Helena Marten
News Editor
On Monday, Jan. 26 Matthew Krain, professor of political science and global & international studies, discussed his thoughts on the current state of international affairs and its consequences for students. Krain teaches international political economy, theories of international relations, political violence and research methods & design. As students are increasingly overwhelmed with alarming geopolitical developments, they have questions on how to navigate their futures. He discussed the consequences for study abroad and international students, options for students interested in working globally and how to stay informed.
How would you characterize the state of international relations right now — are we in a period of instability, transition or realignment? We are in a period of transition … it is not the same system as five years or even five months ago.
What feels most different about today’s global political climate? Everything. The international interconnections are fraying, both alliances and trade, countries are turning inward and thinking about how to preserve their interests.
How might this affect students currently or intending to study abroad? Should [students] worry they’re gonna find themselves in a conflict zone? Probably not. Should they expect that people might be a little curious as to what the heck is going on here and maybe engage in those conversations? Yeah, and I think it’s okay to answer those questions. It’s good to engage the world, and this is, in some ways, a really good time to be an ambassador for the United States.
I want to talk about how this may affect international students. I feel like this domestic unrest that we’re seeing … contributes to … international unrest. I’m wondering how you think, given that [international students are] a significant portion of Wooster’s student body, how will this affect them? I’ve been very worried about the international students on our campus for a long time. If they’re here, I’m worried about their safety. It’s pretty clear that authorities, whether it’s ICE or others, are not worrying about who they’re asking for documentation [and] obviously profiling based on language or appearance. Rights are being … discarded. In some ways, international students are among the most vulnerable among our community.
How do you suggest students stay informed without becoming overwhelmed or misinformed? There’s a difference between … following the news and news snacking. [News snacking is a term used to] understand people who read headlines and not much else and we can see the same phenomena with people using social media. You know … big headline grabbing, click bait and not actually going a little deeper. What you can do is … read beyond just the headline to try to understand …who’s involved, and why is it happening? I’d say exercise your critical thinking skills. When you’re engaging with the news, try to remind yourself that the news isn’t just a story, but it’s something you can analyze and understand. I find that when you can actually analyze and understand what’s going on, even if you don’t like what’s going on, it becomes less overwhelming and scary because you can see what happened, why it happened and how it happened. So it is an act of resistance to pay attention in the news, and to not just identify what’s going on, but try to understand it. I think one of the reasons it feels like a fire hose of news is that that’s intentional … to overwhelm people with dispiriting information. Regimes all over the world … use this as a strategy to make people confused and quiesced.
What advice would you give to students whose academic or professional plans are closely tied to international engagement? Frankly, you know, most people in your generation, their career paths are not linear. They’re gonna go in a lot of different directions. Those experiences are all gonna be interesting and vital, and I would say the best advice is engage now while you can, whether it’s internships or study abroad. Those experiences … may not be available right this minute, but those experiences will be important and valuable in the near future. I won’t lie … a number of alums who work … or worked for international agencies … some of them have lost their jobs or have found it difficult to do the things they love to do. Now, the good news is they can use those skills in other places. They can work elsewhere … whether it’s supporting immigrants’ rights organizations in your local community or engaging in foreign language table to beef up language skills … or taking that knowledge and interest in the world, and maybe not going into diplomacy, but going into journalism.
