Syracuse University- IRP413 Tunisian Twerkers A reflection about a ragtag team of delegates who started from the bottom and became outstanding. Brianna Isabelle 5/6/2014
As a second year delegate, the initial surprise over the country assignment did not affect me as much as last year. Accepting of the fact that I was not going to know much about the country because it was not within my region of concentration, I approached the Republic of Tunisia with an open mind. What I was not prepared for was the complete lack of Tunisian provided information for us to complete adequate research, something radically different from last year. Understandably as a nation in transition, updating a website was probably not their top priority. Also different from last year was that I had a position on the Dais. As an assistant head delegate, I was responsible for preparing the entire delegation for the conference; a feat that was way more work than initially realized but completely rewarding. I watched delegates grow as students, thinkers, and public speakers and watched them fall in love with the class. Substance The Republic of Tunisia was not only a country that proved rich in history and knowledge, but it was also extremely unique. Separating itself from other United Nations members, the Republic of Tunisia was a pleasure to explore as we learned of its recent historical significance. Being the guiding light in the Arab Spring, Tunisia started a domino effect throughout its fellow Arab nations in terms of revolution; themselves emerging stronger and as an example for others to emulate. Additionally, the Republic of Tunisia developed one of the most progressive constitutions within the world, highlighting the importance of women and the environment. The new Tunisia, modern and refocused on its development, has had significant success in the UN while being recognized by powerful nations around the world for its progress. Further, the Republic of Tunisia has been the representative of small states within the UN, making sure smaller state voices are heard and acknowledged on the world stage. 1
Being my second year learning about the United Nations, I found that there is always more to learn, especially when there are so many organizations that embody and make up the six principle organs of the UN. Reinforcing how crazy the UN actually is, I was reminded that the UN is a complex animal. I was further reminded that diplomacy within the UN is based on the status of your country and that the P5 usually hold weight over most decision making within the body. Further, I appreciated re-reading the Fasulo book to remind me of how exactly the UN works. I enjoy that book because it gives you that behind the scenes look at global diplomacy, and is probably the closest thing to even remotely understanding what the Model UN conference can be like. Also, it has been the constant introduction to our friend Boutros who has been so influential to bringing this team together. The conference simulation only furthered my knowledge of the UN, getting a firsthand look at how interactions between nations generally work. Even though many delegations strayed from how their specific country would act, creating confusion among delegates, I always find it amazing how students from all over the world stay in character for an entire week. Making resolutions based on Tunisia s foreign policy initiatives and working with other nations helped to further understand how difficult it must be within the UN to pass draft resolutions by consensus, a fact our Dais kept reminding GA1 about. Keeping in mind that nations usually have months to draft working papers and that this is a severely expedited process, it always amazes me at the work that we can get done. The conference highlights the difficulty that many nations have in getting their voice heard, and Tunisia, as a protector of small states, was allowed to play that role in the conference. This semester I learned a lot about organization and how I thought I knew what organization entailed. It turns out that I was extremely organized and that as long as I write 2
everything down in my planner I am fine. I mention organization because I did not know being that busy was actually something that could be achieved. Additionally, I further developed my leadership skills by assisting the money group in their position paper writing endeavors and worked with my fellow head delegates as leaders for the class on the Dais. Writing stand-anddeliver questions for each class in the beginning of the semester was almost just as stressful as being called on to answer one of them. Even more stressful was in class when delegates would not know the answers and the Dais would then get nervous over how much preparation went into the class that day. This year has been extremely different in the obvious sense that I was a member of the Dais and last year I was not. Further, this year has been a team experience and we have all really gotten to know one another. I really had fun both in class and at the conference. Preparation this year was a lot more experimental, but I think we made some really good changes, especially with the quizzes. Also, I really enjoyed the simulation we did in class, but agree that we probably should not have done that the week before we went to conference and had to act as Tunisia. Lastly, I felt as though the organized team bonding nights we had really helped to solidify our unity. We did not have such team bonding nights on last year s team and I feel that really hurt our ability to be a team inside and outside of the classroom. This year, even outside of the classroom, whenever I saw a delegate I stopped and had a conversation rather than just waving at them. This for me, as the biggest difference of all. Preparation The application this year was clearly developed thinking that we would be representing Egypt, so writing the essay this year was difficult. Although I found a plethora of information on 3
the topic, sifting though it to develop a quality essay on a region I did not necessarily follow was a challenge. Getting selected, as always, was an exciting day and this year, since I had convinced my roommate in DC Briana Rinaldo to apply, it was an extra exciting day because she had also made the team. When I found out there was going to be three head delegates this year I was a bit disappointed that I was not named one of them right away, but I was overjoyed when Dr. D asked me to step in as an assistant head delegate few weeks later. Finding information on Tunisia was a whole other story as there was nothing for us to reference, in terms of a state-run website. Pre-course preparation proved even more difficult than last year because even though I may not have known what to expect, I was frustrated by the lack of information available this year. As I mentioned prior, I think the way we decided to go about doing quizzes this year was great. It was super-efficient and we did not end up staying two hours later to finish stand and delivers, further those who had class immediately following were able to make it. Position paper writing was a whole other beast. Being on the Dais and on General Assembly the first, I read so many position papers so many times that I wanted to never wanted to read another. I have learned so much about editing and felt that as the leader of the money group I was able to help develop the position paper writing of committees under my guidance. As Model UN provides a strange new way of writing for first-time delegates, it took many some time to understand all the intricacies of writing and formulating their papers correctly. I think for next year it is going to be crucial to focus on how winning position papers are formulated and a study of some sort regarding this dilemma is going to have to be conducted by the future officers of the Dais before formal classes begin. This year, I really enjoyed the use of guest speakers in the classroom. Having those two students who were from Tunisia come and speak to us was instrumental in understanding culture 4
