The National Interest: "A New Era in U.S.-Moldova Relations Begins"

 

"A New Era in U.S.-Moldova Relations Begins"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Opinion

The National Interest

11 March, 2022

Originally published: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-era-us-moldova-relations-begins-201104

The Russian invasion has dramatically changed Europe’s security dynamics, and Moldova is now at the front lines of the refugee crisis.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis and displaced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly. Consequently, neighboring countries are experiencing a massive influx of Ukrainian refugees. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent European tour was the perfect opportunity to praise the humanitarian efforts of an often-overlooked American partner on the front lines of the crisis: the Republic of Moldova.

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Providence: Tensions along the US-Mexico Border: Using “Lethal Force” against Migrants

"Tensions along the US-Mexico Border: Using 'Lethal Force' against Migrants"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Providence
4 December 2018
Originally published: https://providencemag.com/2018/12/tensions-us-mexico-border-lethal-force-migrants/

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” 1 John 3:17
 
On November 25, some 500 migrants, including women and children, attempted to cross the Mexico-US border near the Mexican city of Tijuana. They were repelled by US border patrol agents using tear gas. The Mexican government has declared that those involved in the incident will be deported.

This incident comes at the heels of the Trump administration’s controversial authorization of lethal force, if necessary, by US troops stationed on the border with Mexico. He has similarly increased his rhetoric when referring to the migrants, whom he has labeled as “criminals,” and characterized the caravan as an “invasion.” Such statements do no help defuse the tense situation at the border.

Migrants and Troops
At the time of this writing, reports from the border say that between five and nine thousand migrants from Central America, particularly Honduras, are in Tijuana, camping by the border and at a sports complex. The November 25 incident demonstrates that these people are not willing to wait long until their case is heard by US immigration authorities. (Certain media reports say some migrants are returning to their homeland.)

In response, President Donald Trump deployed over five thousand troops to the border—the mission was originally called Operation Faithful Patriot, but later the Department of Defense labeled it as simply border support. Additionally, military police officers from the port of entry in Texas have been deployed to support Border Patrol agents in the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry in San Diego.
According to CNN, the Pentagon has explained that “the $72 million price tag covers the cost of deploying the approximately 5,900 active duty troops until December 15 and will increase the longer the troops are deployed.” This is quite the price tag to deal with unarmed men, women, and children.

“Rocks as Rifles”
President Trump has shown no reservation regarding how the migrants should be treated. He declared:

Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico, we will consider that a firearm… We’re not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them to consider it a rifle.

This statement was probably a reaction to a photo that has been circulating online which shows a bloody Mexican police officer; violent migrants allegedly injured him. That story has been exposed as a lie as the photo was actually taken in 2012.

Moreover, Newsweek has published a decision memorandum, dated November 20 and signed by President Trump, which states that the deployed military personnel to the border “may perform those military protective activities that are reasonably necessary to ensure the protection and safety of Federal personnel, including a show of force (including lethal force, where necessary), crowd control, temporary detention, and cursory search” (click here for the entire document). The incident last month is an example of US security personnel taking non-lethal actions in response to an attempted stampede by the migrants to cross the border.

Discussion
The caravan coincided with the US midterm elections; hence, President Trump made it an electoral issue. The US president has characterized the caravan members as “young men, strong men,” many of whom are criminals, according to him. He once stated that there were individuals from the Middle East in the caravan—he would later acknowledge that there was no proof for this accusation.

To be fair, the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly has informants in the caravan, and DHS officials have worked with Mexican authorities to identify them and figure out if any of them have criminal pasts. Authorities should treat such individuals appropriately (including deportation), but President Trump’s stereotypes and lies are a major problem. Similarly, individuals interviewed by Fox News have also said that the migrants have diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and even leprosy. In other words, the men, women, and children of this caravan are evil-incarnated, and they are coming to “invade,” as President Trump tweeted on October 29, the US and spread violence and leprosy. (Did Jesus not treat a leper with kindness rather than hate?)

This type of inflammatory language is not helpful. Rather than engaging with the governments of Central America or the new administration in Mexico, or with the caravan leaders themselves, President Trump has focused on militarizing the border, vilifying the migrants, and threatening US allies—he has threatened to cut financial aid to the Central American nations where the migrants come from.

