Delegates
I want to offer one quick clarification on the paper topics; you only need to write and submit one paper on the Peace Keeping Reform topic. Do not worry about writing a paper on the Open Agenda topic… we already have plenty of fun waiting for you on that, but the point is to challenge you on your general knowledge and understanding of international affairs.
- Richard
“Peace is our Profession”
Good Morning SC Delegates!
I came across a CNN article on the aftermath of the popular reaction in Serbia to Kosovo recently declaring itself independent (full text here). There is currently a NATO sponsored peacekeeping presence in the region (KFOR) sanctioned by the Security Council. Russia, which has always had strong ties to Serbian nationalism, refuses to recognize Kosovo as an independent country. It released the following statement earlier this week:
“If the EU works out a single position or if NATO steps beyond its mandate in Kosovo, these organizations will be in conflict with the U.N., and then I think we will also begin operating under the assumption that in order to be respected, one needs to use force,”
Questions: Should the Security Council authorize the expansion of KFOR’s mandate to include preserving the territorial integrity of this new state? What should be done if conflict erupts with the peace keepers in the middle? What are the chances (feel free to personally guess here) that this conflict could expand into more general war? What actions could your nation take to prevent it (if any)?
Like last time, give me a few short sentences answering the questions above for extra credit.
- Richard Hill
“Peace is our Profession”
Good Morning Delegates!
In order to better help you prepare for the conference, I will be holding office hours on Mondays from 7 to 9 PM (PST) on the AIM screen name of BMUN SC OH. Feel free to ask me any questions or express any concerns you might have for the coming conference. Make sure to let me know when you IM me what delegation (country) you are from.
Remember, the paper deadline for committee (non-research) awards is the 1st of March! I will accept late papers, but you will get docked for being late.
- Richard Hill
“Peace is our Profession”
Hey Delegates,
Here are a couple of news articles I thought you may find intersting. Keeping in mind that there are a lot of news articles to be found about Pakistan, I encourage you to read beyond what we post in the blog (I recommend searching Google News).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/world/asia/14briefs-bhutto.html?ref=world
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIE0IUn4WIiaMBpjG8SI_6H5RXzgD8UQ93NG0
See you in March. Lets make it an awesome committee.
-Rahim
Delegates of the Security Council
To help us all get in a strategic mindset, I have two exerpts from an Army report from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, about preparing the military for military operations other than war (MOOTW), one of which is peace intervention (of all flavors).
“Worldwide demographic, environmental, and societal stress, in which criminal anarchy emerges as the real “strategic” danger. Disease, overpopulation, unprovoked crime, scarcity of resources, refugee migrations, the increasing erosion of nation-states and international borders, and the empowerment of private armies, security firms, and international drug cartels are [the issues]… that will soon confront our civilization…[as we witness] the withering away of central governments, the rise of tribal regional domains, the unchecked spread of disease and the growing pervasiveness of war.” - Robert D. Kaplan, The Coming Anarchy
Questions:
Can peace intervention rise to the challenge of anarchy that Kaplan outlines here? How can it adapt? Outside of establishing rule of law (military action) in a state, what else should those that intervene hope to accomplish?
The second quote comes from the paper itself. Major Camarena wrote:
“By 1997, it became apparent that there existed a (gap) between the ability of military forces to
implement their assigned tasks of the General Framework Agreement for Peace and that of their civilian counterparts to meet their requirements. Consequently, American military forces expanded their mission to ‘assist international organizations to set the conditions for civilian implementation of the (peace accords) in order to transition the area of operations to a stable environment.’”
Question: How does this approach augment the capacities of military force/intervention? Is this practical in a more hostile environment (like Somalia or Iraq)? What do the NGOs and the civilian governmental organizations need from the military? What does the military need from them to accomplish nation building?
I’ll be giving extra credit for well thought out answers… so post away!
- Richard
“Peace is our Profession”
Delegates
Though I know the conference is a ways away, I want to clear the air about some committee related issues early so we can take care of them early. I anticipate a great committee sessions, and these recommendations are here to only help make it better. So, here are some things to keep in mind for the conference.
1) Delegates will not permitted to have Laptops in committee. This is for several reasons, but the most important and pressing in my mind is that we want the competition to be based on a level, skill based, playing field, and not one where you can buy an advantage by purchasing and bringing a laptop. All resolution writing will be done through OPI, which is located very close to our committee room.
2) I want to reiterate that there will be no pre written resolutions. As with the plagiarism policy, I have no toleration for it. I will be erring on the side of suspicion in this regard, so don’t attempt to circumvent the committee.
