Point Loma Students Tested in International Crisis Simulation

Charles Malik Institute Challenges Students to Lead with Christian Principles

SAN DIEGO, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Tuesday evening, the Charles Malik Institute, an initiative of the Philos Project, hosted a crisis decision-making simulation event for students at Point Loma Nazarene University. Experts from the Alma Research and Education Center in Israel facilitated the exercise, providing briefing materials and guiding students through their roles.

The simulation exercise replicated the persistent national security challenges Israel confronts on its northern border and invited student participants to take part in an iterative and interactive decision-making process from the perspective of Israeli government officials. With each decision, participants confronted a reaction which drove them to make and defend further decisions.   

 According to Liza Ashley, Associate Director of the Charles Malik Institute, "This unique exercise moves students beyond classroom theories towards developing practical, real-world solutions."  Speaking to the larger mission of the Institute, Ashley said, "At the same time, it provides a mechanism for us to discuss and promote inclusion, peace, justice, and respect for human rights in the inherently self-interested field of international relations, which is the legacy of Charles Malik."

The use of Israeli scenario, with the help of experts from Alma, gave the exercise an added dimension. 

Robert Nicholson, President and Founder of the Philos Project, "This program is important because it fosters a greater understanding of and respect for the critical, often difficult, decisions that political leaders face on a daily basis." He added, "It's my hope that this understanding might help young Christians looking to careers in foreign policy better understand the challenges of real-world decision making with limited time and partial information. The future of American leadership will live or die on the strength of the next generation and its ability to navigate the chaos of the world as it is."

ABOUT THE CHARLES MALIK INSTITUTE  

The Charles Malik Institute (CMI) trains future leaders in applied principled statesmanship using the life and writings of Lebanese philosopher and diplomat Charles Malik. CMI training emphasizes decision-making in crisis situations with a special awareness of the social, religious, and cultural forces that drive human affairs. Malikian statecraft strives to balance domestic and foreign, universal and particular, spiritual and physical in ways that generate tangible good for the nation-state, its neighbors, and humanity at large.     

SOURCE Philos Project