Weekly Meetings

      - Tufts ALLIES meets weekly in Braker 113 at 8pm on Wednesday nights during the school year. 

Because funding and scheduling constraints limit the number of events that ALLIES can host each year as well as the number of students that can participate in each, weekly meetings play an integral part in ALLIES’ programming. After discussing administrative matters, students at each of the chapters read and discuss a current article relating to civil-military relations. These open meetings provide students of all levels of involvement in ALLIES the chance to discuss and learn from their peers in an academic setting.

Articles are found and decided upon by student members, emphasizing the student-led nature of ALLIES, and allowing discussion to best reflect the interests of its members. Although the unifying theme of weekly discussions is civil-military relations, articles need not be completely devoted to that topic—in those cases, ALLIES meetings provide the opportunity for students to discuss current events through the unique lens of civil-military relations.

In coming semesters, ALLIES hopes to expand upon the current weekly discussion format by more closely coordinating article discussions between chapters and holding videoconferences to discuss articles with both military and civilian students.

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A selection from this past semester’s discussions have included:

“Standing Tall in Harm’s Way”

By David Ignatius, The Washington Post

On the aftermath of the Ft. Hood Shootings

“The Best Allies Money Can Buy”

By Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times

On the role of private contractors in Iraq

“Wanted: More Troops”

By Katherin McIntire Peters, Government Executive

On the stresses placed on the military by decisions to increase troop levels

“Unexamined Civil-Military Relations”

By Tim Hsia, The New York Times

On the broad topic of civil-military relations in American society

“The Efficacy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’”

By Col Om Prakash, Joint Forces Quarterly

On the effects of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and its future