19 November 2020
The event I attended tonight was unlike any OSU event I attended before. The discussion was hosted by the OSU Mershon Center for international security studies, and the speaker was Juliette Kayyem, a Harvard professor! The event was held on zoom, and many of the participants were grown adults, other scholarly professors, and knowledgeable people in the field of security studies.
Kayyem discussed issues regarding the pandemic, and how it relates to national security in the U.S. We got an insight into the timeline of the virus, the strengths and weaknesses of the world precautions, and how the foreseeable future will be handled with lockdowns and the vaccine. I found this event super interesting and informational, especially since so little is know about the virus. It was fascinating to hear about the ways the U.S. took precautions and tried to contain the virus, all while dealing with the fact that the issue became partisan. I learned a lot about how the future may look, including immunization cards everywhere you go, and the continuation of mask-wearing.
This event relates to IA because it is an international issue affecting everyone. The way the countries in the world reacted and took actions reflected how the situation was handled as a whole. Every country played a part, and all bounced off each other. The matter of national security was important to gain a deeper perspective on and changed how wide my view of national threats are.
I am majoring in International Relations, but I have been very interested in National Security lately. This event further emphasized my interest in the sector of international studies, and how I would handle/work in homeland security. I now know that I would deeply enjoy working for the security of the country and relations between other countries during international crises.