CISAC co-director's arms control talks simulation teaches real-world diplomacy skills

When Professor Scott D. Sagan, co-director of CISAC, leads students on a journey through arms control talks-- a three-day simulation that is part of his "International Security in a Changing World" course --they experience first-hand the reality of international negotiations. Sagan teaches the course with SIIS Director Coit D. Blacker and SIIS Senior Fellow William J. Perry. The class, which attracts up to 200 students, includes sections on "Weapons of Mass Destruction," "Terrorism, "Civil Wars" and "U.S. Foreign Policy." Before the simulation exercise takes place, students research and write memoranda outlining the goals that should guide their assigned country's behavior, and what strategies their delegation should adopt to achieve its goals.