The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs hosted the first Model NATO Summit, in partnership with NATO's Allied Command Transformation (ACT), to engage young professionals with NATO’s mission and values.
Eva Mulholland, a junior studying international affairs and security policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs, said participating in the event gave her a chance to learn from influential global leaders and industry experts. The experience left her feeling inspired and passionate about the role individuals can play in pushing the world in a better direction.
“Being in the room with these influential leaders is just such an honor. And it was such a pleasure to watch them work, learn from them and work alongside them,” Mulholland said.
The inaugural model summit was held in July at GW through a partnership with ACT, which is NATO’s strategic command located in Norfolk, Virginia. ACT is NATO’s main interface with academia, think tanks and the private sector in all 32 member nations.
In 2017, the Elliott School signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ACT under the leadership of Erwan Lagadec.
Lagadec is an associate research professor at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), where he leads the Elliott School’s programs on EU and NATO affairs. He also oversees the Memorandum of Understanding between the Elliott School and ACT. The partnership with ACT has solidified GW as one of NATO’s premier academic partners and creates numerous opportunities for GW students.
Since part of ACT’s mission is creating impactful youth outreach programs, and because the annual NATO summit was held in Washington, D.C., this year, Lagadec said the Elliott School and ACT built a model summit.
Young professionals and students from all 32 NATO countries were selected by their respective embassies to represent each member nation in the alliance. Mulholland was chosen to represent the United States.
“I have a very strong interest in NATO, to me it's a very important alliance that the United States plays a very important role in,” Mulholland said. “So, I wanted to take the time to get a better understanding of how youth in America view NATO and how youth can engage with the alliance to provide our perspective.”
The model summit was designed to mirror the 2024 Washington NATO Summit where all 32 NATO Allies issued the official Summit Declaration. Students were tasked with creating a document that communicates allied values, priorities and strategic intent from a youth perspective. They prepared for weeks leading up to the event.
At the model summit, students deliberated on the strategic issues that affect the daily security of NATO, with specific attention given to NATO’s ongoing support of Ukraine and the alliance’s ability to deter and defend against any aggressor.
“The process was very exciting, and it was a great exercise in really understanding the art of diplomacy and the art of negotiation,” Mulholland said.
Mulholland was one of three participants later selected by ACT to present the final declaration to senior NATO officials, including Supreme Allied Commander Transformation General Philippe Lavigne, as well as academics and members of the press.
“I was really honored to have received a personal congratulations from the assistant secretary general for public diplomacy, Marie-Doha Besancenot, for the presentation that I made,” Mulholland said. "So, it was truly a very enriching and unique experience.”
In addition to participating in the model summit, Mulholland also had the chance to attend a variety of events, including the NATO Public Forum. She was thrilled to hear from experts and world leaders and enjoyed the conversations that flowed from engaging with the other participants at the event who were passionate about tackling difficult issues.
Her favorite panel of speakers included Kaja Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia, and Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark.
“As a young woman entering this field, it was very inspiring to listen to them speak,” Mulholland said. “They were such strong speakers and so steadfast in their stances and willing to put their opinions out there. To see them up on that stage in such a high-profile role was very inspiring.”
Lagadec said the model summit was significant as it allowed participants from diverse backgrounds to engage in rigorous research, analytical and presentation skills, guided by experienced mentors, to achieve results that will influence real-world policy-making, while also forming distinctive professional networks.
“On the whole, the event highlighted the very best of what makes the Elliott School such a unique school to study international affairs,” Lagadec said.
