NAFAC 2011 is finally here!

"International relations have always been profoundly affected by technology. The Internet - 20 years young - is having just such a profound impact. It constitutes, along with the IT systems it connects, a quantum leap in people's ability to communicate both one-to-one and one-to-many. Just as ocean-going sailing ships enabled the expansion of Europe in the 16th-18th centuries, the telegraph underpinned the empires of the 19th century, and the aeroplane, radio and TV have transformed international relations in the 20th century, the Internet creates a new set of opportunities and risks for the world. The main difference is that the changes will happen faster. It is still early to identify the Internet's impact on the relations between people across borders and between states. But it is necessary to try." -- Nicholas Westcott

Welcome to NAFAC 2011!

Our generation will face many new and undefined challenges in the technological realm. These challenges enhance, constrain, and sometimes undermine our foundational understanding of politics, economics, and sociology. They are not just technical issues, but human issues, which test our conceptualization of the world. In order to meet these challenges, we must engage them, bridging the gap between the humanities and the sciences. At the 2011 U.S. Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference, we will tackle the issues of People, Power, and Politics in the Internet Age.

Since 1961, the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) has provided an annual forum for outstanding undergraduates to meet and discuss major contemporary issues. The Conference has become a way of bringing together the nation's future Navy and Marine Corps officers with their peers from other colleges and universities, both civilian and military, from across the country and around the world.

All NAFAC delegates, upon nomination from their respective universities, are afforded the opportunity to engage in lively discussions, hear renowned experts on the issues, share their own personal views on world events, and learn more about the United States Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval Service.

The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference attracts distinguished speakers each year. Recent guests include: President George H. W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley, General Wesley Clark, Vice President Joseph Biden, and Henry Kissinger.

2011 will mark the 51st year of the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference. Past years have focused on topics such as Africa, the Middle East, Terrorism, the Role of Technology in International Relations, as well as many others.