Final Thoughts
It is understandable that any nation should refrain from having an open-door migration policy, and should the situation turn more violent at the border, it is correct for military personnel to defend themselves. However, it is certainly not acceptable for any government to spread hate and lies while dealing with a defenseless migrant population.

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Wilder Alejandro Sanchez is an analyst who focuses on geopolitical, military, and cybersecurity issues in the Western Hemisphere. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the author is associated.

Providence: Venezuelan Refugees in Brazil: Is Xenophobia Replacing Kindness?

"Venezuelan Refugees in Brazil: Is Xenophobia Replacing Kindness?"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Providence Magazine
19 September 2018
Originally published: https://providencemag.com/2018/09/venezuelan-refugees-in-brazil-is-xenophobia-replacing-kindness/

The number of Venezuelan citizens fleeing their homeland continues to grow due to the ongoing political and socioeconomic crisis in the country. While most Venezuelans have fled to Colombia (and from there to other countries), many have crossed into Brazil and settled in Roraima, a state that borders Venezuela.

The Brazilian government, broadly speaking, has been supportive of the Venezuelan refugees, but there have sadly been xenophobic incidents in recent weeks. As Brazil’s general elections are less than a month away on October 7, the question of what to do with these “others” has also become an electoral tool.
This situation is not new. When nations anywhere in the world receive an influx of migrants, the former can either be acceptive Good Samaritans of the latter, or turn a blind eye to their neighbors’ suffering. And the Bible tells us, “do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt. 7:12).

The Situation Deteriorates
There are varying figures regarding how many Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil. A September 18 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, mentioned that there were an estimated 20,000 Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Brazil in 2017.  Moreover, some media sources report that around 16,000 Brazilians applied for refugee status in the first half of 2018, and another 13,000 did so in 2017. Nevertheless, this influx of migrants in a relatively short time frame makes counting them properly difficult. The UN estimates that around 800 Venezuelans cross the border every day. According to different outlets, some Venezuelans cross the border to apply for refugee status while others who cross already have visas or even no documentation.

The Brazilian military has transported Venezuelan families to states like Parana to ease the pressure on Roraima. Unfortunately, as the crisis continues we can expect more Venezuelans seeking refuge in Brazil.

While the general population and government seem to support the Venezuelans, there have been troubling incidents. For example, in August a Brazilian judge ordered the closure of the border, though that order was ultimately rescinded. More xenophobic attacks against the Venezuelans took place in Roraima in mid-August when “a mob of Brazilians” attacked Venezuelans because a business owner reported migrants had robbed him. Unfortunately, social media exacerbated the situation when some incorrectly claimed that the victim had been murdered. Because of the attack, an estimated 1,200 Venezuelans fled back across the border. According to the Venezuelan daily El Nacional, four Venezuelans in fact robbed the business owner, but neither he nor his spouse was murdered. Sadly, one (certainly deplorable) incident and a lie were enough to promote a violent attack against innocent Venezuelans.

Many residents of Roraima appear to accept the Venezuelan refugees. But after the mob attack, a local hotel owner was less charitable: “We have finally cleaned the city of the undesirable, who did not want to work and spent all day in the street not doing anything. Now [the town of] Pacaraima is pretty and clean like before. And I hope it stays like that.”

Xenophobia as a Political Tool
Equally troubling is that the Venezuelan refugees are becoming part of the political discourse leading up to Brazil’s general elections on October 7, and the aforementioned incident showcases what is on the Roraiman electorate’s mind. At a September 4 on-the-record conference on Brazil’s elections at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, experts on Brazil explained that Roraima favors Jair Bolsonaro, the controversial right-wing presidential candidate, because of his populist and extremist rhetoric. Regarding the Venezuelan question, the candidate has declared that he favors creating refugee camps, as the Venezuelans “are causing instability” in the city of Boa Vista, Roraima.

This situation should be familiar to the reader. A country receives an unexpectedly large number of immigrants who speak another language and have different customs. While some locals are willing to accept their fellow human beings in need, others distrust these “others.”

