Small Islands, Big World: What it Means To Work in Foreign Policy on a Small Island Developing State

It’s the 23rd of October 2019 and the head of the Department of Foreign Relations of Sint Maarten, Khalilah Peters, is attending one of her many conferences abroad, this time in Barbados.  The aim of the conference is to consolidate all Caribbean efforts and initiatives relating to disaster management, response and resilience under a common workgroup platform. Sint Maarten has been one of the countries that has been confronted in 2017 with the catastrophic damages done by Hurricane Irma. 

For many of us it might be hard to imagine what it means to lead a Department of Foreign Relations, and being faced with a category five hurricane. Within this setting, it was a great opportunity to ask Khalilah, who is the first woman to head the Department in Sint Maarten, what it means to conduct foreign policy on a Small Island Developing States (SIDS). ‘It has been quite a challenge to adapt to the damages, and priorities changed overnight from positioning the country regionally and internationally under the sphere of recovery. We had to become very resilient in a short amount of time since taking office’ Khalilah comments.  She gives insights on her experience in foreign policy on a small island and provides career advice to girls and women pursuing a career in foreign policy on the islands.

Conversing with Khaliliah: The future, working in foreign policy in Sint Maarten: resilience.

The discourse has changed in the Caribbean and it is not anymore about waiting and anticipating. For any SIDS country, after experiencing the hurricane and the aftermath, you are keenly aware of the vulnerabilities of a country. The experience opened our eyes to other disasters that could potentially happen. From a policy level, we are seeing the role climate change plays in shaping the geopolitical agenda in the Caribbean. As Caribbean SIDS, everything we do has to be addressed in the context of our intrinsic vulnerabilities in order to be truly resilient. It’s our reality now and this has led to change how we do things across policies. Our department plays a key role in facilitating regional alliances. We cannot do this on our own and participating in platforms such as the one in Barbados and other regional organisations gives us much needed reinforcement in strengthening resilience. Any person who would consider working in foreign service, especially on an island such as Sint Maarten,  would have to take into account the future of its foreign policy: resilience.

Khalilah’s Advice #1: Branch out before taking roots

In terms of starting your career on an island, you may feel a need to come back home right after attaining a degree. I would advise to branch out first before taking roots. If there is one thing I regret is that I didn’t explore outside first before coming back home to serve my country. Sometimes your scope of experience, in terms of your background can seem very limiting, so I would always recommend an international job or internship before heading home. This gives you more leverage when entering the field and keeps you from being stuck in entry-level positions. 

Khalilah’s Advice #2: Make use of your resources

I would also endeavour to make better use of networking resources. All the exposure that you gain, such as this conference in Barbados, would be in your interest to participate in. Building a network is very crucial, especially when living on a small island. In addition to this, accessibility is an issue. When you live on an island, in comparison to a big country or city, you won’t have the comfort or luxury to have a broad area of events or activities related to the field of foreign policy you can attend or participate in.  It would, therefore, be important to make use of every learning opportunity to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world, especially if you are choosing a career in foreign policy. 

However, there are advantages when leading in a small international organisation where you are faced with a multitude of subjects.  In my small office, though we are not specialists, we work with many line departments in various fields and assist with solving complex issues - this provides us exposure to many fields of foreign policy. This exposure would be limited in a larger organisation where you would have specific persons assigned a particular task. Needless to say, monotony within work experience is not a problem we encounter. 

Closing Remarks

After the end of the conference in Barbados, one cannot help but feel the urgency of taking action, of working together, and addressing the specific needs of these SIDS countries. And while these steps to action are being taken, one hopes that sufficient opportunities are there for women to be involved in the process.  

As we are inspiring more young women and girls to choose a career in foreign policy, and in this case for SIDS, it might seem limiting in size and opportunities on the islands. But looking at the sunny side of things, it is important to consider the large advantage it provides. If you really want to touch on all topics of foreign policy and are willing to learn quick, then foreign policy on the islands is the right ocean to swim in for you. Thinking back on this interview it reminded me of a quote I saw at the twin craters on a Galapagos island. ‘Even apparent destruction can create beauty’. In the case of Sint Maarten and Khalilah Peters, it’s the beauty of resilience.

Photo of Khalilah Peters

Khalilah has a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master's degree in Social Geography with a concentration in International Development from the University of Amsterdam. 

Interviewed by Danaë Daal LL.M. is a contributor to the Zig Zag and holds a Law degree from Leiden University. She is currently based in Willemstad, Curaçao, and works for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Curaçao. 

Published 17th December 2019