EMDIA Students Gain Valuable Classroom Engagement with H.E. Lolwah Al-Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister, MOFA Spokesperson

At the campus of QF partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), members of the Executive Master’s in Diplomacy and International Affairs (EMDIA), a custom one-year program designed for the Diplomatic Institute of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gained valuable perspectives and feedback with attendance by special guest, H.E. Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister and MOFA spokesperson. 

Her Excellency, who is also a member of the Joint Advisory Board of GU-Q, was invited to attend the EMDIA degree program’s module on “Small States and Alliance Diplomacy: Gulf Case Study” taught by Dr. Rory Miller, Professor of Government at GU-Q, and Dr. Fahad Al-Marri, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Government at GU-Q.

Through a mix of lectures, discussions, and scenarios tailor-made for the participants, the module explores how small states deal with traditional and non-traditional threats and challenges and how they can use alliances to deal with the realities of the regional and international system.

Emphasizing the ministry’s commitment to career education, Her Excellency said: “The world of international affairs is changing in fundamental ways, which means the role of diplomats is also evolving. It was a pleasure to attend a course of this customized degree program, which will give our talented team the skills and experience needed to adapt to ongoing changes. As a knowledge-driven sector, international diplomacy’s most important assets are its people.”

Students of the degree program benefited from the opportunity to present before a senior figure, said Dr. Miller. “It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to teach such a talented group of young officials from MOFA and the Diwan,” he said, adding: “They were engaged, articulate and highly motivated and we had a productive interaction over the duration of the course.” Dr. Miller and Dr. Al-Marri will be teaching another module in Spring 2022 on geopolitics.

The EMDIA degree program, offered by the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, seeks to enhance the ability of MOFA diplomats from Qatar and diplomats from the Middle East region to formulate and implement effective foreign policy. Its interdisciplinary curriculum covers significant diplomatic challenges in global politics and economics, critical thinking skills related to the major tools of statecraft, and areas of strategic importance to Qatar and the Middle East region.

The program comprises nine modules, each consisting of two intensive courses taught onsite at the GU-Q campus by faculty affiliated with Georgetown University. The tenth module will be a capstone visit to Georgetown’s campus in Washington, DC, and will include sessions with Georgetown faculty members and meetings with policymakers and representatives of international institutions.