 ESU Malaysia - Workshops
Report on the
International Relations Conference, 9th - 15th July 2006
Oriel College, Oxford
The International Relations Conference held at Oriel College
is one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. The
opportunity to participate in an international relations conference
and interact with many people is very rewarding.
The lecture series held throughout the week covered many areas
of current affairs including business, political systems, journalism,
culture and human rights. During the week, many keynote speakers
spoke on each topic and areas of their expertise sharing personal
experiences, values, foresights and the direction of globalization.
The topics were discussed and challenged by peers from the
nations gathered there. Ms. Sidra Iqbal, a media anchor from
Pakistan, was one of the most vocal delegates who challenge
the views of keynote speakers. She raised many issues regarding
human rights, judicial systems and the influence of politics
in gaining consensus for economic development. As a developing
nation, her questions were specific mostly to Pakistan. Mr.
Jiang Wei Mao of China spoke of the economic reforms in the
China. The delegate from Czech Republic, Mr. Martin Moravec,
also shared his views on the integration of the Eastern European
bloc into the European Union, and the population migration
currently going on in Europe and its implication on the state
economy.
The most provocative speaker at the ESU conference was Mr.
Martin Bell, a former BBC correspondent, who challenged our
views on the subject of journalism. His experiences span many
global affairs such as the Iraq war in 1990 and many other
events. He spoke about the atrocities of war and social responsibility
of sovereign states in the act of war towards its citizens.
His experiences challenged many of the delegates to understand
his objectivity in reporting to the public.
Mr. Kit Burdess of Accenture spoke a trending culture, corporate
social responsibility in business organizations. He spoke about
the importance of such organizations to give back to communities
and its implication for improving the social life style of
its citizens.
The small group sessions also proved to be very useful because
it gave each delegate a chance to delve further into their
subject of interest and explore more critically on some of
the subjects with the keynote speaker.
The experience of visiting Oxford University and Oriel College
gave me a new perspective into history, the strong education
of the institution and a tradition of intellectual milieu.
I had the opportunity also to visit other colleges and listened
to students who spoke of their experiences as an Oxfordian
and the college traditions.
The delegates from the 31 nations also gave me a chance to
hear about 31 different countries and their heritage as well.
All these delegates brought a piece of their culture, heritage,
language and embodiment of their nations to Oxford. The biggest
common denominator of our experiences at Oriel College was
English.
English brought us together and allowed us to communicate
and express our differences in the most subtle and convenient
way. Each of us spoke a different language but at Oxford, the
unification of our differences came in the English language.
We shared some of the most provocative ideas and thoughts in
English. That is an attestation to the English language as
a lingua-franca of global nations.
The opportunity to visit William Shakespeare’s birthplace
and viewing one of his plays, Julius Caesar, by the Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, was a great experience. The experience of theatre
is a far-fetched idea in Malaysia. However, having to listen
to actors expressed their feelings and emotion in the most
vulnerable form through the use of words was in itself invigorating.
The idea of simple words can be transformed into a powerful
expression suggests how powerful a language can be and to discover
the power of the English language by William Shakespeare in
his plays through their recitation is a feat extraordinaire.
He has proven the English language is far more powerful and
influential in communication. With that, it is a our responsibility
going forward to continually read and write in English in the
best form to express our ideas and thoughts well.
Lastly, I want to thank ESU Malaysia for giving me the opportunity
to experience Oxford, making new friends and contributing to
the International Relations Conference.
Report prepared by: Vinash Gopalakrishnan
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