Even more, certain political movements can resort to extremist rhetoric to capitalize on local populations’ resentments and concerns. For instance, the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats won a significant number of votes in Sweden’s election this month. An NPR analysis of this election explained that the party “scored about 18 percent of the vote, up from 13 percent in the last election, as many voters took a stand against recent record immigration to the country, a strain on social services that some have linked to that, and rising numbers of shootings in areas with high immigrant populations.” Similarly, US President Donald Trump has focused on undocumented migrants to the US, and even friendly governments (i.e., Canada), as the sources of US problems.

Final Thoughts
Developed nations like Sweden or the US continue to receive a steady stream of refugees that escape poverty, violence, and instability in their homelands. Similarly, the crisis in Venezuela has turned nearby developing nations, like Brazil, into recipients of refugees who search for a better life. Without a doubt, Brasilia, Stockholm, and Washington cannot accept an endless flux of refugees without taking into consideration how a sudden demographic shift may impact the country’s own population, positively or negatively.

At the same time, compassion and empathy are key aspects of what makes us human. Thus, migration policies should be rational, but also humane. The masses escaping Venezuela or the conflict areas in the Middle East are not doing so because they want to, but because they have to, and the occasional “rotten apple” (like Venezuelan criminals in Brazil) should not promote hate toward all migrants.

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Wilder Alejandro Sanchez is an analyst who focuses on geopolitical, military, and cybersecurity issues. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the author is associated.

Providence: The Latin American Good Samaritan and the Venezuelan Exodus

"The Latin American Good Samaritan and the Venezuelan Exodus"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy

22 June 2018

Originally published: https://providencemag.com/2018/06/latin-american-good-samaritan-venezuelan-exodus-refugees/

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” (Matt. 25:35)

The humanitarian crisis in Venezuela continues, and it is estimated that between three and four million Venezuelans have left the country to seek a better life elsewhere since their homeland continues to face a political and socio-economic crisis. Since the situation will not improve anytime soon, we can expect more Venezuelans to migrate to other Western Hemisphere nations.

This crisis is putting additional stress on regional governments since, in spite of significant economic growth and development in recent years, these nations still have their own challenges, such as poverty, natural disasters, and security problems. Thus, while Latin American governments and societies are behaving like the proverbial Good Samaritan toward their Venezuelan neighbors, more extra-regional support is necessary.

The Region Helps
Due to space issues, we cannot provide an in-depth analysis of the status of the Venezuelan migrants in each Latin American state, but some general examples help provide a good overview of the situation.

Two of Venezuela’s immediate neighbors, Brazil and Colombia, are bearing the brunt of the Venezuelan exodus. Many Venezuelans cross into Colombia en route to Ecuador or other places, but hundreds of thousands stay in the country (particularly in the northeastern states that border Venezuela, like La Guajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander, and Arauca). In Brazil, there is a sizable population of Venezuelans living on the border, namely in the state of Roraima. The Brazilian military, particularly the air force, is helping the migrants by cooking meals and transporting Venezuelans to different Brazilian cities in an effort to relocate them. For example, the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo has reported that Venezuelans transported to Manaus state are being kept at three shelters operated by the Catholic Church.

Meanwhile, Argentina, Chile, and Peru have provided temporary work permits to Venezuelans so that they can look for work. According to Peru’s daily newspaper La Republica, there are almost 300,000 Venezuelans in the Andean country, out of which 253,000 currently possess tourist visas and 45,000 have received temporary residency permits. These governments are also validating diplomas (high school, university, and other advanced degrees) so that the newly arrived migrants can apply for better jobs and children can enter schools.

Generally speaking, the Venezuelan migrants appear to be hopeful about their new, and possibly permanent, homes. For example, an article in Peru’s El Comercio quotes a Venezuelan migrant who said that “arriving to Peru is like reaching heaven” after an odyssey of 15 bus rides that took him from the Portuguesa state in Venezuela, through Colombia, Ecuador, and then to the Peruvian capital.

The Limits of Good Samaritanism in Latin America
In spite of these good intentions, it is important to stress that Latin American and Caribbean states are still developing nations, so there are limits to how many Venezuelans they can accept and for how long they can help.

For example, the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao, which are part of the Netherlands, have declared that they need help from The Hague to process and provide financial aid to the Venezuelans currently in their islands. Aruba’s prime minister claims that there are as many as five thousand Venezuelans on the island, though sources that this author trusts say that this number is exaggerated.

