Crisis c Intro

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Thomas JeffersonModel United NationsIntroductory Packet:

The Crisis Committee

Thomas Jefferson Model United Nations Written by Michael Romais (Class of 2007)

2005-2006


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Introduction

Purpose of Packet: The purpose of this packet is to introduce you, the delegate, to adifferent type of committee in Model United Nations: the Crisis Committee. The common

denominator of Crisis Committees is that there is an international crisis to be solved over thecourse of the conference. The committees must work alone, or together with othercommittees, to accomplish their goals. The level of debate is typically higher on a CrisisCommittee, and accordingly, these committees are also much more competitive in manyrespects, frequently drawing schools’ best delegates. In light of this, it is important to notethat Crisis Committees are typically composed of members who already have solidexperience in the General Assembly and who have a working knowledge of the termspresented in the previous Introductory Packet. As the proverb goes, “You must walk(participate in GA’s) before you can run (participate in Crisis Committees).” A thoroughknowledge of the first packet, combined with GA experience and an understanding of thispacket, will give you the tools that you need to be successful in the Crisis Committee. While

reading this packet, keep in mind that the policies given in examples may have changed sincepublication.

Types of Crisis Committees: There are a few distinct types of Crisis Committees. Thefollowing three are the most common, and the three upon which this packet will focus:

Cabinets: A cabinet is the leadership council of a nation. This council consists of the Headof State/Government and his advisors. If a cabinet is at a conference, it will almost alwaysbe involved in a crisis. The cabinet has at its disposal anything that its nation can do (this isfurther explained in the “How to Navigate the Three Types of Crisis Committee” section).Some common modern cabinet crises involve India/Pakistan, Israel/The Middle EasternIslamic Countries, and North Korea/South Korea. The United States and other major

powers can be involved in all of these. Cabinets can also simulate a historical event, such asthe Cuban Missile Crisis. Delegates on cabinets are typically some of the most experienceddelegates at the conference. The level of debate is extremely high, and awards are generally very tight. The committees are usually not run very strictly in order to smooth the flow ofdebate. (For more on this, see the “Mechanics of the Crisis Committee” section).

Regional Bodies: A regional body is an organization that represents a specific region of the world. The most common regional bodies that have crises are the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO), Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), and the EuropeanUnion (EU).

United Nations Security Council: This is often the flagship committee of a conference. TheSecurity Council is the only body of the UN that can mandate anything. As such, it is oftenutilized in crises. The Security Council is unlike any other committee. It is unique unto itselfand is often very competitive, but it is also very fun and rewarding.


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Who’s Who in a Crisis Committee

Among the Delegates: Different numbers of delegates participate in each of the threetypes of Crisis Committees. These delegates also represent different entities.

Cabinets: In a cabinet, a delegate serves as a Minister or Secretary, a head of a governmentaldepartment. The delegate assumes the role of this person and should act like him. Cabinetsare always single delegation, which means that one delegate alone will always represent onemember of the government.

Regional Bodies: Regional bodies are composed of member states. Each state has a vote and isrepresented by one or two delegates, depending upon the individual conference’s rules.

United Nations Security Council: In the United Nations Security Council, fifteen countries arerepresented. Of these, five are permanent members and can veto any resolution. This

means that by voting “No”, a permanent member can override all fourteen other membersand strike down any given resolution. These permanent members are China, France, theRussian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The other ten membersrotate. In committee, one nation is represented by one or two delegates, again dependingupon the conference’s rules.

The Crisis Staff: A number of people at the conference are involved in the crisis. Theseare the most common.

Crisis Director: At TJ, it is called the Crisis Czar. This person has developed the entire crisisand runs it with help from his staff. This is a very hard job, so it is important to rememberthat this person has probably put in a lot of time making the crisis realistic and fun. Some

conferences have Assistant Crisis Directors.

Chairs: The chairs run the various committees involved in the crisis. They are your liaisonsto the crisis staff. In a cabinet, the chair often represents the Head of State for the country.If you have any questions at all throughout the course of committee, feel free to ask yourchairs. They are there to answer questions and make sure that your committee runssmoothly. Different chairs approach Crisis Committees in different ways. Some will simplyarbitrate and moderate, allowing the majority to rule, while others will be more active inportraying the Head of State.

Crisis Staff: The crisis staff can consist of anywhere from a few people to many people. All

of these people have some sort of role in the crisis. They could be briefers or researchers oract in a variety of other positions. In fact, they morph into whatever the Crisis Directorneeds them to be!


