What actually happens behind the scenes of an international summit? How do countries with very different interests reach a common agreement? And what do the outcomes of such a meeting mean for international politics?
These were some of the questions we explored in the Political Education Club following the BRICS Summit, which took place in New Delhi last week. To get some first-hand insights, we invited Mr Marius Osswald, Head of the Political Section at the German Embassy, to join us at school.
For us as students, this was a special opportunity. Instead of simply reading about the summit in the news, we were able to ask someone who is directly involved in the world of diplomacy and international politics. Mr Osswald explained how negotiations work during a summit, how a joint final declaration is drafted and what the outcomes of this year’s meeting mean.
We also learned that international politics is not simply about making decisions. Behind a single sentence in a final declaration can lie long negotiations and very different interests. This made the topic much more tangible for us than it would have been in a regular lesson.
As students at DSND, we had the exciting opportunity to experience international politics happening right on our doorstep. It is hard to get much closer to the heart of current affairs than that!
A big thank you to Mr Osswald for visiting us, taking the time to answer our questions and giving us such fascinating insights!