3) Do not bring pamphlets, tracks, or handouts for committee summarizing your position or policy. If you have visual aides or slides that is acceptable, and I will get back to you through this blog about what sort of audio/visual equipment we will be able to allow you to use. I will be going through all material before you show it to the rest of committee just as a quality assurance measure.
4) Lastly, I managed to get an amazing guest speaker for the committee. George Willcoxon is currently a PhD student in the Louis and Marie Travers Department of Political Science, specializing in Security Studies. He has studied at Princeton, and has spent time abroad studying and evaluating UN and NATO peace keeping operations in the Balkans. I’m excited to have him come speak, and I know that you’ll have some great questions to ask him.
I apologize for making this so serious, but I did end on a positive note. My next update should be a bit more fun.
- Richard Hill
“Peace is our Profession”
Delegates,
My name is Michael Lin and I have the pleasure of being your other vice chair for the March conference. I’m a junior at Cal, majoring in bioengineering, and intend to go into medical research and alternative therapies. Music and hiking, among others, are my school-unrelated interests. That’s a bit about me for now. I look forward to meeting you and a great conference weekend with all of you. See you in March.
Hi,
My name is Rahim Dharssi, and I will be one of your vice chairs for the 2008 Berkeley Model United Nations. I really look forward to meeting you all and am anticipating an action packed, fun-filled committee this year. I look forward to listening to your intelligent discussions as you strive to solve some of the world’s greatest problems.
I am currently a freshman at Berkeley and I am intending to double major in economics and chemistry (I know its a weird combination). Outside of the classroom, I am involved in various activities, including MUN (obviously) which I find to interesting as I am interested in important international issues (especially economic ones).
I hope to get to know you all better during BMUN. I ensure you that the UNSC will be awesome.
Delegates!
In light of the upcoming deadline for your position papers (which you should be researching now, and not waiting to the last minute), I have a couple brief reminders about paper criteria. These tips should be helpful in maximizing your score.
1) Sections: Make sure that you have four different sections. Of these four, your background should be the shortest, and your proposed solutions should be the longest (and most well thought out). Follow the guidelines for paper format found in the delegate guide and the committee specific requirements in the topic synopsis.
2) Research: Remember, you need to use two sources that are books. Make sure to go to the library! If your school library is insufficiently stocked for a research paper of this magnitude, then your local public library is a great stop. Encyclopedias, whether online or in print, are not acceptable as sources. When citing, make sure to use the MLA standard formating for history papers. There are several good sites that detail MLA format for all types of sources (you can either use this one: Purdue MLA Formatting Guide or punch “MLA Formatting” into Google). Make sure to use footnotes (I don’t like endnotes, and since I will be grading your paper, you would do well to not make it harder for me). If you have any trouble with citing or formatting, let me know via this blog or email and I will help you out. This paper is meant to be challenging but not impossible, so give it your best effort.
3) Plagiarism: In that line of thought, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any quotation or idea that is not of your own origin should be cited and put in quotation marks (if it’s a direct quote). Taking credit for someone else’s research in your paper or lifting material will constitute a an act of plagiarism, and as I mentioned in the topic synopsis, your adviser will be asked to replace you. Since I expect the Security Council to field the best delegates, we have a higher standard for all of you. Cheating has no part in BMUN.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this post, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I’m excited to get a chance to take a look at your papers and see what new ideas you’ve come up with to take Peacekeeping into the 21st century.
- Richard Hill
“Peace is our Profession”
Delegates of the 56th BMUN Security Council,
I, Richard Hill, have the distinct honor and pleasure to be your head chair for the upcoming conference. I’m excited about the weekend, and look forward to fun, entertaining, and intellectually promising debate. I’m a Junior at Cal, majoring in Political Science and minoring in European Studies. Outside of BMUN, I am also a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, and hope to become a commissioned officer after I graduate, and some day hope to enter the State Department.
Over the next few weeks, my vice chairs will also be introducing themselves too. We all are looking forward to having a great committee. Please feel free to use this blog to ask any questions or voice any concerns you might have about anything related to the conference (papers definitely included). I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Any updates or topic clarifications that are posted on this blog you will be expected to be aware of come conference day, so use this new medium to the fullest.
Till March, research hard and stay plugged in! SC delegates are expected to be the best…
- Richard Hill
Chair, UNSC
“Peace is our Profession”<— (first delegation that can find where this quote comes from and responds will get a BMUN related prize come conference weekend)