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Approaching a Crisis Committee

Your Mindset: When you know that you are going to be on a Crisis Committee, youshould not be intimidated by the fact that you are going to be on committee with some very

intelligent and experienced delegates. You will learn, and one day you may be the delegate who is feared! You should approach your Crisis Committee the same way you would anyother committee: with research and an open mind.

Research: The type of research that you must do hinges upon whether or not thecommittee that you will be on is addressing a topic. If a committee does have a topic,research that topic as you would for another committee. For example, you might researchby looking at news websites for any current information on your topic. Make sure that youfocus on current events and what your country thinks about the issue. You should also havegeneral ideas about topics that are important to your character or country. This will prepareyou for what other delegates say and will enable you to have a better overall knowledge of

today’s world.

Open Agenda: If a committee does not have a topic--this is called Open Agenda--aposition paper is frequently not required (still, check with the chair to make sure), although itis still very helpful. You should research some big issues and come to the conference withsome ideas about issues that are important to your character or country.

Methods of Research: Books and the Internet are your two greatest resources. Youshould try to know as much background information as possible about your characterand/or country. Especially important are your country’s views on your topics. It is possibleto find such information on the Internet. A fantastic resource is the CIA World Factbook, which can be found at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/. Another tried and

true method is Google, through which much of your research can be done quite effectively.

A complete background of the issue will prepare you for anything that happens incommittee. You should also know which countries/characters support which side of anissue. For instance, Japan would strongly oppose a North Korean nuclear weaponsprogram. On the other hand, Iran might be more lenient because it would set a precedentfor Tehran to develop its own.

Possible Crises: This section is geared more toward cabinets. When you find out whichcabinets are working on the crisis with your cabinet, or are “linked” to your cabinet, try tothink about possibilities for what the crisis might be. After doing this, research the situations

presented in the possible crises. You will go into the crisis with a more solid background.For instance, if you are an Iranian minister, and the two other cabinets are Israel and Syria,read about the history of the Middle Eastern Conflict. This is not to say that you shouldread several books on the subject, rather simply that you look at a few webpages devoted toyour topic.

Oftentimes, you can have a good idea of where you want the crisis to go before ithappens. If the countries are the United States and the two Koreas, you should look at U.S.


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troop strengths in the Pacific region. (More about strategy later in the “How to Navigate the Three Types of Crisis Committee” section.)

An Open Mind: Keep in mind that crises are often far-fetched and may seem unrealistic.If you find yourself in this situation, do not be put off, and try to take the issues at hand

seriously. Offbeat crises are often done intentionally in order to make you think even moreand come up with more creative solutions. If you try to “go with” the crisis, you will learnthat much more in the end. Even if you think the crisis is a little wacky, you could soonrealize--often with a bit of a shock--that the crisis is in fact quite plausible, or at leastinteresting.

The Mechanics of a Crisis Committee

The Very Beginning: When you first walk into committee, greet the other delegates with afirm handshake. These are the people that you will work with for the next two to four days.(Note: Different conferences have different lengths. Most local conferences are two-dayaffairs, Friday night and all-day Saturday. National conferences are anywhere from three tofour days.) When committee starts, the chair will ask everyone to sit down. Whenever thechair is speaking, you should be quiet and attentive. The chair will take attendance, callingeveryone by character position or name for a cabinet, or by country for regional bodies andthe United Nations Security Council. Simply say “Present”. At this point, what happensnext differs by committee. The mechanics of a Cabinet will be explained first. Followingthis will be an explanation of the mechanics of the regional bodies, after which will come anexplanation of the mechanics of the United Nations Security Council.

Cabinets: Cabinets are usually run by permanent moderated caucus, although it is up to thechair’s discretion and the committee’s preferences. This means that a delegate can be calledon at any time to give his opinion and may do it in as much time as he likes (after beingcalled on, of course). There is no speakers list. Also, you need not formally set a topic. Therefore, you may switch gears to discuss new crisis developments at any time.

Regional Bodies: Regional bodies start in parliamentary procedure discussing the set topicsuntil a crisis breaks. At that point, they may continue in formal procedure or may switch topermanent moderated caucus, depending upon the chair’s and committee’s preferences.Once a crisis has started, you generally do not set a topic, although this depends upon theconference and dais.

United Nations Security Council: The United Nations Security Council is usually run like aregional body. Often, though, it is the exception to the permanent moderated caucus rule. The Security Council frequently uses the speakers list and sets topics as it would have to inreal life. Whenever a new development comes in, you may have to change the topic awayfrom what you are discussing to talk about “recent developments.” To set the topic, gothrough the same motions as in a GA. As on other committees, the way parliamentaryprocedure is used or not used is up to the dais.