and how Tunisians live before and after the revolution. Such information was practically impossible to come across with our own research and I really thought them taking the time to talk to us was amazing. Further, having Professor Amy Kallender come into talk was also very helpful. You could tell that the delegates were engaged and were eager to hear what she had to say. Everyone was asking relevant questions to their committee topics and walked out of there knowing just that much more. I cannot say enough about team bonding events this year and how instrumental they were to making this team able to achieve outstanding. Having them early and often really was the key. Conference The conference, compared to the one last year, was completely different. The wonder and mystery about what was going to happen just wasn t there for me this year. Although I treasured every moment there while representing Tunisia, it could have been the combination of being on the Dais with being part of a committee that just made it slightly different. I did not have the same bond with my committee partner as I had last year, but there were definitely some better qualities to my partnership this year than last. Also, the fact that GA1 was not the only committee I knew, as I had to read through the committee guides of the money committees along with my own, made it a little difficult for me to really dive into the topics of GA1. Regardless of the minor loss of magic, this was my favorite conference throughout the conference and when I returned to my room. I loved having an adjoining room with Bryce, Colin, and Khairie to which we took full advantage, only adding to our team bonding experiences. 5
GA1 was a huge committee that was tough to crack. Colin and I sought out the countries that we had outlined as allies in our matrices and tried to get them to work with us on a working paper. We ended up writing a paper with Jordan and Morocco that we had previously discovered DPRK was writing but not in the way we wanted it to represent our nations, so we began our own. We ended up getting tons of support because of Jordan s far reaching integration into so many working papers on the floor. When we received so much support from fellow nations we felt confident in the quality of our paper and moved towards trying to preemptively merge with the existing DPRK paper. This process was a difficult one, but once we managed to merge we were able to say that there were countries normally in conflict with one another agreeing to this working paper. We knew it was them not representing their nations correctly, but we called it a diplomatic success. Once all of the draft resolutions were put on the floor, there was not much lobbying by nations for you to read their draft resolutions because everyone was in some way connected to them all. This was because our Dais strongly encouraged extensive merging so that voting would not take very long. She commended us on our ability to whittle down 18 working papers into 8 and therefore allowed the voting procedures to go rather smoothly. Also helping was that once a draft resolution was accepted as such, it was posted online for all to access. This removed a lot of anxiety that came with paper copies and trying to get everyone to read yours. Due to conference efficiencies and Dais suggestions, voting ended an hour early but our Dais would not let us leave so we were forced to stick around and we all just talked. I really enjoyed being a part of GA1 this year but I do wish we had gotten involved in more working papers on the floor. Team dinner was great because we were not already dead from the conference. It was a great way to start off and I know I enjoyed the food, as well as everyone else. I didn t even mind 6
all the walking because I had eaten so much and really needed to digest properly. Also, this year was my first delegate dance and I can say that I have never experienced anything quite like that. It was a three story club, filled with delegates. You would very accurately be able to label this place as a shit show. Our delegates showed decorum but others, not so much. When I think Hollywood production level club scene, this would be what I imagine. I do not know what it was like last year because I was too tired to go, which almost happened again this year, but I cannot imagine it being anything like that. Recommendations Improvements for next year all echo what was said in class on the last day. I feel we need to work on our position paper writing and work towards getting an award. Also, I think that the simulation should definitely be moved up to be before that final week of class before the conference. I think a lot may have been lost regarding Tunisia throughout that week, but luckily because we had such an outstanding team, not all was lost. I think it was most beneficial for the delegates to have to actively participate in the simulation but it should definitely be moved up. Lastly, I think that there should be more use of the matrices we make for the conference. I feel they should be made throughout the semester as delegates work on their topics. Maybe have the matrix due during each topic when turning in that portion of the position paper. That way, the information is fresh and delegates have a better understanding of how to use the matrix and its potential use as a caucusing tool. Conclusion I love Model UN and it has truly been my life for the past year and a half. I have loved every class and find it to be one of the most rewarding classes you can take here at Syracuse. I 7
felt honored being a part of the Dais this year, which only added to my experience and made it that much better. I can honestly say that I have become closer with the International Relations department which has its own perks and I absolutely love just being able to stop in to say hi to Angela or Amy. This year s Model UN team has been an amazing way to end my Model UN career and I hope that all future MUN-ers fall in love with this class as much as I know most of us have. I just wanted to say thank you Dr. D for actually showing me what international relations can be all about. 8