New York / Washington D.C. 01.07.2008 - 11.07.2008

During these two weeks in New York and Washington DC we are going to build up a profound and sophisticated knowledge of the political landscape and developments in the Near and Middle East on the one side and examine the different approaches the UN and Washington have chosen to address these challenges.

We are going to spend the first four days of our trip in New York. We’ll approach the topic at hand from the scientific side and in the form of meetings with decision makers of the different institutions concerned. We’ll visit for instance the Swiss and Iranian Mission to the UN, debate with representatives of the UN departments for peacekeeping, Humanitarian affair and terrorism the current situation in the area and we’ll get insight from the economic and social perspective through the World bank.  

In comparison with the multilateral UN-approach we are going to learn more about the a rather unilateral approach in Washington where various representatives from think tanks, the administration, lobbies and scientific institutions will enlighten us. We will wander the halls of the White House and the Congress where we’ll have the opportunity to assist a hearing.