Thoughts on My Time in Geneva, Switzerland

United Airlines Flight 974 finally landed amidst an uncontrollable excitement and anticipation boiling inside me. I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride and accomplishment in knowing that my own decisions and planning brought me to Geneva, a small city of great international importance. Yet under this pride manifested a preconceived understanding of Swiss life and culture that I had not yet noticed or understood, it was hidden deep within a manifestation of cultural prejudice engrained in American society. Stepping off the plane was like walking through a veil, an invisible ‘iron curtain’ of my making, an ideological and cultural warfare of which I was completely unaware. I walked to customs, flashed my passport with ephemeral pride and confidently strode to the unknown tram stop that I prayed existed. I was on a mission and nothing could ruin my pomp, not even my lack of French, or so I thought.

I had prepared a list of French phrases I felt would suffice for my

incomprehension of the language and my ill-mannered expectation that Swiss people knew English and that they knew it quite well. It was much to my surprise then in asking people in passing for any sense of direction that they were either not Swiss or they didn’t speak any English. Quickly, the chisels of reality, and an enormous sense of place hammered the veil that I had built up. I realized the seriousness of my assumptions and what they meant for my experiences in Switzerland. To not know the language is to instantly separate oneself from the superfluous cultural understandings present, and it is in this separation that stereotypes strengthen themselves. I was glad to have learned this early in my travels of Geneva and Switzerland. I learned that Swiss people respect their language and expect acknowledgement of their language from foreigners in return. I tackled the language barrier and I have now learned a good understanding of basic French. In essence, I changed myself to better assimilate to the culture of Geneva, but more importantly, I began to tear down the veil myself.

I struggle with the language barrier every day, but with the confidence of knowing that I am learning far more than when I endorsed my ignorant assumptions. Nonetheless, my judgments of Swiss life and culture continued. I found myself quenching an undying curiosity of Swiss people by ‘people-watching’ whenever possible. This habit became a basis for my prejudice against the Swiss and often led me to disappointing conclusions. On a Saturday afternoon, I decided to reflect on my experiences thus far in Geneva, jump on a random tram, and open a book, voluntarily unknowing of my destination. To add to this, I was listening to Fantasia on a Theme: Symphony Number 5 by Ralph Vaughan Williams, as it is my favorite classical piece.

I remember in this moment thinking of Geneva as a whited sepulcher - as Joseph Conrad noted in reference to Belgium in his novel Heart of Darkness – a city of beauty and glamour on the outside, but rotting from within. As the song progressed, I felt this designation was justified. The responsibility for this assumption came from my observations of people in the city, and not from a personal vendetta against the Swiss people. I noticed the people parade what they wear, how they look, and what they own. There was a superficial and arrogant vibe that tore down my confidence and diluted the happiness I once had stepping off Flight 974. I felt demeaned by the population as my lack of money and nice clothes separated me from the glamorous lifestyle abundantly present within the city. I found myself at a crossroads, not understanding why I came to such a place and why I poured good money into a whited sepulcher, a rotting city.

Fantasia on a Theme played through and finished beautifully as I stepped off the tram into an unknown area. I was thankful for Ralph Vaughan Williams and his wonderful work in classical music. Nonetheless, I stumbled upon a stream that led across the French border and towards the towering Le Salève mountains where I sat down and reflected. An epiphany overwhelmed me with excitement as I realized a major flaw in all my assessments. The veil I had worked tirelessly to tear down was as prevalent as when I stepped off the plane, only this time I was aware of it completely. My judgments were flawed for one reason; they disregarded the common nature of the human condition of love and kindness. Geneva is as much rotting as any city in the world, but where there is rotting there is life. In that moment, I tore down the veil completely and felt relief and excitement for where I was. I was flawed, yet sometimes it takes rock bottom for one to realize all the good. I digress.

Honors Research: The Democratic Republic of the Congo:

The United Nations, Power Politics and the Restructuring of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in the heart of Africa and virtually landlocked by nine surrounding countries, has suffered from several decades of authoritarian dictatorship, most notably under President Mobuto’s government. Since 1998, an estimated 5.4 million Congolese have lost their lives due to conflict, the most since World War II. Consequently, the emergence of the United Nations Organization Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has attempted to institutionalize normative democratic principles and subsequent international law within the government and the society. Jack Snyder and Leslie Vinjamuri note excellently that attempting to execute universal norms of justice “in the absence of political and institutional preconditions risks weakening norms of justice and revealing their ineffectiveness.”[1] Their argument recognizes the social and political fragility international organizations are faced with in restructuring the DRC. MONUC is currently the largest United Nations mission in the world consisting of nearly 20 thousand military personnel.

