AIPAC Establishes Policy Agenda to Build US-Israel Partnership

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) comprises club members, advocates, activists, students, industry leaders, and synagogue leaders who strengthen and expand the relationship between Israel and the United States. AIPAC also educates those in decision-making positions on the common interests the two countries share, and why strengthening these bonds is important.

At the center of the group’s activities is its multi-pronged policy agenda. The group aims to establish a cooperative missile development program and strategic partnerships across industries. More significantly, the organization works toward establishing peace between the Jewish State of Israel and a demilitarized Palestine.

The organization’s efforts also include addressing shared threats to security that the United States and Israel face. Finally, the group works toward removing Israel’s isolation on world forums and ending boycotts and efforts to divest or sanction the country. In 2021, the group has narrowed its focus on key issues that, once resolved, support the above goals. For example, a pressing issue for the organization is addressing the increasing instability in the Middle East.

Fortifying the relationship between the two countries becomes more important when the key to US security is Israel and helping the country remain a democracy. The first way the organization needs assistance is by providing Israel with the military edge over any possible adversaries. Through the US-Israel missile defense cooperation, the two groups can save lives.

The two groups also emphasize strengthening the relationship between the two countries in the interest of strategic efforts the two have in common. Science, technology, water, energy, health, and agriculture are a few of the sectors the organizations work with each other to address shared challenges.

Since the Israel state was established in 1948, the country has signed peace treaties with Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, and Morocco. All of this has been done through the aid of the United States. The organization believes that the US can set the stage for helping Israel establish peace among other countries.

Existing in one of the world’s hotbeds for terrorist activity, the Israel state faces threats from terrorist groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iranian militias in Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah. With the help of the US, however, threats from terrorist groups that Iran supports can be pushed back. More importantly, the country can defend itself against the myriad of threats against its own democracy. In terms of long-term threats, Iran is one to both countries because of its nuclear ambitions. AIPAC advocates for the US policy that would prevent this country from building a nuclear arsenal.

Finally, AIPAC works toward diminishing anti-discriminatory practices which are disguised as boycotting, divestment, and sanctions. Israel faces discrimination at the United Nations and through efforts to unjustifiably prosecute the country through the International Criminal Court. AIPAC advocates for a relationship with the US that would prevent these efforts to undermine Israel’s progress on the world stage.

This organization’s policy agenda is supported through the work of the two countries to create a united front. For more information on AIPAC, please visit https://www.aipac.org/about.

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Pi Sigma Alpha Supports Political Science Study through Scholarship

The political science fraternity Pi Sigma Alpha got its origins at the University of Texas in Austin in December 1919 and formed the Alpha chapter in October 1920. Its inaugural class, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, hosted an impressive membership list that included a future Supreme Court judge, US Attorney General, and a US ambassador. In 2021, the fraternal organization has expanded to a membership of 300,000 with almost 850 college campuses around the country.

Pi Sigma Alpha provides its members the chance to support their academic endeavors through various scholarship programs and awards. The organization’s goals focus on understanding the practical and scientific study of government, helping people understand government issues, and fostering reforms in government. The fraternity offers chapter grants and graduate and internship scholarships to students toward supporting the above aims.

One of the opportunities that students have to procure funding is through Chapter Activity Grants, which allow chapters to launch broader projects. One of the central benefits of the program is that it provides student members with grant and proposal writing experience. They also learn how to draft budgets and how to manage funded projects.

The grants awarded are typically for $2,000 a year and usually go to chapters whose project focuses on virtual or on-campus programming instead of taking trips. Further, they usually choose projects that move beyond the initial ceremony. A few of the activities that the grant money has been used for in the past include lectures, film series, writing workshops, speakers series, and community engagement, among other activities.

Students can get funding individually through McManus Washington Internship Scholarships and the Howard Penniman Scholarship for Graduate Study. The McManus Washington Internship Scholarship provides funding for four students for $2,000 to be used in the fall or spring semester.

One of the four scholarships is set aside for students involved with the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Students working at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars can take advantage of another opportunity to give a winner of the scholarship an additional $2,500 to go toward room and board.

The purpose of the scholarship is to assist students working as a part of an internship in Washington, DC. Students can be working under the auspices of their academic institution or a recognized internship organization. Each chapter chooses candidates for the internship scholarship, and the national committee makes the selection based on merit and Pi Sigma Alpha service.

The following academic year, graduate students entering their program qualify to apply for the Howard Penniman Scholarship for Graduate Study. The scholarship program awards five scholarships for $2,000 for one academic year.

Finally, students also support various awards programs, such as Best Class Paper and Best Thesis Award. Both awards provide winners $250 and $100 to those who place second. Another award is the Best Chapter Award given to chapters based on their annual reports and any extraordinary evidence of chapter activity. Winners walk away with $500, and advisors to winning chapters are given $200.

The organization’s purpose in giving students these funding opportunities is two-fold. The first goal is to promote excellence in political science scholarship, and the second is to lay the foundation for expanding the fraternity’s scope in programming.

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