Delegates of NATO,
Thank you for an amazing BMUN 58! You were a fantastic group of delegates and we hope you enjoyed the crises and topics. Best of luck in all your future endeavors. To recap, our winners were:
Gavel: United Kingdom
Outstanding: Slovenia
Commendation: Czech Republic, Iceland
- Julius, Bill, and Jenna
Hello NATO!
I’ve gotten a few questions about committee policies, so let me address them here.
1. Since our committee is small, I will allow laptops in the committee room. However, they may only be used during informal caucus. Please be sure to bring a flash drive so that I can project your typed up resolutions onto the screen.
2. Handouts will be allowed. Please be sure to make 25 copies. Do not make these handouts text-heavy. They should be used solely to support your speeches/presentations and should be utilized as visual aids. No laminates or Powerpoints will be allowed.
3. We will not be following NATO rules in terms of voting on resolutions. In the real NATO, resolutions are passed only with a unanimous vote. For BMUN, we will stick to a 50%+1 majority to pass resolutions.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
- Julius
Hi NATO,
The weather forecast is predicting rain throughout the BMUN conference, so please come prepared! Bring an umbrella, poncho, extra socks, etc. because when it rains in Berkeley…it really rains. E-mail me at bmun58nato@gmail.com if you have any last minute questions! I’m looking forward to meeting you all on Friday! Safe traveling and see you soon.
- Julius
Hi NATO,
Less than 1 week before conference, and I hope you are all excited! Remember, don’t hesitate to e-mail me if you have any questions leading up to March 5.
Check out this article:
http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17365&Itemid=132
France sold a Mistral-class warship to Russia, and this is causing a lot of tension between Russia’s neighbors and Russia, as well as concern in NATO. How could this sale affect the attempts of Georgia and Ukraine to obtain MAPs? Should NATO encourage France to stop such sales?
- Julius
Hi NATO!
We will be having two guest speakers in NATO: Susanne Wengle and Danielle Lussier, both PhD candidates in the Political Science Department here at Berkeley. They will be speaking on the issues surrounding NATO expansion. Susanne will be coming in on Saturday afternoon, and Danielle will speak on Sunday morning. I’m sure we’ll learn a lot from both of their speeches, so please be sure to prepare questions of your own to ask them.
Here’s a little bit about our Delegate Dance (which I hope you will all dress up for) and the cause that we are promoting:
“BMUN is happy to announce that this year’s theme for the Saturday Night Delegate Activities will be “Let’s CAN Hunger” where decorations and costumes will represent favorite foods from around the world. In support of this year’s conference cause, World Food Program, the theme aims to show solidarity in the fight against world hunger. Any food related-wear is appropriate and some possible things to dress up as include fruits, salt and pepper, M&M’s, the color representing your favorite food group, food mascots, your favorite Wheatie’s champion, or even farmers from around the world –although, creativity is definitely encouraged!
This year’s activities will include the delegate dance, entitled “You Are What You Eat,” and a casino with Blackjack and Roulette. There will be raffle prizes, a free photo booth and a refreshment stand. Of course, there will also be a dance floor and a DJ.
To address hunger in our own local community, BMUN will also be having a canned food drive Saturday night. Delegates who bring in canned and other non-perishable foods will be given an extra $50 worth of BMUN casino money for every item they donate.
The activities will take place on Saturday, March 6th. The doors to Pauley Ballroom will open at 8:00 p.m. and all activities will end at 11:00 p.m.”
8 days until the conference!
- Julius
Hello NATO,
Here are some paraphrases and notes from an interview I had with Professor Edward Walker of the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies at UC Berkeley. We chatted about the issue of NATO expansion into the former Soviet Union.
Q: “Russia recently threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory if NATO continued to push eastward. Do you think this is just a bluff or could there be serious repercussions?”
A: “The situation can be very dangerous. Just look at what happened in the recent Georgian war. That had the potential to spin out of control and become a very dangerous situation, so Russia is serious. It truly does see NATO expansion into Georgia and Ukraine as a threat to its national security. We would too if we were in their shoes. It would be like Mexico joining the Warsaw Pact, and being supplied with Russian military technology and equipment.”
Q: “Can you please elaborate more on the conflict that is currently surrounding NATO expansion into the former Soviet Union? Georgia and Ukraine are calling for entrance into NATO.”
