The major simulation was the highlight of the week, with the European Union, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Uganda, McDonald’s, and Doctors Without Borders vying to accomplish their goals while at the same time working collectively. Representing McDonald’s felt strange as I do not support them due to their operating practices and impact on society in terms of things such as health (I stay the hell away from their food), so that was an interesting experience. However, I found it even stranger to be representing McDonald’s and talking about helping developing countries because when I think international development, McDonald’s is the last thing that comes to my mind. We were talking about opening restaurants, bring in capital, and creating entrepreneurship, but all I could think was, “Wow, McDonald’s is definitely not going to be lifting any developing countries out of poverty.” When I think international development, I think USAID, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, the Red Cross, the United Nations, and Habitat for Humanity, among others. I personally feel that NGOs and governments are more responsible for contributing to international development, especially since governments are around to better their people. It was amusing to watch Uganda try to deny it had problems with corruption and saying that it was an internal issue that didn’t have any impact on foreign companies in the country, which it did. I was surprised to hear about how severe corruption was in Ukraine, especially with all their efforts to “Westernize.” I feel like I was a bit removed from the exercise for some reason, but I can’t really pinpoint that reason—maybe some end-of-the-semester aloofness? It was a fun activity to do nevertheless, and I’m glad we got to explore the interconnected world of development from the standpoints of nation-states, NGOs, and corporations.
-Gregory Proulx
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