Mid-week Updates - 15th COP, Election, Vienna

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- I'm glad to see that it is a little easier to add comments now. I hope everyone is now able to do so. I have been busy busy busy to say the least! After taking it easy on Sunday, on Monday I had my two core classes - one lecture and one seminar, both for my public policy and administration class. We discussed the formulation of "bureaucracy" as an ideological entity, from the late 19th century to today. Pretty interesting stuff! Since I have three hours between the lecture and seminar, I took some time to walk to the other side of the city, something I haven't done since the first week I was here. I made it out to Trafalgar Square and exchanged my money. Good news on that front: the exchange rate is much better now than it was a couple of weeks ago. The U.S. dollar is now at a 5-month high against the G.B.P., which means that as long as I'm using my American credit cards, I'm getting a great rate and things are considerably cheaper.

Yesterday was also a busy day. First, in my one class of the day (Global Environmental Governance), I was made quite the offer. In a couple of months, the 15th Conference of Parties will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The first "COP" was in 1995, and set out a governmental system and framework by which climate change is targeted. Thus, it was at the third COP in 1997 in Kyoto when this framework was formally adopted, and it was decided with the signing of the Kyoto Protocol that the legal framework would be altered and changed based on negotiations and updated interests at the 15th COP, which happens to be December 7-18 in Copenhagen. Thus, this COP is essentially the most important environmental conference in the past 12 years, and will set the new framework for global environmental policy for the next 12 years. Now, all of that said, there are four actors at a COP: any official representative of an international government (all of the world's energy ministers and foreign ministers and their aids), any official representative of the United Nations (COP's are UN conferences - and this includes not just the UN, but the World Bank, IMF, WTO, IAEA, and so on), the media (this should be the single most covered event since President Obama's Inauguration), and any "mediating NGO." As it turns out, LSE is an official registered non-governmental organization with the United Nations, and is thus sending a delegation to the conference. Given that I'm taking a course titled "Global Environmental Governance," it is that professor who is responsible for assembling the delegation to Copenhagen. In class yesterday we discussed this for a considerable amount of time, and then in several email exchanges since then he approved me as a candidate to go. So now all I have to do is decide, and I have about two-three days to make my decision.

PROS:

Experience in the highest-profile of international conferences and up-close access in seeing how negotiations work

Trip to Copenhagen, a supposedly beautiful city and Denmark is a country I've never been to

I will learn a lot that can be used in future research for my dissertation and formal class papers

CONS:

I can not go for the entire time: my flight back to the US is December 14

Even if I go from the start until December 13, I have to miss a full week of class

This is not paid for: flights are cheap, and I have to pay for meals anyway, but a place to stay will be expensive

What shall I do? I obviously want to go, but it's hard to set that in stone at this point given that I simply don't know how much harder the work is going to get. It hasn't been bad at all to this point, but I'm only halfway through week 2. This is the last week of the term, week 10, for all three classes, two of which are only this term (you hate to miss the final lecture and final seminar). That said, it isn't as if I "can't" go - all of my professors recognize that this is about as justifiable of an excuse to miss class as you can possibly get, plus nobody takes attendance anyway (I could never go and just sit the exams in June and see how it works out), but clearly I have my reservations about it. Any advice?

Besides that, I am also now about 90% sure I will be going to Vienna, Austria in a few weeks to visit a friend of mine who will be there on work. :) I get to meet up with a good friend who I haven't seen in almost a year already, see a new city and new country, and flights are cheap and I have a free place to stay! Hoping to book a flight later today or tomorrow...

Last night I won another election! We had the first meeting for the LSE Israel Society last night and I stood for election as an education officer on the committee, and won! So I am now your Israel educator for LSE! :) We have a meeting today in a few hours to see exactly what that will entail.

That's all for now - have a great rest of your week everyone, and I promise I'll provide updates on any flight/train confirmations and so on. Back home two months from today already, time is flying by!