GREEK STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT NATO, WWII

UNCLAS ATHENS 001876

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR R CRIEHL; EUR CGRAFFEY, MBRYZA; EUR/PPD MOKEEFE, GCOUCH,
BARMSTRONG; EUR/SE KFITZGERALD, BHUNT, GCOWAN, SALTMAN-WINANS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NATO PREL KPAO OEXC OIIP GR
SUBJECT: GREEK STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT NATO, WWII

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SUMMARY
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1. From July 1 - 4, 2007, Mission Public Diplomacy staff escorted
ten Greek international relations and political science graduate and
post-graduate students to Brussels for briefings at NATO
Headquarters and a tour of important World War II monuments. The
students appreciated the candor of their NATO interlocutors and felt
they learned much about the positive role the U.S. played in Europe
in World War II. They suggested another day at NATO Headquarters,
including more substantive briefings. They asked for exposure to
non-Western NATO missions, and they felt the trip as planned
featured too much time in the bus. The students have set up an
e-mail group to exchange ideas and attended two post-tour
debriefings. End Summary.

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MORE SUBSTANTIVE BRIEFINGS
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2. The students felt there was a lot of overlap between their
introductory briefing (Jonathan Parrish) and the briefing on NATO
structure (Tom Underwood). They requested, instead, briefings on
NATO operations, budget, and public diplomacy strategy. A few of
the students expressed interest in a role-playing exercise to
simulate NATO decision-making and resource allotment. Most of the
students asked for a second full day of briefings, noting the chance
to communicate with officials at NATO was the most unique part of
the tour.

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GREAT MONUMENTS; LESS BUS TIME
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3. One student commented that he was "amazed by how much the
Americans had done for Europe in World War II," and several said
that visits to Bastogne and the Henri Chappelle Cemetary made those
events real for them. A visit to the Remember Museum, where
memorabilia from U.S. war veterans is on display, gave the trip a
powerful emotional angle. The distances between these sites,
however, were great, and the students felt they were rushed and
spent too much time on the bus. A happy hour with professor and
NATO expert Dr. Edwina Campbell had to be cancelled when the bus was
delayed returning to Brussels. One suggestion included sleeping
near Bastogne the first night, taking tours the next day, and then
ending in Brussels.

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OTHER OBSERVATIONS
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4. As usual, NATO scheduled a briefing at the Greek Mission for the
group without escorts. The students reported that the Greek
Ambassador to NATO shared his thoughts with the students on whether
Greece could truly be called the leader in the Balkans, and the
students raved about the briefing. Both the American PD officer and
the Greek PD Specialist from the U.S. Consulate in Thessaloniki who
were escorting the group were barred from the briefing.

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POST FOLLOW-UP AND RESULTS
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5. The students made it clear that much of what they learned during
the trip was not covered in their previous studies, and they have
been excited about sharing their experience. They were asked for
their feedback at a post-trip debriefing with the Public Affairs
Officer and at a casual dinner with a Greek desk officer and a post
PD officer. The students have also established an informal e-mail
group to exchange ideas. Several of the students have discussed
possible programs with other students as the new school year
begins.


6. This student program is a first for Mission Greece and supports
our priority goal of engaging and informing youth audiences. The
high levels of anti-Americanism and misinformation about NATO, and
history in general, in Greece underscores the continuing need for
Greek student NATO tours. The extremely positive reaction of the
student participants in this tour reaffirms the value of this
program.