Policy Advisor, Asia-Pacific Region,
Office of the Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs,
United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Steve Siqueira came to WWS with the objective of returning to the public sector from a four-year stint in banking and finance. Currently advising the Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs at the U.N. on political and conflict situations in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions, he was previously a special assistant to the U.N. Secretary General's Special Representative in Iraq, Mr. Asraf Qazi, a position he took immediately upon graduating from the M.P.P. program in 2005. Before WWS, Steve was the director and regional head of government affairs for Japan, Asia-Pacific and Australia at American Express, where he supported the business community in advocating for stronger U.S. trade links with Asia, including a U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

"I was looking for a master's degree option that would recognize my 12 years of experience in the Canadian foreign service and the private sector--and for a program where I would be treated more like a colleague than a student. The School's M.P.P. program filled this niche. The opportunity to be a part of the M.P.P. program was invaluable, as the year at Princeton allowed me to meet some of the most interesting and also well-placed public service professionals in the world, many of whom were resident at Princeton, while honing my own policy analysis skills.

"I started my career as a foreign policy analyst, but found that the graduate-level courses in international relations and international public policy helped to refine my analytical and drafting competencies while still providing significant depth in policy areas of interest, such as in conflict resolution. I found the perspectives offered by such grand theorists as John Ikenberry, and his own network of visiting scholars and academics, to be particularly useful in understanding the current unipolar international system and the conflicts it engenders.

"Overall, WWS provided me with an opportunity to refresh, recharge, and retool my core analytical capabilities while also allowing me the opportunity to mix with some of the brightest students and faculty in the field. While every policymaker needs this kind of opportunity, I was one of the privileged few to actually have the opportunity. The School's approach and faculty were realistic and in tune with the policy challenges actual decision-makers face, and I am confident that the School has successfully prepared me for the transition into the international public sector."