A: “The big problem right now is Ukraine wanting to join NATO. Russia doesn’t want this, as it poses a significant national threat. One thing about Ukraine is that the push to join NATO is coming from the political elite. It is not due to popular support. Most Ukrainians don’t want to join NATO. There is a huge Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. These Russian speakers are orientated towards Russia. There are more Russian speakers in the east and fewer as you move west. In the west, it’s mostly people that support the West and Europe. The country is divided. Should Ukraine join NATO, Russia could potentially destabilize the country, calling on the support of its Russian-speakers. Also, Ukraine is of great strategic importance to Russia. Russia’ Black Sea Naval Fleet is stationed there. Think about Crimea, which was essentially a gift from Khrushchev to Ukraine in the 1950’s. There is a lot of Russian interest there. Crimea has ports that allow for the transport of gas to the West.”
Q: “What are the potential rifts right now that exist in NATO over expansion?”
A: “France and Germany are against expansion, and the US is the main supporter of it. The biggest problem is that politicians never say when NATO should just stop expanding. It’s hard to explain why certain countries were accepted into NATO while others were not allowed to join. No one has ever set a stopping point for NATO expansion. Europe and certain NATO countries are afraid not just of Russia’s military power, but also fear that Russia could shut down oil and gas to the region. Russia is the largest exporter of natural gas and the second largest exporter of oil, behind Saudi Arabia. Russia is a major energy exporter to the West. Countries that join NATO have a lot to gain. They want protection from Russia. They see entrance into NATO as a gateway to the West. At the same time, they have a lot to lose.”
I hope this interview provides you with some insight! Just about 1 week away from the conference, and I am looking forward to meeting all of you and having a solid 3 days of debate.
- Julius
Hello NATO,
Position papers are due by Monday, Feb. 22 if you wish to be considered for a committee award. Please e-mail them to bmun58nato@gmail.com, and follow the guidelines outlined in the Delegate Guide and on the BMUN website.
I know that the topics are fairly broad, so I will specify the areas that I would like you to debate during the conference.
For “NATO’s Role in Afghanistan’s Future,” please consider the following areas:
For “NATO’s Expansion into the Former Soviet Union,” please consider the following:
I hope this narrows down the topics a little. Remember, I’m looking for specific solutions, so if you touch on these issues during debate, you will be in good shape. It’s a lot to cover, and I know we are going to have a lot to debate about! Don’t worry if we don’t get to everything; we will try to solve whatever problems we are able to. E-mail me if you have any questions.
- Julius
Hey delegates,
Here is another news report regarding 25 Afghan National Police officers that are suspected to have joined the Taliban today. Corruption in the police force is a serious issue that must be addressed. These officers are underpaid, many are poorly trained, and high levels of drug abuse have been reported–it’s no wonder they can be lured into joining the Taliban.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/world/asia/19police.html?hpw
Also, remember that all position papers must be in by the 22nd! If you have not yet submitted yours make sure to do so or you will not be eligible for a committee award.
-Jenna
Hello NATO,
Please continue commenting on the blog updates that my vice chairs and I are posting. I’ve been pretty disappointed at the lack of commenting and interest shown here. This is an integral part of preparing for the conference. Strong delegates demonstrate a firm grasp of the committee topics by sharing their thoughts on news updates. Our topics are not static! Things are happening every day that will shape how debate will turn out during the conference.
The US just launched the largest operation in Afghanistan since it first got involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. US Marines and British forces are trying to enter the city of Marjah, a Taliban strong hold and major opium-producing area. Resistance is stiff and there have been NATO and civilian casualties. Keep in mind that opium sales have been funding Taliban efforts, so we do need to discuss this problem at BMUN. Here is a good CNN video highlighting NATO’s strategy in Helmand Province: http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/02/13/foreman.afghan.offensive.explain.cnn.
- Julius
Hey delegates! Hope you’re doing well with your position papers. Let us know if you need any help Here’s a news update about NATO’s role in stopping corruption in the Afghan government:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/08/world/la-fg-afghan-arrest8-2010feb08
Corruption in Afghanistan poses a problem to resolving the conflict. With corrupted officials, it will be difficult for NATO forces to demilitarize the area from the influence of the Taliban and terrorist groups. A few questions to consider are: what role should NATO play in regards to riding Afghanistan of corruption? Is corruption linked to the police or to the government? Are there any drawbacks to the partnership between local police forces and NATO forces to the overall success of Afghanistan? How can we ensure that the Taliban and terrorist groups have no impact on officials?
- Bill