in policy work at the Pentagon as a Senior Advisor for Russia Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as the Director for Russia Affairs at the White House in the National Security Council, has led multiple embassy visits since coming to Liberty in 2021.

“During prior embassy visits, our students have had substantive engagements with key strategic competitor nations,” he said. “However, the events today afforded them the opportunity to hear from our most staunch allies on the criticality of orchestrating our policies in synchronization with them.”

Roenicke said this trip highlighted an important observation: France and the Free World have been allies for over 250 years. Yet, the United States will not always agree with even its strongest allies.

“We are undoubtedly stronger when we can orient our policies to be in alignment against common global threats,” Roenicke said. “Diplomacy is hard work, but I believe it to be a critical precondition to being an effective leader among the world’s democratic nations. The students were able to learn from key American allies about the pivotal strategic challenges facing the United States today. This experience will make them better future policymakers when they attain key positions of influence within the U.S. government.”

Junior international relations student Micah Watson said he is proud to be part of a school that has excellent professors with decades of experience who provide their students with real-world opportunities to network with top international leaders.

“Interacting with actual diplomats not only gives us students a taste of real international relations, but it also provides us with a better understanding of these key nations and their interests,” Watson said. “This trip has furthered our education of the world and has taught us critical diplomatic skills that will give us an advantage in our future careers. Additionally, obtaining experience in diplomatic delegations looks great on a résumé.”

The Helms School of Government recently launched the M.A. in Public Policy – Think Tank and Policy Research master’s program, which will expand students’ knowledge of advancing policy through the private sector.

Future trips will include visits to the African Union, which represents 55 African countries; the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank; the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank; and visits to the Japanese and Chinese embassies.

“These trips help our students interested in global intelligence careers to envision perhaps themselves as leaders someday in these fields,” Prentice said. “But most of all, our students are ambassadors of Christ. On countless past trips to embassies, officials constantly remark how smart, caring, and thoughtful our students are, so they are truly exhibiting that they are ambassadors for Christ wherever they go.”