In mid-May 2022, over 30 UW students gathered for two days in Denny Hall at the University of Washington to solve an issue taking place in 2024: to restart Six Party Talks and bring an end to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program. It involved the People’s Republic of China hosting diplomatic delegations from North Korea, Japan, the Russian Federation, South Korea and the United States.
It was all part of an annual simulation event hosted by the Jackson School’s M.A. in Applied International Studies (MAAIS) program and facilitated by the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College. Known as the International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise, JSIS 549: Crisis Negotiation is a required capstone for students in the MAAIS program, but is open by application to all graduate, undergraduate and non-matriculated students as JSIS B 431/531.
As part of the simulation, the student teams engaged in high-stakes, high-pressure negotiation to advance their national interests. Besides learning more about international relations, students honed teamwork, leadership and negotiation skills–a perfect fit for the applied emphasis of the MAAIS program.
In a Q&A in May 2022 titled, “Simulation offers UW students practical experience in crisis negotiation,” UW News interviewed Jackson School Professor Robert Pekkanen, who developed the capstone course and continues to lead it since it began in 2015.
