Early Warning and Environmental Security: Patrick Meier’s Path to Understanding
In the summer of 2002 Patrick Meier trekked into the Sahara Desert south of Morocco, seeking to learn more about Morocco’s conflict over oases and other desert lands with Western Sahara. He had spent the entire summer in 2002 studying modern standard Arabic and was looking for an outlet to practice his Arabic, while at the same time learning more about the region and its cultures.
“Having grown up in Africa,” said Patrick, “I always had a fascination for the desert and all its wonders. More importantly, I was interested in how the Western Sahara conflict played out on a national, regional, and international level.”
During his travels to the small desert town of Dakhla in Western Sahara, Patrick encountered Sheikh Ma al-Aineen, a grandson of the Blue Sultan from the 1900s and an ethnic Sahrawi. Patrick’s meeting with the Sheikh had a profound affect on Patrick’s desire to pursue a Ph.D. because of the Sheikh’s passion for the pursuit of knowledge and desire to better understand humanity.
“The Sheikh’s worldly knowledge astounded me,” remarks Patrick. “Here was a Sheikh in the middle of the desert who was able to talk about virtually any topic.”
For over a week, Patrick spent long days in the Sheikh’s Bedouin tent sipping Sahrawi tea, eating Moroccan tagine, and discussing such varied subjects as human nature, psychology, Arabesque art, and global warming. At the end of one week, Patrick left the Sheikh ready to embark on a new mission that sought to discover the true essence of human nature and how human nature can be predicted from a holistic approach.
“I wanted to better understand the preconditions for conflict on a global scale and how such conflicts can be better prevented,” Patrick said. “Pursuing a Ph.D. was the best means by which to tackle and answer the questions I was looking to answer,” he continued.
Although such a life mission might seem futile to some, Patrick has begun his new career in earnest as a Ph.D. candidate examining human nature in his research on conflict early warning and environmental security in such places as Africa and Southeast Asia. William Moomaw, Director of Fletcher’s Center for International Environmental and Resource Policy, will also assist Patrick as his academic advisor.
Born in Côte d’Ivoire and raised in Kenya, Patrick is certainly no stranger to the great intricacies of African politics and society. In Patrick’s short career, he has worked in consulting with such organizations as the African Union, the United Nations, Economists for Peace and Security, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the Economic Community of West African States in an attempt to implement conflict early warning systems across the continent.
In addition to working with important international organizations on conflict early warning systems, Patrick currently endeavors to bolster his knowledge of environmental security from a holistic approach in Southeast Asia. Most recently, Patrick received a travel grant from Tufts Institute for the Environment, an affiliate with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, to present his most current research in Thailand on resource conflict early warning in Southeast Asia.
While Patrick works to narrow down his dissertation topic, he has already taken on many responsibilities outside of Fletcher’s Hall of Flags. Most importantly, Patrick has been placed in charge of all social events at the residence hall for Fletcher students and recently helped organize an outdoor Bollywood movie night.
During the future course of his studies, Patrick looks forward to working with his peers and colleagues to better develop forecasting for human conflicts in Africa and around the world.
