| by Jason Warburg

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simulation course
Students in the Nonproliferation Treaty Simulation course take a break at the end of a negotiating session, with conference chair Ariel (Phantitra) Phuphaphantakarn MANPTS ’25 seated at center. (Credit: Eduardo Fujii )

It’s unique among Middlebury Institute courses: students devote an entire semester to simulating an international treaty negotiation—stepping into the shoes of an international diplomat for hours each week.

“No matter what your role is, you’re going to learn something, you’re going to grow,” says nonproliferation and terrorism studies student Ariel (Phantitra) Phuphaphantakarn of the Institute’s renowned Nonproliferation Treaty Simulation course.

The course was created and is led by nonproliferation and terrorism studies professor Dr. William Potter, a leading global expert on nonproliferation treaties. 

“I have been using simulations—what I think of as ‘active learning’—as a pedagogical tool since my days as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Michigan,” says Potter, who is also the founding director of the Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. “I find role-playing to be by far the most effective means for students to acquire an ability to ‘see with the eyes of others’ and to acquire the kind of empathy that is crucial for building trust and respect in international negotiations—commodities sorely lacking in international relations today.”

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a landmark international treaty—the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of nuclear disarmament by the nuclear-weapons states. With 191 signatories, it entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, with a review of the treaty taking place at five-year intervals.

The more you commit, the more you get out of it, and the more it will transform you in a very positive way.
— Ariel (Phantitra) Phuphaphantakarn NPTS ’25

“It has always been my intention to dive into nuclear nonproliferation,” says Phuphaphantakarn, a native of Thailand. “Dr. Potter is a very prominent scholar in the field, so to be able to take the class with him is a must.”

She was selected for the role of chair, requiring her to plan and facilitate countless hours of both formal and informal negotiation among the participating nations, each represented by a student.

“Because classes are a much, much smaller version of the real world, it was also about interpersonal relationships between delegates,” she adds. “Because I’m not an experienced diplomat and I don’t really know how they do things, a lot of it was me sitting down and figuring it out, with guidance from Dr. Potter in his role as conference secretary general.”

Many who complete the course go on to careers in international diplomacy. 

“Every time I attend an actual NPT negotiation,” says Potter, “I encounter 20 or more of my simulation alumni on ‘real-world’ delegations from countries such as China, Chile, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. The ambassador who headed the Chinese delegation to the 2023 NPT Preparatory Committee meeting was my former NPT simulation student.” 

npt negotiation session
Conference chair Ariel (Phantitra) Phuphaphantakarn MANPTS ’25 presides over a negotiation session in class. On screen at right is Thomas Markram, former secretary general of multiple NPT review process conferences and now a nonresident diplomat at the Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. (Credit: Eduardo Fujii )

“It is my hope and expectation that students acquire a strong understanding of both the substance and process of multilateral nuclear negotiations,” says Potter. “Perhaps even more important than the acquisition of technical skills, including the ability to speak persuasively, is mastering the art of listening to your negotiating interlocutors.”

It’s a lesson that Phuphaphantakarn took to heart, electing to take an unusually hands-on approach to managing the process by scheduling regular consultations throughout the semester with each delegation.

“I bought a book about women and leadership because I had so many questions about my role. People’s expectation of me was to lead in a certain way—the way that they define what leadership looks like, which is usually very masculine. This course is a space for you to try things. I wanted to try something different—a ‘motherly’ style of leadership.”

Potter had nothing but praise for Phuphaphantakarn’s approach.

“I have had many outstanding chairs over the years, including some who were already young professional diplomats. Ariel was as good as, if not better than, any of them, and she invested an extraordinary amount of time in preparing herself to meet every possible contingency. She has a very bright future before her as an analyst and diplomat.”

“It’s a great experience,” says Phuphaphantakarn. “But it’s only going to be truly great if you put a little piece of your heart in it and really care about your role. I believe that when you put a piece of your heart in everything that you do, your heart starts growing. The more you commit, the more you get out of it, and the more it will transform you in a very positive way.”