It is our pleasure to announce the research awards for the 2008 DISC Simulation.  The following countries will receive an award via mail.  I hope everyone had a great time at the conference.  All of the chairs were proud to see the caliber of debate and the knowledge the delegates demonstrated throughout the weekend.  We wish you all the best of luck!

Research Awards:

Central African Republic

China

France

Germany

Kuwait

Micronesia

Oman

Gavel: Afghanistan

Outstanding:  France, China, Israel, USA, Russia

Commendation: Iran, Swaziland, Sweden, UK, Congo, South Africa, Germany, Belgium, Namibia, Croatia

If you were unable to pick up your awards during closing plenary, they will be mailed to your schools.  Thanks again!

- DISC Chairs

We truly hope you had an excellent time here at Berkeley and enjoyed the conference. We would like to thank you for making our weekend truly fun-filled and exciting. Congratulations to the award winners and see you next year for BMUN 57!!

- DISC Chairs

Just 2 more days to the conference!! Thank you for continually checking for updates on the blog. We’re happy to see that you’re reading and responding to the updates.

If you have any questions during the conference, please don’t hesitate to come up and ask us during breaks in committee or informal caucuses.  Don’t be shy to come up and introduce yourselves/talk to us!  Really!!  We’re all about making BMUN the best experience possible and being approachable. 

Here is your final news update.  This article is about a recent terrorist attack in Pakistan and the investigation into Al-Qaeda’s possible involvement. Think about how much mayhem would have resulted had the terrorist organization responsible used nuclear weapons…

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/pakistan.blast/index.html

- DISC Chairs

Hopefully you’re all excited and getting ready to come to BMUN 56.  Just 9 more days!!  If you have last minute questions, please ask them!  Feel free to post your questions as comments to this blog update (please include your e-mail address) and we’ll get back to you ASAP.   Or, if you prefer, contact your head and vice-chairs via e-mail.

In case you’re interested, here’s an article on nuclear terrorism:

http://www.nci.org/nci-nt.htm

- DISC Chairs

I hope you are all having fun preparing for the conference. In the mean time, check this article out:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/27/turkey.iraq/index.html

Recently, Turkey stepped up its military efforts against Kurdish separatists. Think about how this relates to our committee topics. What implications do such military action and escalation of tensions have on attempts to establish a nuclear free zone? Read the article and post your comments! We’ll be reading over comments later this week, so get posting! Enjoy and see you in a few weeks.

- DISC Chairs

Check out this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/11/iran.29.ap/index.html

Since we are discussing the establishment of a nuclear free zone in West Asia for committee, the above article is very relevant. How will Iran’s claims affect efforts to establish a nuclear free zone? Read the article, think about it, and comment on it! We really encourage you to comment on the blogs. Good luck and have fun.
- DISC Chairs

Hello MUNers! My name is Julius Chen and I’ll be one of your vice chairs for BMUN 56. I’m a second year here at Cal and this is also my second year in BMUN. I’m planning to major in Economics and complete Pre-Med studies as well. Reading that probably makes you think that I don’t have much free time, but I make the most of it by hanging out with friends, cheering for Cal football, and exploring new places in the Bay Area. I’m very excited to be chairing DISC this year. Feel free to contact me via e-mail at jlchen@berkeley.edu if you have any questions, whether it’s regarding the conference or college in general. I’d be happy to get to know you a little before the conference and look forward to seeing you all in March. Good luck preparing!

Hi everyone! I’m Annie Sui. As the only chair without a “J” initial in her name, I feel that I should properly represent myself here. This is my first year at Berkeley, and I am so glad to be here! I’m an intended English major (my grandfather was an English professor in China), which means that there are always stacks upon stacks of books on my desk. My previous experience as a delegate largely involved committees dealing with nuclear terrorism and the like. I have the same birthday as Oprah, but she’s probably cooler than I am. Be incredibly well prepared on March 14-16, but also remember to have fun! (Please?)

“Establishment of a Nuclear Free Zone in the Middle East” and “Threat of Nuclear Terrorism̶

2. Past United Nations Action

3. Delegation Policy

4. Proposed Solutions

1. Make sure that you are able to explain the topic and identify key countries invovled.   In this section you should look at the topic from a general perspective and not focus on what your particular country has  to say about the issue

2. This section involves past UN action in regards to the topic.  Have their been any resolutions passed, or is debate ongoing, etc., what exactly has been the UN’s role on the issue.

3. Where does your country stand.  Have they initiated any efforts towards solving the problem?  Have they proposed solutions or try to pass resolutions?

4. What do you think needs to be done to solve the problem?  It is important that your proposed solution is consistent with past policy.  But this is the section where you need to be creative and come up with ideas and solutions that are feasible.
Final Note:  What we want to see in your position papers are a heavier emphasis on Delegation policy and Proposed Solutions.  In DISC this year it will be crucial that every country has their own policy, and is able to debate and discuss their ideas with other countries.

Have fun with these papers.  Try to learn as much as you can about your own country’s policies, but if you have time, it never hurts to look at what other country’s are proposing.

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the DISC 2008 Blogs. This site will be used to update information in regards to position papers, websites you should visit for research, news updates, and the general structure for committee. My name is Rohit Jain and I will be the head chair for DISC this year. Please feel free to leave posts on this site if you have any questions or concerns. Check back frequently for updates. We will try to update our blogs once a week at the least. I look forward to meeting you at the conference!

Also if anyone has questions about Berkeley or anything not directly conference related, still feel free to leave a post. We’ll do our best to answer any questions. Good Luck with position papers!