The arbitrary borders of the surrounding states since European colonialism have been a cause for much of the violence throughout the continent. The countless surrounding conflicts are engrained in ethnic and political tensions complicating the many international efforts for reconciliation. These conflicts have rebuked state boundaries and violated the concept of national sovereignty that the DRC presupposes. Furthermore, why is it that the DRC, one of the most pivotal natural resource providers in the world, remains in humanitarian decay almost 15 years after the collapse of its authoritarian state and amidst the involvement of nearly 150 international organizations?

My research will analyze the involvement of international organizations in developing a legal structure for justice, democracy, institutionalization and infrastructure building. Dissecting the structural bureaucratic workings of MONUC and the emanations involved provides an effective and solid discourse for understanding the continued humanitarian plight and illegal exploitation of mineral resources. I will examine the effects of power politics and the mineral resources entering international economic markets. Additionally, MONUC has little enforcement power amidst a vast international market of willing buyers. I am proposing that a stronger international effort to promote universal legal norms is necessary for the government to monitor resource extraction, therefore, reducing the black market and available funds to rebel factions.

The significance of this inquiry is engrained in the humanitarian cost of inaction from powerful democratic nation states and the abundance of high-demand natural resources present in the DRC. The development of effective due process of law and jurisprudential discourse in a workable justice system in the DRC relies heavily on societal acceptance of such norms. Additionally, the aforementioned relates to arguments in transitional justice, power politics and international organizations, which are investigated extensively by political scientists. My research hopes to portray the pervasive issues in the DRC while addressing fundamental problems in the pursuit for human dignity, due process of law, and human standards of living in central Africa.

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[1] Jack Snyder, Leslie Vinjamuri, “Trials and Errors: Principle and Pragmatism in Strategies of International Justice,” International Security, Vol. 28, No. 3 (2003/04): 6.

The World is in Chaos

I recognize that there will never be world peace, an end to egregious acts of genocide, nor an end to human suffering. Although, this may be a dispirited reasoning of the international system, it is irrevocably a disheartening truth. My devoted study of international relations at The Ohio State University is not an act of redemption from this reality, but will allow for me to attain an informed responsibility to prevent human suffering where possible. I pursue this life ambition in hopes of alleviating the countless innocent lives plagued by world disparities, but more importantly, to give a voice to the guiltless victims quieted by fictitious leaders, and unsympathetic regimes.

The one mission in my life is to see, witness and feel what is truly happening in the world, in efforts to diminish ignorance and reveal greater truth. This earnest desire “to know” is an awesome privilege bestowed upon humankind, and furthermore should be honed by every individual. Such transcendence from ignorance would change the world tenfold, for knowing, understanding, and acting is the only way to enforce effective global diplomacy. There have been many whose lives were cut short, and whose dreams and passions completely taken away, and it is this reason I devote myself to international relations, because empowerment of the mind is empowerment to change.

The global condition is dire, and the demand for constituents with an international knowledge is surpassing with the increase in state, intrastate, and ethnic conflicts. I have come to an overpowering and absolute resolve that because so many lives have been cut short by such conflicts, I will devote my life to understanding, rationalizing, and furthermore, preventing such occurrences. I am an idealist only because of my persistent hope for humanity. Whether it is war or poverty, I have come to realize that having life and an infinite grasp of knowledge is more powerful than any diplomatic decision. I want to understand why people continue to die at the hands of governments, which are human establishments intended to promote civil society and utopia. Moreover, humans are flawed, and therefore our governments fail us and the global condition continues in pandemonium.

In conclusion, studying international relations has brought more resolve to the question of life, and has opened new opportunities for change. Life is an adagio, a slow crescendo of impediments and fortitudes leading to a climax and resolve. Even so, life is not a teleology with indefinites, nor can it be explained with complete understanding. We continue as a human race to plant the seeds of chaos into later generations without reasoning. Therefore, we are faced with insurmountable issues in the international system. We fell from grace, and therefore, must live in chaos, separate from a divine intervention, and forced to reason with a world in turmoil. I believe my study of international relations gives a voice and mind to the silent innocence of chaos.