Class of 1971 Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA)

The Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA) is a prestigious four-day event where undergraduate students collaborate with leading scholars and practitioners to develop innovative policy proposals on pressing issues in U.S. foreign affairs. As one of the largest and longest-running conferences of its kind, SCUSA brings together approximately 200 students from over 100 institutions across the United States and around the world, representing a wide range of academic disciplines. Hosted annually in the Fall at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point since 1949, SCUSA has convened 75 times. Beyond fostering in-depth dialogue on complex global challenges, the conference serves as a vital platform for building enduring civil-military relationships among the next generation of leaders in the military, government, and private sectors.

More details below! 

The 76th SCUSA convenes - October 2025!

                                                               Theme: “The Foundations and Future of America’s Global Power and Influence”

The theme seeks to capture the complexities of American foreign policy in a time of significant international change and uncertainty. The United States remains the most powerful state in terms of military and economic strength as well as global influence. Yet it seems increasingly clear that other states, from China and Russia to “middle powers” such as India and Turkey, represent challenges to American dominance that suggest the emergence of a multipolar world. This tectonic change coincides with (and partly reflects) often divisive debates within the United States over the core nature and goals of American foreign policy. Should the United States work to retain but perhaps reform the global international order that it helped establish and maintain for decades? Or should it become more of a unilateral actor with fewer international responsibilities and commitments? What precisely are the interests and values that should – and likely will -- shape America’s behavior in the international arena?

The answer to these questions depends in part on how political leaders view the core problem of aligning ends and means. In what ways should the United States address the growth of significant constraints on its global and regional power in a multipolar world? How, if at all, should it revise its commitment to global democratization? Should the United States share more of its power and authority with allies and neutral states, particularly as a method to better confront its perceived adversaries? Do unilateralism and retrenchment offer greater supports for American economic growth at home and power abroad? These and many other vital, related questions will be
addressed by the fifteen roundtables of SCUSA 76 as students debate how the United States should advance its values and interests in a turbulent world.

                                                                  Opening Night Panel: “Assessing & Prioritizing the Levers of National Power”
 

Speakers will be asked to discuss (and/or advocate for) a lever of national power and assess its current state
and future challenges. The panel is designed to help delegates see the various levers of national power prior to their roundtable discussions whose product will be a policy pitch to a notional national security council.

 Roundtables of 16-20 student delegates discuss following topics as they relate to the overarching theme:  

• China: Determinants of its Global Power and Influence
• Russia and Regional Security
• Competition and Governance in Space
• Conflict and Cooperation in the Arctic
• Tariffs, Sanctions, and Trade Wars
• US and Allied Defense Industrial Strategy
• Defense Burden Sharing and Strategic Partnerships
• Europe: An Emerging Global Pole?
• Middle East: Prospects for Stability and Conflict
• Africa: Prospects for Development and Democracy
• Latin America: Socio-Economic and Political Prospects
• Global Financial Institutions and Markets
• Migration, Labor Markets, and Homeland Security
• Trends in Global Democracy and Democratization
• The US Political System: Meeting the Challenges of Multipolarity

If you are interested in joining this year's conference, please contact your school's political science or international affairs department to request an invitation to SCUSA!

If your program does not have registration details, they can contact our executive secretary Major Hisham Yousif at hisham.yousif@westpoint.edu for more information.