The Policy Officer: Binghamton alumna promotes human rights on behalf of the European Union

After the shattered glass of Kristallnacht, Ali Cain’s grandfather fled his native Germany — but as a refugee, found closed doors and little in the way of sanctuary. He ended up in the Shanghai ghetto, one of the few places in the world that offered shelter to Jews escaping the Nazi regime.

Today, his granddaughter is a dual citizen of the United States and Germany, and a policy officer at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, based in Washington, D.C.

A history and political science major, Cain graduated from Binghamton University in 2016, before going on to earn her master’s degree in European history, politics and society at Columbia University in 2021. This year, she received the Bearcats of the Last Decade (BOLD) 10 Under 10 Award.

“I credit my time at Binghamton for setting me on the path that I’m on now, and giving me the skills that I need,” she said. “It also fostered in me a commitment to dedicate my career to protect human rights for all.”

At Binghamton

Binghamton was a reach for the Putnam County native, who applied and was accepted to 15 different colleges and universities. Originally waitlisted, she felt at home after a campus visit and ultimately ended up choosing Binghamton over American University in D.C.

She originally intended to follow a pre-law track, using her history major to prepare for law school; during her sophomore year, she decided to add political science as an extra measure.

Both history and political science imparted valuable skills in critical thinking, she said. In her first history class with Distinguished Professor Jean Quataert, she encountered multiple primary sources relating to the Dutch colonization of the East Indies.

“I remember reading through these primary sources and recognizing how important it was to hear directly from people who are often left out in history lessons,” she said.

After several law internships, Cain realized it wasn’t the right career for her. During her junior year, she was accepted into the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (JFEW) Global Affairs Leadership Program, which proved transformative.

“That program completely changed my life because it introduced me to international affairs and opportunities in human rights that didn’t involve going to law school,” she said.

During her time at Binghamton, her mentor — Associate Professor of History Stephen Ortiz — encouraged her to complete an honors thesis; she explored international terrorist organizations during the Cold War and the response of the United Nations and the international community. Cain’s thesis focused on three case studies: the Black Panther Party in the U.S., Germany’s Red Army Faction and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the Middle East.

Her honors thesis ultimately led to her research project at Columbia, which explored whether the coronavirus pandemic provided an opportunity for populist political parties, such as Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), to gain further power.

“I try to understand what drives people to adopt certain viewpoints,” she reflected. “If we can figure out what makes people tick, especially in a world that has been changed by globalization, we can figure out better policies to ensure people don’t feel like they have been left behind economically.”

As a policy officer

Alongside academia, Cain pursued her interest in human rights in other ways, including an internship at the think tank Freedom House and a yearlong fellowship in Germany, where she worked with newly arrived refugees and at the Neuengamme concentration camp memorial. That cemented her commitment to increase collaboration between the EU and US on human rights issues, as well as promote these rights within the 27 EU member states, she said.

After returning to the United States, she spent several years at an atrocity prevention think tank in New York City before applying to Columbia University’s European policy program. After earning her master’s degree, she decided to apply to the EU Delegation.

“Working for the EU was similar to applying to Binghamton: both were dream opportunities that seemed out of reach at first. But I decided to be brave, apply, and here I am, four years later.”

As a policy officer, she covers human rights, democracy, and gender issues, analyzing developments in the U.S. at the federal, state, and local levels. In reports and meetings, she explains unfolding issues in the U.S. to her colleagues in the European External Action Service to inform decisions there. She also works toward fostering beneficial relationships and understanding between the EU and the U.S. government, including the White House, State Department, Congress, and states. Her third role is to engage with non-governmental actors in civil society, academia, and the business world, explaining what the EU is and its goals in the United States.

It’s challenging work in these times, she acknowledges.

“The pace of development is so rapid that we’re constantly juggling many different issues at once,” she said. “The EU and U.S. have always been important partners, and I believe a strong transatlantic relationship is vital to upholding global security and stability. My job is to ensure that this partnership, especially in advancing human rights, continues.”

In a sense, Cain has come full circle: working to safeguard human rights in a region of the world where her family once lost them.

“I go to work every day with the goal of doing the best I can to make sure that the EU can protect its interests and the interests of its member states’ citizens,” she said. “It’s really rewarding to work for an institution that was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust and World War II, especially as someone who is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor.”