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For All Committees: At the start of the conference, the chair will either give the committeea crisis briefing or ask for delegates to present topics of discussion. In the event of theformer, the delegates will read the briefing and then discuss it. Sometimes they will suggestaction, sometimes not. In the event that a crisis does not start at the very beginning,

delegates should suggest to the committee a topic to which they feel devoting time is warranted. This is untrue in the UN Security Council or a regional body, where a speakerslist is the first priority. After committee proceeds for a time, the delegates will certainlyreceive a briefing. This briefing generally suggests that the crisis has worsened (or mayintroduce the crisis in the first place if you did not start with one). Sometimes, the delegates will still feel that the crisis is not important enough to warrant devoting resources to it.However, other delegates will feel the opposite. A debate will ensue in which each delegateshould voice his opinion. (For more on what to do, see the “How to Navigate a CrisisCommittee” section.)

Briefings: Briefings are presented in two ways. First, a hand-out may be passed out to eachdelegate with a press release, news report, or internal governmental communication. The

other option is that a member of the crisis staff comes in and portrays a government officialor a member of the media. You may be able to ask questions of these live people. Doing sois beneficial, provided that your questions are serious and relevant (obnoxious or pedanticquestions really frustrate a chair and the crisis briefer).

Intelligence Briefings: Intelligence is normally treated in one of three ways. The first isthat it may be shared with anyone in the room. The second is that it may be shared only with allies--this is rated “Secret.” In a committee such as NATO, this means that it may beshared with anyone in the room. The last is “For Your Eyes Only,” or “Top Secret.” Thismeans that on a regional body or the Security Council, no one else should read it.Obviously, on a cabinet, intelligence is to be shared, though it may initially go to the minister

whose department received the intelligence.

The Rest of Committee: The way that the rest of committee unfolds completely dependsupon the conference and the crisis.

How to Navigate the Three Types of Crisis Committees

Staying on Policy: It is important to always stay on policy, especially in Crisis Committees.

Cabinets: To stay on policy on a cabinet, you must do two things. The first is to stay true toyour position. For example, if you are the Secretary of State, stress diplomacy. The secondthing is to stay true to your character. If you are Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, youmight be a little more hawkish than, say, Madeleine Albright. It is important to rememberthat in desperate times, such as a hostage situation involving Americans, most anygovernment official would be in favor of military action. Remember, you can slightly alteryour policy as long as you explain it to the committee first and it would be realistic for your


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character. “Although I normally would not be in favor of this sort of move, afterconsidering the situation, I have determined that it is indeed the needed course of action, forthese reasons…” would be a diplomatic way of prefacing a departure from your previouspolicy that would sufficiently explain yourself to the committee and the chair. Looking atquotes from, and news items about, your character is the best way to know the policy to

which you are trying to adhere.

Regional Bodies: In a regional body, you represent a country. As such, you must be true to thepolicy of that nation. In a body such as the African Union, a country might hold much morepower than it does in the regular United Nations. If you are Nigeria, you might not have allthat much to say on DISEC, but you can be a major power in the African Union. As long asyou stay on your message, you can be a real power in committee.

United Nations Security Council: In the Security Council, you must stay on policy as well. Youare often confronted with unique situations, and you must evaluate what “staying on policy”is. For example, if you are the Russian Federation, and Iran is threatening to make nuclear weapons, you would know that you do not want the Security Council to talk about Iran.

This is because Russia has said that it will veto any resolution on Iranian nuclear arms. Youhad to evaluate whether or not supporting this resolution contradicts your policy. Toresearch what said policy is, simply use the same methods of research outlined above.

Employable Actions and Tools, Session by Session:

What you can and should do often vary by the session of committee.

First Session: The actions taken in the first session are often more conservative than thosetaken in the others. On the whole, you should generally refrain from major military action inthis session unless it is necessary. If you are dealing with a terrorist group, see if you canforce their hand and make them give in. All three types of committee can have anothercountry trying to hold the world hostage. Do not give in to their demands too easily in thefirst session. In general, try to simulate the first steps a government or international bodymay take in response to a crisis, which will naturally be more cautious than later in thesituation when more information is known.

Second Session: Second session (at locals) is when committee is made or broken. This isthe session in which more drastic action can be taken. Employ any and all options as you

see fit. Do not underestimate the power of the crisis staff; they will make sure that thegroup you are working against is a worthy foe.

Third Session: The seriousness of third session, at locals, depends upon the committee. Ifyour chair stays serious, you should certainly be serious. Sometimes, the crisis staff will dosomething like provoke nuclear war, thus indicating that the crisis is no longer serious. Ifyour chair wants to have fun, you may certainly do so. In fact, 90% of crises end inthermonuclear war as committee decorum deteriorates.


