On April 26th, Beaver alum Conor Savoy spoke to Kader Adjout’s Moral Dilemmas class about Moral Dilemmas in politics. As the Executive Director at Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, he deals with the tension that exists between morality and self-interest on a daily basis.
“The idea of morality and struggling with how to apply it is at the heart of foreign policy,” Mr. Savoy told the class. He introduced the two schools of thought in International Relations Theory: liberalism, “cooperation,” and realism, “belief that conflict is the natural state of order.” He touched on the Leviathan, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Obama Administration’s Iran negotiations
He probed the students on their opinions on the matter, challenged their ideas, and made the students feel like politicians themselves. He filled the room with students who realized how smart they were. Off camera, Mr. Adjout silently warned them (with expressive gestures) that he would call on them to ask a question next.
“At Beaver, I loved history. I had so many great teachers,”
Yet again, Beaver has made the most of a virtual situation. Rather than sulk in the zoom-gloom, Beaver has harnessed pandemic teaching as a global connector. When virtual, do what zoom makes possible.