Unfortunately, these states cannot help everyone, so some Venezuelans have turned to begging in order to survive. Even more, xenophobic, anti-Venezuelan sentiments are slowly spreading. In Colombia, there are already reports of Venezuelans being threatened and harassed, as well as being denied employment or housing due to their nationality. Similarly, in early March xenophobic signs appeared in the streets of Lima, Peru, which read “#PeruSinVenezolanos—Basta ya!” (#PeruwithoutVenezuelans, enough!).

Good Samaritans
The Bible has much to say about the importance of being a Good Samaritan, such as in Matthew 25:35, quoted at the beginning of this essay, or Proverbs 19:17, which says that “one who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” For a region like Latin America that identifies itself with Catholic beliefs, though the overall percentage appears to be dropping, these teachings resonate on daily life.

So far, Latin American governments have maintained an open-border policy regarding Venezuelans, even if certain local officials and politicians are requesting an end to this policy. Moreover, there are a plethora of news articles about how citizens of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and others have opened their homes and wallets to help Venezuelans who attempt to get their lives in order in a new land. This demonstrates that there are many people in the region who understand what being a Good Samaritan really means.

With that said, the international community cannot assume that Latin American governments and societies can handle the Venezuelan exodus alone, particularly if the political and socio-economic crisis in their homeland continues as President Nicolas Maduro remains determined to stay in power—Venezuela has a population of about 30 million, and it is estimated that some 10 percent of the population has left in recent years.

Tragically, Latin America is known for migratory waves that occurred due to violence (like during the Cold War-era internal wars) or political and economic crises, as Venezuela is currently experiencing. For every disaster, there is also the opportunity to do good, and by and large, Latin American governments and societies have demonstrated that, in spite of their domestic problems and limitations, they are willing to give their Venezuelan neighbors a helping hand.

—
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez is a researcher who focuses on geopolitical, military, and cybersecurity issues in the Western Hemisphere. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the author is associated.

IPD: Curacao’s Other Problem (And an Opportunity for Development)

"Curacao’s Other Problem (And an Opportunity for Development)"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
2 June 2018
International Policy Digest
Originally published: https://intpolicydigest.org/2018/06/02/curacao-s-other-problem-and-an-opportunity-for-development/

The Caribbean island of Curacao made international headlines in May due to the situation of its oil refinery, Isla Curaçao B.V., which is operated by the Venezuelan state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA ( PDVSA). PDVSA has a contract to operate the refinery until 2019 and unfortunately Venezuela’s crisis has hit PDVSA and, naturally, Isla. The situation reached a boiling point in May when ConocoPhillips “seized products” that belonged to PDVSA after the company (Conoco) won court orders allowing it to do so.

Isla is critically important to Curacao’s economy and population, however, there are two ongoing developments that also deserve greater analysis, both for positive and negative reasons. Namely, the well-known international shipyard group Damen Group is currently upgrading and expanding the island’s shipyard. That’s the good news. On the other hand, Curacao, like the rest of the region, is receiving a steady influx of Venezuelan citizens, which is upsetting the very delicate socio-economic balance of an island with around 160 thousand citizens.

While it is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Curacao enjoys a high degree of autonomy over its domestic politics, and the leadership in Willemstad will need plenty of statesmanship and forward thinking to successfully address the island’s mounting challenges.

The Good News: An Expanding Port

Damen took control of Curacao’s port in September 2016 via a concession agreement with Curaçaose Dok Maatschappij N.V. (C.D.M.). The facilities, renamed Damen Shiprepair Curaçao (DSCu) on February 2017, are currently able to repair and provide maintenance to vessels, but Damen wants to further improve and develop the infrastructure to become a default stop for vessels traveling the Caribbean Sea and also for regional navies and coast guards. The island’s location is helpful towards achieving this goal as it is located just north of Venezuela and not far from Panama – then again, even an upgraded DSCu will have to compete with other more established port facilities in the region, particularly the Cartagena port in Colombia.

In order to expand the DSCu’s capabilities, Damen sent two floating docks that arrived to the island in late April. According to Maritime Executive, “the larger of the two is a Panamax-class dock measuring 230 meters by 45 meters for tankers, box ships and other large vessels, while the smaller dock measures 108 meters by 23 meters and is ideal for all kinds of tugs, work boats and offshore support and anchor handling vessels.” The article also quotes DSCu’s managing director, who explained that “even now our sales team is in discussions with a number of companies regarding a wide variety of vessels ranging from a local research vessel to tugs, small cruise ships and OSVs. We also plan to support regional naval vessels including those of the Royal Dutch Navy and with the support of a Damen Services team the yard will provide maintenance and repair services to Damen-built tugs and workboats operating in the region.”

