Global village classes work for peace in the Middle East

by Paul Wilson

A successful peace in the Middle East may be a tough concept to grasp,  but efforts are being made to resolve the conflict — at least in a simulation in Genia Allen-Schmid’s global village class.

“I want the students to know the seriousness of the situation,” said Allen-Schmid. “I don’t want them to make a mockery of the problems in the Middle East.”

For much of the first quarter, Allen-Schmid’s class prepared for a peace conference last week patterned after a United Nations model. The students were divided into small groups representing the parties involved in the real situation in the Middle East. The United States, Egypt, Syria, Jewish moderates, Zionists, and the Palestinian group Hamas were all represented. Issues from West Bank settlement to Jerusalem’s status as an open city were discussed and debated — sometimes at a rather intense level, according to some participants.

“We really got into it,” said junior Liam Bowler, a member of the U.S. delegation. “I thought it’d be dippy at first. (But)  it’s nice to see what’s going on.”

The peace conference was held in the “mutual land” of Jamaica with  Allen-Schmid as a mediator for the project. Over four days, the delegations were required to dress in accordance with their countries’ cultures, make formal statements, debate the issues and attempt to iron out a solution.

“(The simulation) shows us why coming to peace is so hard,” said junior Randy Broadbent. “If we can’t even decide in our class, imagine what it’s like for the real thing.”

With different viewpoints — ranging from terrorism to nationalism — there are no easy answers, according to students.

“My group has been really stubborn so far — we’re the Syrians,” said senior Joe Liechty. “But that’s the idea, to show what’s really going on. The Syrians are difficult.”

For the first time in the project’s history, a solution was found. The American delegation led an initiative that, according to Allen-Schmid, “pleased everybody but the Zionists.”

“This particular class maintained their  characters very well,” said Allen-Schmid. “They took it seriously. We got a real sense of the situation.”