U.S. Ambassador and Political Counselor Talk with Singaporean Undergraduates

March 29, 2004

U.S. Ambassador Frank Lavin and Mission's Counselor Economic/Political Affairs, Laurent Charbonnet talk with Singaporean Undergraduates

U.S. Ambassador Frank Lavin and the Mission’s Counselor for Economic/Political Affairs, Laurent Charbonnet, met with 25 political science majors from the National University of Singapore March 29 to discuss American foreign policy. During the 90-minute session at the embassy, the Ambassador and Counselor dealt with a range of questions and remarks about our bilateral relationship, regional concerns in Southeast Asia, and global issues. Many of the students’ questions focused on the US-led fight against terrorism, coalition efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Administration’s views of the UN, and American priorities and partners in a post-cold war era. In the end, both students and embassy officers saw the discussion/dialogue as an interesting and useful program. As one NUS student remarked at the end, “ We’ve been studying U.S. foreign policy this semester, and the opportunity to hear from and discuss with the American Ambassador many of the topics we’ve covered in class adds a whole new perspective to what we’ve studied.”