My Finalized Statement of Purpose and Personal Anecdote for Fletcher

[J_Phil]

Hey all,

It's too late to get any edits or suggestions on this (though they are welcome, anything to improve my writing!), but I thought some of you may benefit from reading my final products. I submitted these for application for a Masters of Law and Diplomacy at Fletcher, so hopefully they will like them and send me an acceptance letter in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!

"Why Fletcher" is the Statement of Purpose

"The Other End of the Barrel" is the Personal Anecdote

0 - The.Other.End.Of.The.Barrel.docx

0 - Why.Fletcher.docx

[Elvidi]

hi! it looks like the file is restricted, just FYI

[J_Phil]

Nuts to that. Here are the essays in text format. They are only 800 words and 500 words, respectively.

Why Fletcher

 

While I cannot claim to have served in combat in the Middle East, my personal experience as a United States Marine has compelled me to study both the region and conflict resolution. One of the most potent memories of my life is from my participation in a Remembrance Ceremony at Camp Pendleton in April of 2011. We, the musicians, sat to the side and softly played “Amazing Grace” while the Marines of 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Marines honored twenty-five of our own, killed-in-action. I watched as twenty-five families, sitting beneath the awning, were each in turn delivered a folded American flag to serve as a wanting replacement for their sacrificed son, brother, husband, father. The Marines themselves were in tears as they built the Battlefield Cross for their friends, a final gesture of farewell. The other musicians and I choked on our emotion. We performed the somber tones with raw throats and swimming eyes, an inadequate tribute to the fallen.

In 2011, I barely understood why my brothers-in-arms were being killed or why their families faced such devastation. Since then, I have been driven to understand the Middle East and international conflict. If a full-scale war erupts again, I will serve in it as a Marine, doing all within my power to prevent more unnecessary deaths among Americans and foreign nationals alike. However, it is my most deeply held conviction that work in diplomacy and conflict resolution can prevent war in the first place. Whether that work is within the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, or a non-governmental organization, my objective remains the same: prevent needless loss of life through diplomatic engagement.

          I am pursuing the Fletcher School because I believe that the Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) is the best graduate program to help me become a successful diplomat. The structure of the MALD directly addresses my primary objective as I envision my two fields of study at the Fletcher School to be International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization. The program’s wealth of opportunity for personal development, such as the Global Issues seminars and available certificates, are yet another strong reason for my application to Fletcher. In conjunction with the MALD program, I will also pursue the Certificate of Diplomatic Studies to broaden my knowledge of the conduct of diplomacy.

I believe I will excel at Fletcher because of my academic background in my chosen areas of study. For example, the field of study International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution offers two elective courses for which I have significant background knowledge that I hope to deepen at Fletcher: Peace Operations and Negotiation and Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In relation to Peace Operations, I conducted an extensive study of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in preparation for the National Model United Nations conference in March 2015, in which I was awarded Outstanding Delegate in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. With regard to Negotiation and Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, my experience in a study abroad program in Amman, Jordan, where I took an intensive course on the Arab-Israeli conflict and its modern obstacles to peace, will be a strong asset, as it enabled me to visit Palestinian refugee camps and independently travel to Israel and several West Bank cities to witness the effects of the conflict first-hand.

Regarding the field of study Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization, I am intensely interested in understanding the continuing processes of democratization and conflict resolution in the region. The courses that I will take focus specifically on democratization in the Middle East and the impact of war on society. I will use my previous research experience, such as my analysis of the role of the Egyptian military in politics before and after the Arab Spring for my comparative politics class, as a foundation to study domestic political processes in more detail. I believe that, above all, an intimate understanding of the region is a necessity to become an effective diplomat.

          My career objective, my calling, is the same today as it was in April of 2011: to understand a region rife with conflict and to work to prevent more needless death and suffering. Twenty-five families beneath an awning deserve far more than a folded flag and haunting memories, they deserve their son, brother, husband, father. Millions of refugees forced out of their homes deserve more than tents and rationed meals. I intend to dedicate my life to preventing more families from enduring sorrows like these. I will work to resolve conflicts, defend human rights, and combat the lunacy of terrorism. I strongly believe that the professional network, education, and opportunities for growth provided by the Fletcher School will help me reach a position in which I can effectively achieve these goals.

 

 

 

The Other End of the Barrel

 

Understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict is a modern necessity, from the deeply rooted history of the region to modern war crimes. However, for those of us who hope to be diplomatically engaged in the region there can be no substitute for witnessing the struggle first-hand. This belief drove me to visit Palestine myself, to visit the towns and cities about which I had spent countless hours reading. I chose to stay in East Jerusalem to immerse myself in Arab life surrounded by Israeli settlements. I wanted to feel the conflict, not just read about its ugly consequences.

Of the many Palestinian cities I visited, the most fascinating was Bethlehem, but not for its beautiful Church of the Nativity. Instead, I was captivated by the wall erected by the Israelis. The wall is a solid concrete, eight-meter tall goliath, imposing itself over everything in view; but it also acts as a canvas, a background to the most powerful artwork representing the Palestinian cause. For Israel, the wall exists to defend nearby settlements from suicide bombers. According to Palestinians, however, the wall is a deliberate, constant reminder of their occupation. I walked along the wall throughout Bethlehem, to touch it and read its graffiti. The entire experience was oddly surreal. The wall stood only a few blocks from the bustling tourist district and yet, here, the people were sparse, hushed, and hurried along with their heads down.

Perhaps the strangest experience at the wall was when, looking at the guard tower, I noticed the barrel of an assault rifle pointing conspicuously in my direction. I anticipated the guards would be interested in me, but pointing a weapon at me seemed mildly insulting. The American-Israeli relationship is constantly lauded as strong and durable, and yet this soldier treated me like a threat. I recognized the rifle as an M4 carbine, which is the exact weapon I train with in the Marine Corps. The weapon is American-made. I never expected one would be aimed at me. Yet, at the wall in Palestine, I stood on the other end of its barrel.

This encounter with the Israeli military was hardly the only one during my visit, but it left the strongest mark. In my short time at the wall, I witnessed the quintessential component of any military occupation: the threat of violence. I realized that this threat, the wall, and the loaded guns are a feature of daily life for Palestinians. I firmly believe that militaries are meant to protect people. My visit and my research, however, have led me to think that the purpose of the Israeli military has, at times, exceeded the goal of self-defense. Palestinian people are denied the basic freedoms of movement and self-determination. Palestinian children are born and raised under martial law. It is their ubiquitous despair that compels me to work toward a resolution of the conflict into which they were born, yet had no hand in creating.

 

 

 

[Dreams]

Thank you @J_Phil for pasting the texts.  They were great as is.  Good opening, clear that you did your research, and nicely shows your aims and how you ended up with them.  Good luck in the application round. 

[Promit B]

 International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization or  'International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution' and 'Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization'. Amend the line by choosing any of these two.

You haven't mentioned anywhere about your undergraduate degree, what you learned from it, and how that lead to your current motivation. Please try to give some academic examples showing how you are credible to stand the rigorous academic load of MALD program.

I realized that this threat, the wall, and the loaded guns are were a feature of daily life for Palestinians.