Videoconference engages global views of development

Videoconference engages global views of development

by Ann Tran
Daily Northwestern
March 31, 2005

Northwestern students discussed relations between rich and poor countries and the future of global development Tuesday morning in a live video dialogue sparked by the tsunami in Southeast Asia.

About 20 students gathered in the Technological Institute to participate in the event, organized by national student organization Americans for Informed Democracy. Established in 2002, AID is a non-partisan organization working to raise global awareness on more than 100 U.S. college campuses and in more than 10 countries.

The network dialogue, made possible by World Bank networking, was hosted by NU and connected people from the Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, Atlanta, Omaha, Neb., and Washington D.C.

"The purpose of this live video dialogue is to ... gain and share different perspectives in order to have a more informed U.S. policy in the future, as well as to make connections with peers around the world," said Weinberg senior Sarah Bush, president of NU's AID chapter and moderator of the event.

Among the many issues discussed, students criticized inadequate debt-relief programs, meager American funding relative to peer countries and corruption within each nation.

Students from Cote d'Ivoire said the needs of each country differ and that a key to global development was to gain an understanding of the country in need.

The tsunami that struck Southeast Asia Dec. 26 prompted participants to discuss the United States' role in global assistance. Students raised issues such as the American perception that the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on developmental assistance. Such assistance comprises only 1 percent of total federal spending, they said.

"This conference definitely raises awareness and allows people to think about certain issues, eventually making them realize that this a global concern," said Karen Muth, a Weinberg sophomore.

The videoconference ended with a consensus to educate and mobilize others around these issues of global development. Some who attended felt that the dialogue was a positive step towards improving relations between rich and poor nations.

"It was encouraging to see clear lines of communication open up," said Christian Appel, a Weinberg sophomore. "It was also interesting to see the disparity between the different points of views. It really is important to expose the general public to this."

The videoconference is part of a broader series of nationwide events called Red, White and Blue Coming Together, a town hall and videoconference series that aims to identify common ground among Americans of different political viewpoints and between Americans and foreign citizens about the United States' role in the world.

The series runs through March into April and enables Americans to talk face-to-face with Sri Lankans about the tsunami. Other conferences link Americans with South Koreans and Australians about containment of North Korea, and with Ukrainians and Russians about the future of democracy in those countries.

Reach Ann Tran at a-tran@northwestern.edu.