Earlier this month, three Open University (OU) students – all studying DD313: International Relations – took part in the British International Studies Association (BISA) Model NATO, run jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The event took place in the historic Locarno Suite of the FCDO, and brought together teams from 31 Universities from across the UK.

The OU team represented Czechia in the event, where delegates were asked to respond to a humanitarian crisis caused by earthquakes in the Mediterranean region. Fortunately, all the delegates were able to reach a successful consensus on how to respond to the emergency.

Across the day, delegates were also able to get advice and hear from senior officials in NATO and the FCDO, as well as meeting the German Ambassador to the UK at the reception following the event.

The students represented Czechia and the OU brilliantly. After the event, one OU student reflected, “Model NATO was an incredibly rewarding and challenging event, which required thinking critically to understand how to deal with issues arising from a catastrophic event.  It was interesting to get an insight into the inner workings of a NATO conference in action.”

Lecturer in International Studies at the OU Dr Thomas Martin, who was the academic lead for the event, said: “We are really grateful to both BISA and the FCDO for organising the event. It was lovely to engage with students from universities across the UK, and it gave all students present a great insight into how organisations like NATO work.”

Insert image: Standing left to right, students Alice Walker, Jeff Mascarenhas and Sophie Swingler