Eurasia

Right now, nearly 5,000 leaders in cities, towns, and villages across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus are working to advance democracy, spur economic growth, reduce poverty, improve health, bolster community services, protect the environment and human rights, and promote gender equality. These alumni from 20 years of the Muskie Program are using the new technical skills and professional knowledge gained from their studies in the United States to develop their countries and communities.  Fifty percent of the alumni are working in the public and non-profit sectors. Together they form a network of change-makers forging strong ties with the United States and improving their societies from the inside.

I’ve been fortunate to visit four IREX field offices and one theme loudly surfaces each time- Muskie alumni are everywhere. I hear about their great work from our country directors. I run into them on the streets on my way to meet other alumni.

I’ve had the pleasure of chairing research fellowship panels for over a decade. In these years I’ve heard debate surrounding nearly 3,000 applicants, both junior and senior scholars, all trying to secure very limited research funding.  A while back some colleagues in the academic community encouraged me to pull some tips together from my experience in these meetings and also having worked with so many different peer reviewers over the years, from a variety of disciplines.

Interviewing victims of trafficking and their rescuers is difficult work. There are few happy endings. However, occasionally one meets someone who emerges from unspeakable suffering with courage, clarity, and wisdom. Marina is such a woman.