September 7, 2012

As soon as we arrived in Washington, the state winners of USIP’s National Peace Essay Contest began a provocative inquiry about the nature of new media. As one of 46 state winners of USIP’s annual contest, I was fortunate enough to travel from my hometown in Scottsdale, Arizona to the Institute’s headquarters in Washington, DC and participate in the weeklong event. We spoke with world-class economists, decorated public servants, and colorful political analysts, allowing us to contemplate the intersection of policy and governance. It was exhilarating to be part of a coordinated group in action.

During this week, presenters reinforced themes and arguments from our essays, or sometimes challenged them. Through first-hand accounts, State Department officials shattered our assumptions about the crystalline nature of diplomacy. Their compelling narratives revealed how social media are empowering a new form of egalitarian diplomacy connecting citizens in one nation to citizens in another.

As the week progressed, presentations evolved into dynamic group discussions. Through these conversations, we discovered the power of a coordinated group, both in creating political change and studying it.

Yet every morning, we engaged in a simulation activity that reminded us that this power of collaboration is hard-won and not to be taken for granted. As citizens of a fictitious Middle Eastern country under a brutally repressive dictator, we were divided into four district groups, each with different, and sometimes divergent, priorities. While some groups emphasized economic inequality, others remained concerned with human rights violations. Our task was to establish a common activism platform and orchestrate a rally using onlynew media--including Facebook, Yammer, and cell phones.

Our collaboration on Facebook was going smoothly. Across the wireless network, other NPEC winners shaped the Facebook discussion into a cohesive political manifesto of dissent. Just as the clock ticked down to five minutes remaining, we received a Facebook notification: a rebel group suddenly demanded a radical reordering of our platform. Pandemonium ensued. We feverishly typed Facebook messages asking the dissenting group to reconsider their position, but our pleas seemed impersonal over the Internet and had no effect. Desperate to restore human contact, we reached for the phone and negotiated a compromise amid intra-group strife. Against the simulated backdrop of “governmental” surveillance and manipulation, we secured a cohesive platform and unified the voices of all four district groups into a resounding rally.

We discovered that the process of unification--which came so easily during activities with unconstrained personal communication--became difficult using social media alone. The challenges of this simulation gave us a new respect for social movements that successfully reconcile diverse factions of society. With emotion motivating people’s actions, it is easy to see how easily group collaboration can fall apart. If we found it difficult to remain unified in a simulation whose outcome had no impact on our lives, the emotional factors inherent in real life negotiations would intensify the situation that much more.

Through this simulation activity and others like it, I learned that peacebuilding transcends compromise. Peacebuilding relies on direct personal contact and communication. Threads of shared experiences form relationships which are then woven into the fabric of peaceful life. This process needs continuous direction and attention. When social media enable such interpersonal dialogue, these tools can mean the difference between cohesion and disarray. Yet sometimes, conflicts can only be mediated through the immediacy of a face-to-face conversation.

We also had the opportunity to learn about social and political structures on Capitol Hill. During appointments with our state representatives, we explored how power emerges from group governance. I had the pleasure of discussing international politics with Representative Ben Quayle (R, AZ), Senator John McCain’s foreign policy advisor Christian Brose (R, AZ), and Dakota Herbert from Senator Jon Kyl’s office (R, AZ). I watched in awe as my state representatives established rapport quickly and sincerely, not through intermediary technologies, but via direct human contact. I began to appreciate the immense power and stability that these connections can bring. These experiences refined my understanding of peacebuilding.

The Awards Week was one of the most extraordinary opportunities of my life. We formed lasting friendships strengthened, in part, through social media. Thanks to the enormous generosity of staff members at the Institute of Peace, we were taken behind the scenes to glimpse life in government service. We had down-to-earth conversations with incredible people. These events shaped my views beyond the realm of politics.I learned to admire the power of collaboration and the rich creative rewards this synergy brings. In a world in which social media are increasingly influential, these lessons will continue to inform my place in my generation, into college and beyond.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I'd like to thank all the USIP staff, especially Annie Davies, Alli Phillips, Amanda Fogle-Donmoyer, Pamela Aall, Dr. Richard Solomon, Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb, Celena Canode, Fareed Mostoufi, Craig Jones, and the many other individuals who guided this program into such a transformative experience.