Grace Dreher

Suffolk University’s International Relations Club hosted two congressmen and a retired German ambassador to speak to students on March 2 about the importance of international relations and current events.
The new Suffolk organization is part of a larger national organization, Sigma Iota Rho. Its mission is to provide funding opportunities for students interested in international relations, give them access to internships and grant them opportunities to publish research.
At the event, Democrat Larry LaRocco, who served as a House Representative from Idaho from 1991-1995, was joined by Republican Scott Klug from Wisconsin, who served in Congress from 1991-1999. The former representatives took part in several events during their visit to Suffolk as part of the Congress to Campus program.
Also present was Professor Friedrich Lohr, currently a visiting professor at Suffolk and a professor at Northeastern University. Previously, he served as a career officer in the German diplomatic service, German ambassador to North Korea and consul general to the New England states.
The government officials discussed the need to effectively deal with matters of international relations and foreign policy. Particularly, in regards to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, what members of Congress need to know about this crisis, what information is needed to respond effectively and the elements of a sound analysis of this problem.
Both congressmen found foreign policy to be of the utmost importance when running this country.
“Most members of Congress aren’t particularly sophisticated on foreign affairs,” said Klug. “Most folks are much more focused on home.”
The floor then opened up to student questions. Conversation flowed through discussions of U.S. foreign policy, assessing both U.S. and European governments’ actions that have been taken thus far in regard to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Lohr went into detail about the history of the relationships between Russia and Germany specifically. He described German-thinking in the years leading up to this invasion.
“We need both to be armed in order to deter Russian aggression, and on the other hand we need to negotiate with them, to involve them, in order to gain ‘change through cooperation,’ as put by a German policy planner,” Lohr said, with regard to Germany policy.
Students and the officials also discussed the increased polarization occurring in the U.S. When asked specifically about his home state of Idaho, LaRocco spoke of the recent history and trend of growing conservatism in his state, saying that Idaho is not the same state that elected him.
When asked about increased polarization, both congressmen agreed that people need to humanize what’s going on instead of dehumanizing others. They also touched on other issues that have contributed to polarization such as the growing number of “safe seats” in Congress, and lack of funding in the media.
LaRocco left the audience with one final takeaway.
“My message is go abroad, learn and be open-minded,” LaRocco said. “There are great rewards out there.”They also touched on other issues that have contributed to polarization such as the growing number of “safe seats” in Congress, and lack of funding in the media.
“My message is go abroad, learn and be open-minded,” LaRocco said. “There are great rewards out there.”