Indeed, several Greater Caribbean states utilize Damen naval platforms, like The Bahamas, which purchased a number of Damen vessels as part of Nassau’s Sandy Bottom Project to improve the capabilities of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Additionally, regional shipyards have constructed vessels based on Damen models, like Mexico’s ASTIMAR for the Mexican Navy. Hence, DSCu could very well become a major maintenance and repair shipyard for regional warships, coast guard boats, not to mention civilian vessels that cross the Caribbean on any given day.

The Bad News: A Growing Migration of Venezuelans
An ever-growing number of Venezuelan citizens have migrated to countries like Brazil, Colombia, Peru and the U.S., in the past couple of years as the situation in their country worsens, and the Caribbean island has also received a number of them.

Unfortunately, there is no exact number of how many Venezuelans have arrived on the island, as the Curacao government has not issued statistics to give an idea of how big (or small) the problem is. An article in a Dutch newspaper stated that “between five and ten thousand Venezuelans” may be on the island, but a reliable source in Curacao explained to the author that this estimation sounds exaggerated. (Then again, according to a 19 May article by the Curacao Chronicle, Aruban Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes similarly said that “there are already about 5,000 refugees who reached the island [Aruba] via plane or boat.”) Thus a problem that hinders this analysis is understanding how many Venezuelans are on the island nowadays, though it is safe to argue that just a few thousand individuals can drastically alter the social and economic fabric given Curacao’s small area (171 square miles) and its population of around 159 thousand as of 2016, according to the World Bank.

A major concern is how will Curacao bear the cost for providing refugees and migrants with basic assistance. According to Lesley Fer, Risk Management & Disaster Policy Director for Curaçao, “the government will have to pay about 250 guilders per day per refugee. This is for basic costs such as food and housing, which also includes medical care, education and employment.” Willemstad is looking to external donors, namely The Hague, for financial support to expand infrastructure and be able to help the accepted refugees – this will probably strain relations between the island and the kingdom.

Unfortunately, people have perished as they tried to reach Curacao, as a boat carrying refugees capsized in January, killing at least four. Since they do not have legal documentation to stay on the island, Venezuelans could also be abused, and there are many reports that Venezuelan women are working in the island’s brothels. Finally, as we have witnessed in Europe with the flow of North African and Middle Eastern refugees, this sudden influx of Venezuelans may promote hate crimes in the island.


As the economic and political crisis in Venezuela continues, we can expect more Venezuelans to go abroad in search of a better life. Curacao will likely remain an objective, thus it is critically important for Willemstad and The Hague to come up with a humane and comprehensive immigration policy.

Final Thoughts
While the international media focus is, understandably, on the future of PDVSA and its impact on the Isla Refinery, the two other issues discussed in this commentary are important because of their potential consequences, both positive and negative.

For example, if Damen can upgrade and expand the infrastructure of DSCu, the shipyard could become a new source of income for the island. On the other hand, we can expect a greater number of Venezuelans risking their lives to reach the island in the near future as the situation in their homeland continues to deteriorate. These individuals must be treated in a humane and respectful manner while also taking into account Curacao’s limitations.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the author is associated.

E-IR: Angelina Jolie Pitt at LSE: Can Actors Be Effective Educators?

"Angelina Jolie Pitt at LSE: Can Actors Be Effective Educators?"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
E-International Relations
June 2, 2016
Originally published: http://www.e-ir.info/2016/06/02/angelina-jolie-pitt-at-lse-can-actors-be-effective-educators/

Angelina Jolie Pitt has been appointed a visiting professor in practice at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, part of the London School of Economics (LSE). Mrs. Jolie-Pitt’s newest distinction has not been without criticism, namely whether this is a LSE publicity stunt. This brings up an interesting issue: the role of Hollywood in IR education.

