Alumni Corner: An Interview with Olivia Salembier
By Lika Gegenava
Olivia Salembier is a French-American citizen, currently based in Brussels, working at the NATO headquarters in the International Staff. She has a wide range of experiences, including in immigration, international education, US political campaigns, embassy and US congressional work, democracy advancement and more. She currently works in defense policy.
Could you please introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of your professional and educational background? Why did you choose political science and why security policy specifically?
In terms of my educational and professional journey, I would preface by joking that I am the product of transatlantic relations. I was raised by parents that hail from each side of the Atlantic. I also did the majority of my formative education in a Spanish immersion program. From an early age, I was always drawn to Central and South American culture and later on, their political and international issues. I enjoyed focusing on a region I didn’t have personal or family ties to, as opposed to the European region, where I do have ties and family still.
Education-wise, I completed my Bachelor’s in Political Science and Human Rights at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. I chose to tailor my coursework on human rights towards international law because, for a while, I was convinced I was going to pursue a career in law. Obviously, this was not the case, but during my time in Montreal I was specifically interested in the Latin and Central American region. When I was applying for graduate schools, I was deciding whether I wanted to pursue either a Law or a Master’s degree. I had decided that if I was going to do a Master’s, it was going to be in conflict resolution. I chose the Security Policy Studies program at GWU, partially because it had a concentration in conflict resolution. Having talked to several people in this field, it became apparent that there needed to be more of a focus on prevention, which opened my eyes to the world of security and defense.
What interests you most in this field European and transatlantic affairs at the moment? What issues have you been following?
War has returned in Europe. I think it has put the European continent to the biggest test it has had in modern times. It has tested the institutions that were created following the Second World War and the Cold War, and I think we are seeing in real time how strong and resilient both our institutions and our societies are.
Some of the things I have personally been following include the rise of populist politics in certain areas. Additionally, given the nature of my role, I have been following the military side of things relating to Europe’s response to the invasion of Ukraine, specifically the military industrial component.
There has always been a huge debate on whether Europe needs to become self-sufficient to provide for its own security and to not be reliant on US power. It has been interesting to see how Europe and the EU have been working towards building and modernizing their defense industry, and how the logistics and enablement components are tying into that. There are a lot of opportunities for Europe to reinvigorate their defense ‘in-house’, but there are also a lot of institutional bureaucratic barriers, specifically within the EU and the way that trade and border policies work. These are two very different things in terms of societal resilience and the defense industry components, but I think they tie together if one wants to have some sort of deterrent strength moving forward.
Could you tell us more about your role as a Staff Officer at NATO? What are you currently working on? What challenges do you face on a weekly basis? What aspect of your current role are you most passionate about?
I currently work at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels within the International Staff. I am a Staff Officer within the Defense Policy and Planning (DPP) Directorate, working in the Capabilities Section. My section focuses on aspects of the Alliance’s capabilities as they pertain to the political side of NATO’s work. DPP mostly works on policy matters pertaining to the Alliance’s deterrence and defense. Some of the things I do on a weekly basis include spending time in political and military committees on various policy areas. Committees serve as the venue for policy negotiations or reviews with the 31 Allies. I also prepare documents and relevant background information for both DPP and NATO leadership, for example, in support of missions or bilateral and multilateral meetings.
There are plenty of challenges, especially given the nature of the work that we do. At times, the political nature of our work can complicate stakeholder management. It goes without saying that in an alliance of 31 nations (hopefully soon to be 32) that takes every decision based on consensus (no option to abstain), often decisions do not get made without lengthy deliberations. As challenging as it can be to attempt to facilitate policy work in order to meet the needs of 31 allies — especially given the many political and regional nuances — it does mean that, when we do come to agreement, our decisions are much stronger and much more legitimate. It is incredibly rewarding when you are able to see the impact of the work you helped facilitate, especially in light of the current security situation.
I am a very mission-oriented person when it comes to my work. I do not tend to do well if I am unable to see my work turn into something. It has been really special to work here now and actually feel that there is a greater cause driving my day-to-day functions. Despite the challenges and hurdles we may face, whether they are bureaucratic or political, I know that I am actively contributing, in my own small way, towards the safety of the Euroatlantic community. Sometimes it’s important to take a step back and remind yourself, even amidst all of the frustration you might face on a day-to-day basis, that it is all in the hope of preserving a better future. That keeps me going in a way.
What has been your career journey up to this point? Do any particular roles and experiences stand out to you?
For a good chunk of time I really wanted to be in law, specifically international law. Given my background in speaking Spanish and doing work and research on Latin America, I was very interested in immigration and migration law. My first ever internship was with an immigration and refugee clinic that was in my hometown back in the US. That experience very quickly opened my eyes to the fact that I did not think I was cut out to do immigration law. Oftentimes, you can have an eye-opening experience in the realization that something is not for you. It was not that I did not like the work, but it was incredibly emotionally heavy. I would often come home after talking with clients who had been through horrible experiences, and their stories weighed on me. Working against a system that is not currently set up to help people at times also felt futile. When you base your work on being mission-oriented, that can be incredibly demoralizing.