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Nationals: For every session at national conferences, you should remain serious andindustrious during committee. You should also always be working toward whatever goal thechair has set for you. That being said, at some nationals, the last session of committee (theSunday session) will be more relaxed and will allow for some fun. Remember: if your chairstays serious, stay serious, but if your chair wants to have fun, have fun! After all, you have

worked hard for the past two to three days!

Possible Actions to be Employed:

Cabinet: On a cabinet you have a variety of options. If you are the United States NationalSecurity Council, you can deploy the Marines, FEMA, or the CIA. You can evacuate citiesor close borders. You can inoculate people against smallpox. You can call for covert actionto be taken in any part of the world. In short, you can literally do anything that yourgovernment can do. Indeed, you should utilize the full extent of the tools of yourgovernment. If you have an idea, bring it up to the committee. If you are Secretary ofDefense, you can order troop movements. As Secretary of State, you can write

communiqués to foreign countries. Acting as the Secretary of Health and Human Services,you can order widespread vaccination. A cabinet is your chance to come up with dynamicand creative solutions to a crisis that is ever-changing and could take a drastic twist at anytime. While you should always make sure that your ministry or department is doingeverything it can, you do not need to confine your comments to your minister’s area ofexpertise, so if you are the Minister of Commerce and the crisis is military, you can certainlygive your opinion.

Regional Bodies: Regional bodies have somewhat fewer options than cabinets. It reallydepends upon your body. Some bodies are more military and action-oriented (NATO) andsome are geared toward economic issues (EU). You must research the capabilities of yourbody and its member states before the conference.

United Nations Security Council: The Security Council has the power to do many things. Thesethings include sending in UN peacekeepers. Also, the UN can authorize member states toutilize military force, as in the Korean War against North Korea or the First Gulf Waragainst Iraq. One of the Security Council’s favorite actions is economically sanctioning acountry. This is often the first step in censuring a country. Never use military action without first attempting diplomacy or economic action. The only exceptions are when manyhuman lives are at stake or the fate of the international system hangs in the balance. Nopressure, though!

The Three Types of Committees, In Summary:

Cabinets: On a cabinet, you represent a specific person, usually a Secretary or Minister. Youmust try to stay true to your character while on committee. If he is a warmonger, be a warmonger. If he wants higher taxes, push for higher taxes. Make sure that you form working partnerships with other individuals on the committee. Most importantly, stay


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serious and realistic. Do not suggest rash and unnecessary military action. On the otherhand, do not wait too long or your citizens being held hostage by terrorists could be dead.Cabinets, like all Crisis Committees, are all about treading a fine line. If you have a particulararea of expertise, try to relate that to the committee, but feel free to comment on allimportant issues.

Regional Bodies: These combine the committee atmosphere of a GA with the fast-pacedaction of a crisis. It is important to stay on policy in regional bodies. However, in somesituations, the rules can be bent. For instance, if you are the United Kingdom on NATO,your policy would frequently follow that of the United States. However, if the U.S. is veryoff-policy, do not follow it. Be knowledgeable about the capabilities of your committee.For instance, NATO has a strong military force at its disposal, while the Organization of American States does not. These are important things to know before you start trying tosend in OAS Special Forces to shut down a Colombian drug operation!

United Nations Security Council: In many ways, the Security Council is the ultimate committee.It is a hybrid of a global regional body and a cabinet with representatives from 15 nations.

Whenever the United Nations has a crisis, the Security Council is the body to respond. ASecurity Council resolution is binding, which means that it compels member nations tocomply. The Security Council often handles issues between two nations who couldpotentially come to blows. There are two types of nations on the Security Council: those with a veto and those without a veto. If you have a veto, do not use it with recklessabandon. In fact, only veto a resolution that is completely against your policy or that youthink would have detrimental effects. Using your veto otherwise could turn the committeeagainst you and opens you up for your resolution to be vetoed. If you do not have a veto,fear not! Resolutions still need 3/5 support to pass, so form alliances and gain influence that way. It is a myth that only veto powers win awards on the Security Council. In fact, if you“play your cards right,” not having a veto can be an advantage.

Conclusion

It is my great hope that this guide has thoroughly introduced you to the Crisis Committeeand that it will serve you well in your Crisis Career. However, you must remember that thereis absolutely no substitute for experience. If crises intrigue you, try one out! They are veryrewarding and will introduce you to the upper echelon of Model United Nations. If youhave any questions at all, please do not hesitate to email me, Michael Romais, the Arbitrator,

at [email protected]; I would be more than happy to answer them for you. With allthis in mind, I wish you the best of luck on your first Crisis Committee and beyond. Hopeto see you on committee in the future!

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