Robert Friebe
The first time I got in touch with Israel was in 2009 when I joined a political travel group from a German party. Israel was so fascinating and as soon as I came back to Germany I swallowed up all the books I could get about the Middle East Conflict. With the academic concentration on this region in the aftermath of the trip, it became clear quite quickly that I want to pursue my further educational career in Israel. The day I found the International MA in Security & Diplomacy program on Google most certainly has changed my life. It is just the perfect combination of what I have been looking for after my broad undergraduate degree in Political Science and Law from the University of Erfurt. I think it does not need further explanations why it makes sense to study Security & Diplomacy in one of the most conflictual regions in world history. But contrary to what is often hawked around home media, Israel is such a vibrant and dynamic place to live in. Especially when talking about Tel Aviv, I cannot think of any other city that is so liberal, light-hearted and most importantly so safe. With the TAU and the city of Tel Aviv I found my current feel-good spot on our planet. The international environment in Tel Aviv makes it so easy to find friends from all continents.
The Security Field Trips which are a mandatory part of the curriculum give you right from the beginning of the program a sense for the security concerns of Israel. As a normal tourist you see all the lonely-planet-guide places like Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Trips to the Golan Heights or to the the border with Gaza are an unique experience which are foreseen in any travel guide book. Only the MA in Security & Diplomacy gave me the opportunity to explore this places and be bombarded not by Hamas, but by the exciting stories from generals and other experts. Combined with the many diverse classes about the history of the Middle East conflict or modern diplomacy, you feel already after a couple of months that you might be ready to negotiate a new Israeli-Palestinian peace. The two-weekly Ambassador Forum with diplomats from all around the world gives a firsthand insight into what it means in a positive and negative way to be a diplomat. Apart from this very practical input, our excellent teachers provide us with a brilliant theoretical foundation. They received their degrees from renowned universities from all over the globe and are very helpful and open to discussions and academic arguments.
After all the classes, simulations and submission of regular papers in September 2012, I will stay in Tel Aviv to write my master thesis. So far, I do not know what the topic or who the supervisor will be. But this is something I really appreciate here. Contrary to Germany I am given the necessary amount of time for a fruitful development of a research topic and design. As a thesis candidate I am taking currently an extra class in Research Methods which will help me on my way to a good thesis.
Although Hebrew and Arabic classes are not a mandatory part of the curriculum, they fit perfectly into the schedule. Improving my language skills will help me to pursue my lifelong dream to become once a diplomat in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And who knows: Perhaps I’ll come back in many, many years to TAU and participate again in the Ambassador Forum – on the other side of the table as Germany’s Ambassador to Israel.
Robert Friebe
Trade Officer
The Commercial Department of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Germany
