Model UN Reflection

I enjoyed the UN simulation because it was different from the only other simulation I had participated in before.  During the fall semester, it was required for my Global Experience class that we partake in a Model UN simulation; however, that simulation was not crisis simulation and was more centered around the actions/decisions of the Security Council.  Although that experience helped me to better understand the inner-workings of the Security Council, I was simply not as into it because I felt like I could barely contribute my individual opinion.  The crisis simulation was much more interactive for me as it involved smaller groups and in-depth discussions/debates of the task at hand.  I think what I enjoyed was feeling like my opinion was a valued and useful one.

Because I had partaken in MUN before, I knew how to prepare and I came into the crisis simulation with not only knowledge of my country (Kuwait) but also of how to conduct myself throughout the exercise.  I felt that in the crisis simulation it was important to be knowledgeable of your country, but that it was just as crucial to simply rely on your own personal beliefs and opinions concerning how a country, in general, should be run.  Of course there are social, political, and economic distinctions between all the countries that require varying types of attention; but I believe that when a crisis occurs, the way to handle it extends beyond the factual characteristics of the country.  In other words, the crisis simulation helped me to discover that I have set feelings on humanitarian aid, diplomacy, military action, and all other things that come into play when dealing with both an international or domestic problem.

I was most proud of my group when we attempted to negotiate with China to advance our agricultural industry and they misunderstood our request, sent us humanitarian aid (essentially) in the form of rice and chick peas, and we refused the too-easy gift that we in fact did not need and re-routed the shipment to Africa, a country who truly needed it, instead.  Kuwait is such a small and relatively peaceful country that it is often-times perceived as weak, so I was proud of my group when we not only decided to negotiate with a big-dog like China but then went on to refuse the food they sent us out of pity and instead of directly insulting them, we simply made them look presumptuous while making ourselves look self-sufficient.  Overall, I was proud of my group for wanting to get involved even when a crisis was not directly affecting us.  We were constantly looking for ways to help, reform, and advance.

I wish that my country had taken our installation of new desalinization plants further.  Kuwait has a shortage of fresh water that is becoming increasingly more severe and I think that it was very important for us to have secured an alternative approach to fresh water.  I was excited to be working with Turkey on the matter, who had released an announcement of their newly constructed desalinization plants on the newsfeed, and wanted to continue our talks with them.