Another experience that was particularly helpful in terms of connecting the dots between the different sectors I tried out was an internship at the US House of Representatives. I actually started right after the storming of the Capitol on January 6th, so it was a very interesting time to be there. Seeing how the legislative process works in the US, specifically pertaining to foreign affairs, was a very valuable experience. It provided a fuller picture when working on defense policy on an international scale or even doing democracy work.
To tie everything together, I would say that no experience is a bad experience if it helps inform you as to what experiences you might find to be worthwhile going forward.
Could you walk us through your role as the Policy Coordinator at EuH, and share some of your most memorable experiences during your tenure?
I was a Policy Coordinator and was tasked with developing European Horizons’ policy initiatives, which included staffing, writing workshops for members, and policy competitions in which we served as the facilitators and judges. In many of these events, we would also do topical seminars and events. I would often serve as a panelist or a speaker for transatlantic or NATO affairs. Whether it was a policy competition or a writing workshop, we were able to bring together lots of international people with diverse perspectives. I definitely learned a lot in reading, judging and grading the participants’ policy papers, much more than I probably would have if I was just doing the same for my own coursework at the time. We also had creative liberty in choosing the publications we wanted to write and develop different policy briefs. This was all coupled with me being in D.C. at the time. Given that US elections were going on, it was interesting to share that perspective with many of those in EuH who were based in Europe.
It was also a very worthwhile experience to be connected with other young professionals and students who were interested in similar topics but were coming from different academic backgrounds. I remember our Policy Director had a degree in engineering, so we approached things from very different angles, but it was always helpful because we would bring different perspectives to the table. It is always good to work with people who have different backgrounds and it definitely made the nature of our discussions and brainstorming very interesting and rewarding.
How did you first hear about EuH, and what motivated you to become a member initially? In what ways do you believe your involvement in EuH influenced or shaped your career trajectory?
Prior to moving to D.C., I did not know European Horizons existed. My roommate at the time, who had been involved with the organization back in her undergrad told me about it. She connected me to a couple folks and I ended up coming on board as a Policy Coordinator. I came on at the time when Covid was still very much rampant, and joining EuH gave me an opportunity to make connections at the time when it was hard to meet people in the same field.
My involvement in EuH definitely had a pretty significant impact on shaping and influencing my career trajectory. As I had been focused more on Latin American issues, I went into my Master’s intending to continue focusing on that region, but through a security lens. However, I also started working at the French embassy at the same time as I started working at EuH, and once I got involved with that, my interests started shifting towards transatlantic affairs. I did my entire graduate capstone project on transnational far-right extremism. I became very interested in NATO and its future challenges and the overall aspect of European security. All of this was prior to Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which unfolded in the last semester of my Master’s, and it made all of the ongoing work and research up to that point incredibly real. At that point I already knew I was going to Brussels, which also made things feel a bit more existential. Looking back on it now, getting involved with European Horizons really solidified my pivot away from the Latin American work I had been doing.
What advice would you offer to current EuH members to make the most of their time within the organization?
Definitely write something! Even if it’s not something you are super comfortable with, it is a really important exercise. Throughout my time with the policy team, we were always encouraging people to come to us with new ideas and we would help facilitate the editing and work through the writing process. I think it was a really valuable experience for everyone involved.
Make the most of the network and the connections EuH already has and is continuing to grow. Especially if you have an interest in having an international career, it has such a wide network of members all over the globe and such a good platform, not only to connect with young professionals and experts in the field but also to use as the launching pad for ideas. If there is a field you might be interested in and you don’t really have the means to learn more about it, there is definitely someone within the EuH network that has experience or knows someone there.
To young professionals who aspire to follow a career path similar to yours, what advice would you provide based on your experiences?
Based on the path that I have taken, and the range of different fields I’ve tested, it is not really surprising that my first piece of advice would be to not be intimidated or afraid to try putting yourself in a position to test out new opportunities. Even if it does not end up being for you, you might stumble upon something that really draws you in. And at least you will have ruled something else out. From what I’ve seen throughout my experience thus far, having the ability to sell yourself as being a well-rounded and adaptable professional is something that will always be in demand and you can never go wrong with.
I also cannot stress enough how important it is to have a reliable, active, motivated support group of other young professionals who are at a similar career stage. The field of international relations is understandably competitive, which poses its own unique set of challenges. There are already too many roadblocks in place that prevent the younger generation from not only being able to advance in their careers but also having a voice that is actually able to translate into a noticeable effect. The last thing our generation needs is to create more obstacles for ourselves by not supporting each other. I have definitely found an immense amount of support, solidarity, and expertise amongst my peers that are holding similar roles to me. There is a very clear drive to push each other to succeed in our respective domains. I found this especially true among other female professionals working in the defense and security sector. Everybody is super intent on making sure others are brought up along with them.
EuH offers a very good starting point for forging these sorts of connections and I really believe that if you keep on with this active engagement with other people at the same stage in life and career, you will further deepen the impact of the work that you will end up doing one day. Sometimes we feel like we have to go at it on our own and be this formidable person that publishes all the papers, gives all the talks, and is just doing one thing after another, but no success happens fully independently. If you are able to get to a certain point in your career, you owe it to an entire generation behind you to help try to bring them up, because nothing good happens if you don’t.
Lika Gegenava is Deputy Publications Director and a junior at Barnard College of Columbia University, studying Political Science and Philosophy. Her research interests include democratization in Eastern Europe, regional and international security and cybersecurity.
