NATO Parliamentary Assembly With UK & International Politicians

Gumley’s Politics, Economics and History students jumped at the chance to participate in this event, quizzing UK & International politicians on NATO and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

The invite from Mrs. Madeleine Moon MP, was a prelude to the Assembly’s annual session taking place in London this year and to mark 70 years since the founding of NATO.

It provided students with a platform to hear from and question Mrs Moon and vice-presidents of the Assembly, drawn from NATO countries throughout the world, on the role of NATO and the Assembly in the 21^st century.

Students had to prep on issues that addressed NATO’s:

Origins
Guiding principle of collective defence
Peacekeeping deployments
Military interventions
Relevance in today’s world

NATO is a Political and Military alliance with 29 Member countries. NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict. NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

A tour of the Palace of Westminster rounded off the day.

Our students voice their opinions of the event:

100% stated they found the debate inspiring also greatly expanding their knowledge of NATO. All members of our group also declared an increased interest in pursuing a career in international politics.

and in answer to what aspects of the conference they found most interesting, comments included:

It was really fascinating to hear political leaders address questions surrounding issues and events which are still playing out, for example the Turkish invasion of Kurdish land in Syria.
I found the different aspects and perspectives of the panel really insightful and the debate reminded me that NATO is comprised of people with varying opinions and how critical it is that they have to work cohesively to uphold NATO’S aims.
Gaining access to the House of Commons and learning about the history of Parliament.
Learning how NATO operates and what it does to keep its mission alive.
The Q&A with the representatives from NATO.