The Class of 1971 Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA)

SCUSA is a four-day conference in which students work with scholars and practitioners to develop proposals that address important topics in U.S. foreign policy.  SCUSA is one of the largest conferences of its type and is attended by approximately 200 undergraduate students from over 100 institutions around the U.S., abroad, and across academic disciplines.  West Point has hosted SCUSA 72 times, with the first event held in 1949.  In addition to offering an opportunity to discuss complex issues of foreign policy, SCUSA provides a foundation for developing lasting civil-military relationships among future leaders in the military, government, and private sector.

This year we are celebrating the 75th Class of 1971 Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA 75) from October 2nd to October 4th, 2024.

More details below! 

The Class of 1971 Student Conference on United States Affairs is celebrating the 75th SCUSA this October 2nd to the 5th!

The theme for SCUSA 75 is “’Securing the Blessings of Liberty’: American Foreign Policy in an Increasing Multipolar World.”  To some observers, the use of the term “multipolar world” is inappropriate because the United States remains the most powerful state in terms of military and economic strength as well as global influence.  Yet it seems increasingly clear that other powers, from China and Russia to “middle powers” such as India and Turkey, represent challenges to American leadership that suggest “unbalanced multipolarity” rather than “unipolarity” or “bipolarity.”  The concept of multipolarity has significant implications for US foreign policy, particularly how Washington grapples with the core problem of aligning ends, ways, and means. In what ways should the United States address the growth of significant constraints on its global and regional power? How, if at all, should it revise its commitment to democratization around the world? Should the United States share more of its power and authority with allies and neutral states, particularly as a method to better confront its adversaries?  And how will multipolarity impact US attempts to bolster the national and global economy? These and many other vital, related questions will be addressed by the fifteen roundtables of SCUSA 75 as they debate how the United States should advance its values and interests in a turbulent world.   

 Roundtables consisting of 16-20 student delegates discuss following topics as they relate to the overarching theme:  

1. The Effects of Multipolarity on Democracy and Democratization 
2. The US Political System: Can it Manage the Challenges of Multipolarity? 
3. Multilateral Institutions under Multipolarity: from the UN to the WTO 
4. How does Multipolarity Affect the Fight Against Climate Change? 
5. The US and the Global Economy in a Multipolar World 
6. The Threat and Promise of Technology under Multipolarity 
7. US Security Forces and a Military Industrial Complex for a New Global Order 
8. Prospects for Governing Space in a Multipolar World 
9. Managing Conflict and Cooperation in the Arctic 
10. How Multipolarity Affects Russia’s External and Domestic Behavior 
11. China, East Asia and Multipolarity 
12. Latin America Under the Pressures of Multipolarity 
13. Europe as an Emerging Pole in a Multipolar World 
14. The Effect of Multipolarity on Conflict in the Middle East 
15. Africa: Managing the Threats and Opportunities of Multipolarity 

If you are interesting in joining this years conference, please contact your school's political science or international affairs department to request an invitation to SCUSA 75 in 2024. Registration closes September 13th!

If your program does not have registration details, they can contact our executive secretary Major Daniel Colletti at daniel.colletti@westpoint.edu for more information.