Gustavo Westmann and Amit Verma are two diplomats from outside Europe who have chosen to do a Master in International Public Affairs at the LUISS School of Government.
Gustavo Westmann is the chief clerk for trade at the Brazilian embassy in Rome. In Italy for three years, he recounts that he has wanted to do an international master since he arrived: "I still didn’t speak Italian very well and I researched programs held in English. I found out about the one at the LUISS School of Government thanks to the embassy and I thought it was an ideal choice."
Amit Verma works at the Indian embassy in Italy, where he heads the Department of Information and Culture. "The Indian community in Italy is quite large, which is why we support and promote cultural diplomacy, media relations, cooperation and exchanges in the academic world."
Both say they chose the master at the SoG for the program’s full immersion. "The technical part helps us understand how today’s big diplomatic issues arose and developed: where do they come from and why?" says Westmann. "Then we have had the good fortune to attend lectures with experts and many other diplomats who face these issues every day. For example, Professor Sabino Cassese of the Constitutional Court or Francesco Galtieri of the United Nations, as well as directors and department heads at the Farnesina."
"The Master MIPA has a renowned faculty and a range of content that serves to conceptualize, plan and execute diplomatic work," continues Amit Verma. "Specifically, I appreciated the flexibility and the openness of the professionals who know how to balance international work with academic objectives."
Aside from the basics, networking and the possibility of meeting people in the same professional sector was an appealing element. For example, Westmann was able to learn more about trade negotiation strategies. "The people who I spoke with helped me understand the dynamics of regional groups that are springing up everywhere, as well as the case of China and the growing impact of its market on global processes."
The goal of opening the mind to the new challenges of a world that is ever more globalized and to understand how to face the challenges of globalization in practice was a common goal for both diplomats. As Verma states, "Diplomacy is facing various challenges and I think that the two most important are to prevent conflicts rather than negotiating them after the fact, and harmonizing the interests and roles of the governments of different countries within a world that is increasingly interconnected and interdependent."