In addition to Jolie Pitt; Jane Connors, Amnesty International; Madeleine Rees, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; and Lord William Hague, former UK Foreign Secretary, have also been accepted. A LSE press release explains that the School ‘confers the title of Visiting Professor in Practice on persons who have appropriate distinction within their area of (non-academic) practice.’ These prominent individuals will be part of the Centre’s new MSc program on women, peace and security, a one-year course which starts this Fall. The Guardian explains that ‘visiting professors [will play] an active part in giving lectures, participating in workshops and undertaking their own research.’

The criticism against LSE’s decision to hire Jolie-Pitt focuses on whether it is a marketing ploy by the university to obtain media attention and to foster enrollment. For example, an op-ed in The Guardian argues that ‘if Professor Jolie Pitt acquired her academic title without a single formal academic qualification, and her fellow amateur’s gender insights do not promise to exceed the average gnat’s, is it worth investing one year and a lot of money in pointless study?’ Apart from her impressive filmography, Jolie Pitt, has had a long standing interest on the issue of refugees and the effects of conflict on civil society. Most notably, in 2012 she was named the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Prior to this appointment, she was a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador from 2001-2012. In 2003 she published a book based on her work with refugees. She has also raised awareness about humanitarian crises by producing films. For example, in 2012 she directed ‘In The Land of Blood and Honey,’ a fictional story which centers in the Bosnian War. More recently, ‘First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers’, another film that she is directing, addresses the human rights violations of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Hollywood productions, be them TV shows or films, are a standard tool utilized by members of academia when teaching IR courses. Case in point, the author of this post watched films like ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb’ and ‘Gallipoli’ for classes that addressed Mutually Assured Destruction and World War I, respectively. In order to broaden the discussion of what will be the future of humanity, think tanks are looking towards fiction writing and Hollywood for novel ideas and foresights. For example, the Project for the Study of the 21st Century has published a series of fictional short stories where authors muse what the year 2030 will look like. Similarly, the Center for International Maritime Security  has also published short stories about future conflicts. Likewise, the Argentine think tank Centro Argentino de Estudios Internacionales recently issued an analysis of the BBC television show ‘War Room’. Even more, the Atlantic Council created a project called The Art of the Future, which included analyses of the future of warfare. The initiative organizedseveral events in which artists, including comic book publishers and Max Brooks (the author of World War Z), interacted with members of the IR community.

Hollywood is an integral part of the IR world, including the jargon that scholars utilize. IR scholars routinely look to fiction for inspiration, to draw parallels and to speculate about the future. Additionally, it is not surprising to find Hollywood celebrities that support a plethora of causes: Leonardo DiCaprio is a well-known supporter of the fight against climate change; Emma Watson was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014; while Actor Sean Penn interviewed Mexican kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. As for Angelina Jolie, her concern for refugees worldwide is unquestionable. The issue is whether this (strong) personal interest on an issue, in addition to some fieldwork, can translate into effective teaching.

Accepting non-academics to enhance a program’s pedigree is standard practice at universities. It is not surprising to find that retired diplomats, military officers or government officials teach seminars focusing on the issues that they worked on throughout their careers. Ultimately, the question is how well Jolie Pitt’s participation will help provide an effective education to LSE students. According to the Centre’s website ‘students will take the core courses [and will] choose further relevant courses from [other] departments.’ In other words, apart from taking classes with the professors in practice, they will also attend regular classes with LSE’s faculty members offering a balance blending scholarship and practitioner.

Angelina Jolie Pitt has not published a plethora of books and essays on peer reviewed journals on the issue of refugees in conflict zones. Nor has she spent decades working for a government or multinational agency that focuses on this issue. However, her own experiences can help graduate students learn more about the status of refugees and post-conflict areas, particularly in Africa, the Balkans and Cambodia. There is nothing wrong with accepting (not “hiring,” as this is an unpaid position) several Professors in Practice, so long as the entire faculty of a Masters program is not staffed exclusively by them. In fact, there is plenty of intellectual wealth to be gained from cross-pollination when it comes to teaching. After all, IR is an interdisciplinary field, where different points of view should be heard.

Certainly, there is a degree of publicity that influenced LSE’s decision to invite Jolie Pitt, but this should not be a reason to stop good intentions; like those of a renowned actress with a strong commitment to raising awareness about refugees.

*The author would like to thank Erica Illingworth for her helpful suggestions.