By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

Ryan Evans, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of popular web forum War on the Rocks, presents "How Our Elites See Foreign Policy" to students, faculty and staff in Glasgow Hall, April 1. Evans challenged those in attendance to use their experiences from serving in the military, and working for the government, toward influencing policy makers in Washington.

"The problem is, when you're a status quo power, a good day is when nothing happens, and it's really hard to discern and see the world when your best case scenario is when nothing happens," Evans said.

Evans previously deployed to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan as a social scientist on a U.S. Army Human Terrain Team. His online forum, War on the Rocks, has become a widely read platform for commentary on foreign policy and national security issues – a voice, he says, for those with real world experience.

"The biggest problem with our system is that people like you – people with military and government experience, people who have spent serious time studying an issue – aren't actually the ones that end up in positions of responsibility in the government," said Evans. "You need to get involved and be the experienced, authoritative voices that change how we as a country impact the rest of the world."