How does the IE School of Global and Public Affairs (IEGPA) account for the ever-changing nature of conflict and conflict resolution and of the actors involved?

The nature of conflict and peacebuilding are in constant motion. As seen in the Syrian conflict, social media has altered how organizations recruit fighters and strive for legitimacy. Recent events in sub-Saharan Africa highlight the new role of climate change and environmental scarcity as root causes of civil disorder. New forms of unrest are emerging not only in the developing world but also in the United States and European Union, where radical political movements and breakaway regions threaten the post–World War II status quo. To account for this evolving and increasingly complex panorama, faculty and program directors at IEGPA engage in innovation and renovation of our academic programs and curricula. Our academic faculty, with the values of change and adaptation, are committed to bridging the gap between academic research and the applied world of geopolitics and public policy.

How is IEGPA adjusting its teaching to account for these changes?

How can we address the conflict in Syria without a drastic reconsideration of European policy on asylum and refugees? How do we re-integrate fighters into “post-conflict” society when they’re from all corners of the globe? Beyond re-integrating fighters, how can we better heal the physical and psychological wounds of conflict’s innocent victims and bystanders? The answers often lie at the intersection of sectors all too often studied in isolation: the international and domestic, the public and private, the strategic and operational. At IEGPA, our programs emphasize the hard and soft skills necessary to transcend these narrow sectoral distinctions and design integrative solutions to today’s conflict problems and processes. Alongside traditional courses in conflict resolution, geopolitics, and area studies, our programs include courses in new technologies, project design and management, adaptive leadership, and policy innovation. We believe this entrepreneurial, transcendental approach to the study of international affairs unlocks students’ potential as global problem solvers and impact makers.

How are you considering technology’s role in mitigating or sparking conflict?

New technologies are at the heart of what we do at IEGPA. The Center for the Governance of Change, one of the school’s affiliated research and learning centers, is dedicated to understanding how new technologies are changing economics, politics, and society and how governance institutions and public policies must respond to these technological revolutions. In no area is the role of new technologies more relevant than conflict and peacebuilding—they have fundamentally altered how conflicting groups recruit combatants, manage organizations, and strive for legitimacy. From the use of cell phones in sub-Saharan Africa, to Russia-funded Twitter trolls in American and European elections, to the use of social media by the Islamic State, research is emerging that highlights technology’s role in facilitating new forms of conflict. However, we at IEGPA also believe that new media have a place in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Social media and virtual reality platforms provide game-changing ways of reaching people across geographic, social, and ideological divides. Properly mobilized and in the right hands, new technologies can be valuable tools for conflict resolvers.

Why does your School aim to educate for “the world of tomorrow”?

The world is changing at an exponential pace. In the last three decades life expectancy increased by an average of three months per year lived, century-old companies ceased to exist and many of the jobs performed by humans for generations were taken over by robots and algorithms. In the last two years alone humanity produced more data than in the previous twenty millennia. Advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, the biological and medical sciences and many others will mean that the world where our graduates will live will be very different to the one we know today. Many more of our jobs will be automated, we will have redefined the concept of privacy and of security, and the boundaries between local and global will have become completely blurred. This complex and interdependent world will be in dire need of leaders capable of navigating it and of guiding its companies, institutions and governments. We aim to be at the forefront of the process of educating those leaders both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

How does the IE educate its students to address current and future challenges?

At IE School of International Relations we are committed to innovation in education. This is not only reflected in the use of technology in the classroom and beyond but also in how our teaching is always focused on trends of change. We do not educate for the past but for the future. This requires linking our teaching to the latest advances in the fields of technology and innovation and leveraging the power of the humanities to make sense of such a rapidly changing landscape. It also requires providing our students with a solid foundation on how the private sector works. We are strong believers in the need for the public and private sectors to work together to solve some of the greatest problems of our time. By bringing together knowledge about technology, public policy, business and global affairs we seek to educate individuals capable of succeeding in an ever-changing world.

What is the IE experience and what sort of careers do IE graduates have?

The IE School of International Relations is a cosmopolitan institution. The vast majority of our students are international. Our language of instruction is English. And our students get to spend time in both Madrid, the over-4-million-strong capital of Spain, and in Segovia, a UNESCO World Heritage site where the IE owns a beautiful 13th century monastery.

Our Bachelor and Master in International Relations graduates have gone on to work for some of the world’s largest corporations in strategy, business development and institutional affairs departments. Some are working for multilateral institutions such as the United Nations or the World Bank. Others have gone into politics and the public sector more broadly. Others, in turn, are helping some of those in need in our world through their work in NGOs and other philanthropic institutions. Overall, our graduates have made the most of their education and are working at the frontier of global affairs. We are very proud of them. I encourage readers to join us here in Spain, to accept future challenges affronting humanity and to take part in our vast alumni community currently continuing to make the world a better-governed place for all.