North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NATO was organized in 1949 as a military alliance between several countries. The first members of the alliance included countries from Central and Western Europe, Canada, and the United States. The crux of the agreement stated that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”

The main purpose of NATO was to discourage the communist movement and neutralize any threat of Soviet invasion. According to James Snyder, an American civilian at NATO, the alliance is the reason we call it the Cold War. He asserts that NATO successfully dissuaded Russia from taking any military action or activating its missiles, such as those which were stationed in Cuba.

Owing to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO’s initiative was activated for the first time. NATO’s 28 members stood behind the United States in mourning the loss of lives and in taking action against the perpetrators. Currently, NATO sustains 80,000 troops and other personnel in three continents. One point Mr. Snyder emphasized during this presentation is that “Americans are the not the only ones in Afghanistan.” Troops and personnel serving to promote stability in Afghanistan are from 42 countries. He also stated that NATO and the United States forces that primarily support it are not there establish democracy. There are there to remove threats and establish political and economic security. As he said, “You cannot have anything first except security.”

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, NATO’s mission has changed significantly. Since then it has been striving to re-define its role, and as apparent, it has focused its efforts on promoting security in the Middle East. For more information about NATO and efforts in Afghanistan see

The Afghan Star (video)

The War Briefing (video)

Return of the Taliban (video)

A Soldier's Dilemma in Afghanistan (video)

Talking to the Taliban (video)

Anheuser Busch - InBev

InBev is one of the world’s largest brewers and has four facilities in Brussels. We went to the brasserie produces the Stella Artois brand. We learned about how the beer is made from the ingredients to the brewing, fermenting, and bottling. It was fascinating to learn about the checks involved that ensure clean, quality processing of the beer. The company takes measures to make sure every can or bottle of beer is exactly the same. Our guide talked about the possibility of losing face with the world because of a mistake with even one bottle of beer.

As for the process of making the beer, barley is used for Stella Artois. The boiling process takes hours, and then large tanks are filled and the beer is allowed to ferment for one to two weeks. There are 72 tanks, and each holds 650 hectaliters, or 65,000 liters. They are huge cylinders 59 feet high and 24 feet in diameter. As I looked at these enormous tanks and pondered on the large number of them, it I was impressed by the investment that went in to building the facility. Before an ounce of beer could be produced, the entire plant had to be clean, complete, and working perfectly. At the bottling facility, recycled and new bottles are cleaned three times and then filled. Many measuring checks follow to ensure that each bottle is clean and that each bottle has the right amount of product. If a can or bottle does not measure up, an arm ejects it from the line.

The process is impressively clean and efficient. What intrigued me most is that the beer business could be considered “sinful,” yet the innovations this company has made in quality assurance technology are great examples for other food producers. What more, the company recycles and sells the byproducts of its processes so that most of it is reused rather than disposed as waste. The level of efficiency and quality assurance this company carries is astounding.

Huntsman Chemical Corporation

Our visit to Huntsman Chemical was fascinating and eye-opening as to how a multinational company in Europe operates. To begin our tour, we were debriefed by a safety director regarding safety rules and policies. We could immediately tell that the company vigorously strives to maintain a safe environment.

Huntsman operates all over Europe and allows its facilities a lot of autonomy. Many companies in Europe are decentralized, and they must be in order to be adaptable to the cultural variance. The past year and a half has seen a significant world recession, and Huntsman Chemical has made several adjustments in order to weather the economic storm. Nick Webster, a director at Huntsman Chemical, hopes that within the next year the company will be back on the same financial feet it was on before.

Huntsman Chemical supplies companies with various chemicals. They are used in industries such as plastic, automotive, textiles, footwear, construction, agriculture and health care. During our visit in Brussels we learned particularly about chemicals that are used for plastic products (such as polyurethane), insulation materials, chemicals for making foam padding, and adhesives.

It is important to note that Jon M. Huntsman, the owner and founder of this company, virtually funded our trip to Europe. In the fall of 2007, Mr. Huntsman donated some money to the College of Business at Utah State University, and the professors have used it to fund the Huntsman Scholars Program. The business school was thereafter named the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in his honor. For more information about Mr. Huntsman and his many gracious contributions to the world, visit http://huntsman.usu.edu/htm/about-the-school/huntsman.

The McRaclette and the McM

McDonalds is just about everywhere, including Switzerland and Belgium, yet it’s not the quite same. In Switzerland, the featured menu item was the McRaclette, a large burger by American McDonald’s standards, with a round beef patty and a square bun. It came with pickles, sauce, and of course, a plenty of raclette cheese. A delicious burger, but by my wallet, not a great bargain. The Swiss franc is currently worth about 98 cents, and the burger alone came to 7.10 in francs. In Belgium, the big feature was the new “M” or McM burger. Made with a popular Belgian roll, the McM was also a large burger by McDonald’s standards and had a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a tangy, white sauce. The economics being a little different in Belgium, the burger was €4.50 in Euros, which equates to $6.75 U.S. dollars.

So, one might ask, why is the food more expensive than in the United States?

- Food is generally more expensive in Switzerland and Belgium
- Costs due to offshoring could play a part, since McDonalds is an American company
- In Switzerland and Belgium, McDonalds is not perceived as “fast food” like it is in the United States.
- McDonald’s food is quite arguably of better quality than that which is served in the United States. To add some validity to that, today I heard a native Indian talk of how he will not eat at McDonalds in the United States and he misses the McDonalds food that is served in India.

Despite having many twists depending on where in the world a particular McDonalds restaurant is located, the McDonalds I visited it carried some American qualities that are not always characteristic of restaurants in Switzerland and Belgium.

- Water was available at no extra cost
- Restrooms were available at no extra cost
- There was a play-place for kids

One might argue that I wasted my time going all the way to Switzerland and Belgium and ending up at a McDonalds. Even though I was visiting an American company, I ordered in French. I can say it was well worth the experience, and as you can see, it offers a lot of insight into the way things work throughout the world.