Lachlan King
Negating the theory-practice gap
Putting theory into practice is what Lachlan King wanted after finishing his Bachelor of International Studies at University of Adelaide - and he got just that when he enrolled into the Master of Diplomacy at the Coral Bell School.
During his short 18-month degree Lachlan completed four internships: at the Embassy of Egypt, the Embassy of Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA).
Lachlan says that he gained insights into project management, when Egyptian Ambassador HE Mr Mohamed Khairat entrusted him with a task he was solely responsible for from start to finish. He also learnt how to write briefs for senior diplomatic officials and gave embassy staff a presentation on his thesis ‘Data Diplomacy’.
Lachlan praises the course ‘Negotiation and Conflict Resolution’ which hosts an intensive negotiation workshop that provides students with firsthand exposure to the challenges of managing conflict through diplomatic negotiation. “It was
by far of the most rewarding course and it really brought to knowledge that I made the right decision to study here,” says Lachlan.
The Kioloa three day retreat to the ANU Coastal Campus was another highlight for Lachlan.
“Being able to get to know my fellow cohort by the camp fire, and hearing from guest lecturers some of whom were former Ambassadors, public servants and members of the United Nations was an enlightening experience,” Lachlan says.
Lachlan now works as a research assistant for Professor Geoffrey Wiseman, Director of Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. In this role he is researching how to leverage Australia’s soft power diplomacy to influence and counter negative perceptions on contentious public issues. His next project is to write a bibliography entry for Oxford University Press for ‘Diplomatic Practices’.
A few days after his graduation ceremony, Lachlan plans to fly to Egypt for an intensive Arabic language course. After that, he plans to volunteer for NGOs overseas, so that he can gather the proper foundation to springboard himself into an Australian Government Graduate Program.
