Post by CrimsonPhantom on Jun 19, 2012 9:46:43 GMT -7
Students tackle international crisis scenario
Israel has just bombed Iran and the United Nations Security Council is furiously debating a resolution condemning the attack.
In the middle of this fictional fray is New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team.
The team, which this year represented Lebanon, once again scored high marks at the National Model U.N. competition held April in New York City. NMSU won an outstanding delegation award, which is the top prize, as well as two outstanding position papers. In addition, three members of the team scored outstanding delegate awards.
“Over the past several years at the National Model United Nations Conference, we have represented many countries in Europe,” NMSU Model U.N. President Erica Butts said. “This year, we really wanted to gain a new understanding of a new region, and it was a really exciting opportunity to represent Lebanon in the middle of the Arab Spring and all of the political events that are going on in that region today.”
More than 5,000 college students from around the world gathered in New York for two competitions over several days. On the final day of the event, the student delegates held a crisis simulation – in this case, Israel attacking Iran – in the U.N. General Assembly. With Lebanon currently a rotating member of the Security Council, NMSU’s team found itself in the thick of the action.
“The team really wanted to be challenged and move out of its zone of comfort,” said Regents Professor Yosef Lapid, the team’s adviser. “That’s why they chose Lebanon, knowing very well that it is a very difficult country to represent because of the internal diversity and the fragmentation.”
A team advantage was having Lapid as the team adviser because he had lived in the Middle East for 20 years.
“These kinds of assignments are only given to teams that have a track record of success. NMSU has a track record of success because this is the 14th time that we have participated in this competition,” Lapid said. “For the last six or seven years, we have continuously placed at the top of the competition.”
In order to represent a nation as complicated as Lebanon, Lapid said the team had to take every issue and understand it from the points of view of the governments, the Shiite Hezbollah and the Christian Maronites. Looming over all is the shadow of Syria.
Although the NMSU Model U.N. team was on the losing end of the crisis simulation – the United States vetoed the proposed resolution condemning Israel’s attack – two members won a coveted award. Randy Taylor and Collin King, who are majoring in government, were awarded outstanding delegate prizes by the other members of the mock Security Council. Outstanding delegate awards were issued through a popular vote.
From- www.lascrucesbulletin.com/ee/lascrucesbulletin/default.php?pSetup=lascrucesbulletin
Israel has just bombed Iran and the United Nations Security Council is furiously debating a resolution condemning the attack.
In the middle of this fictional fray is New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team.
The team, which this year represented Lebanon, once again scored high marks at the National Model U.N. competition held April in New York City. NMSU won an outstanding delegation award, which is the top prize, as well as two outstanding position papers. In addition, three members of the team scored outstanding delegate awards.
“Over the past several years at the National Model United Nations Conference, we have represented many countries in Europe,” NMSU Model U.N. President Erica Butts said. “This year, we really wanted to gain a new understanding of a new region, and it was a really exciting opportunity to represent Lebanon in the middle of the Arab Spring and all of the political events that are going on in that region today.”
More than 5,000 college students from around the world gathered in New York for two competitions over several days. On the final day of the event, the student delegates held a crisis simulation – in this case, Israel attacking Iran – in the U.N. General Assembly. With Lebanon currently a rotating member of the Security Council, NMSU’s team found itself in the thick of the action.
“The team really wanted to be challenged and move out of its zone of comfort,” said Regents Professor Yosef Lapid, the team’s adviser. “That’s why they chose Lebanon, knowing very well that it is a very difficult country to represent because of the internal diversity and the fragmentation.”
A team advantage was having Lapid as the team adviser because he had lived in the Middle East for 20 years.
“These kinds of assignments are only given to teams that have a track record of success. NMSU has a track record of success because this is the 14th time that we have participated in this competition,” Lapid said. “For the last six or seven years, we have continuously placed at the top of the competition.”
In order to represent a nation as complicated as Lebanon, Lapid said the team had to take every issue and understand it from the points of view of the governments, the Shiite Hezbollah and the Christian Maronites. Looming over all is the shadow of Syria.
Although the NMSU Model U.N. team was on the losing end of the crisis simulation – the United States vetoed the proposed resolution condemning Israel’s attack – two members won a coveted award. Randy Taylor and Collin King, who are majoring in government, were awarded outstanding delegate prizes by the other members of the mock Security Council. Outstanding delegate awards were issued through a popular vote.
From- www.lascrucesbulletin.com/ee/lascrucesbulletin/default.php?pSetup=lascrucesbulletin