FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2014 | THIMUN XLVI Africa Transformations and the Challenges

mun journal do munity TODAY’S PAPER

For full account committee reports

PAGES 4, 5

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Closing time: THIMUN XLVI comes to an end

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For an account of the ICTY trial of Radovan Karadžić

As THIMUN 2014 comes to an end, a new conference awaits eager students in Latin America. This will be the first THIMUN to be held in that part of the world.

The goal is to make THIMUN more conveniently located for students that live in Latin Amer-ica. Managing Director Irene Crepin explains, “Traveling to this part of the world is expensive and also there isn’t a lot of MUN in Latin America yet.” She adds, “We thought if we do it there, it makes it cheaper, more acces-sible and we can start slow and perhaps not with an overwhelm-ing 3000 participant group.”

As far as advertising goes, they hope to expand interest in this newest conference through a variety of methods, including approaching MUN directors here at THIMUN and sending invita-tions to different schools in Latin America. “It’s a beginner con-

ference, so of course we’re not expecting huge numbers,” said The co-chair of the Board of Di-rectors, Alain Meidinger. “We’ll start small, with a few small

committees, with 30-50 schools. But I’m confident it will grow.”

So far there are conferences located on most continents (ex-cept Africa), including Singapore and Qatar and our very own MUN in The Hague in the Netherlands. Meidinger highlighted, “We want-ed to expand to as many conti-nents as possible and Latin Amer-ica for us was the place to go.”

Much work is involved in the process of starting up a new conference in terms of logistics. Crepin comments that, “We look at prices, we look at the econo-my and we ended up having to choose between Buenos Aires and Montevideo and between the two we went for Montevideo. It’s a not so large city and it has a good airport. We were also lucky enough to find a good school with a large campus that is prepared to host the conference there.” This location will allow students from all over Latin America to join the conference and directors have high hopes that many inter-national schools will participate.

Among the many foresee-able difficulties in setting up a new conference, safety was a big issue for both directors. With the unrest that is sometimes seen in

Latin America, the question that some surely will ask is whether or not the area is safe for stu-dents. Montevideo is considered the safest city in Latin America, which is one of the factors in choosing the city as the host for THIMUN Latin America.

So far, things have been going well, it seems. Meetings with the Minister of Educa-tion and the host school have gone well, and Mr. Mei-dinger expressed hope rather than concerns in considering the upcom-ing conference in August. Other challenges, ac-cording to Crepin, were finding experienced admin staff and student officers. There are few MUN conferences in Latin America, but with the confirmation of

THIMUN takes Latin AmericaWith THIMUN Qatar well underway, the THIMUN founda-tion looks to expand into Latin America with a new conference in South America

Isabel BaerZurich International SchoolKatelin QuanbeckBrussels American School

A bittersweet ending to an amazing conference is what awaits us this afternoon. With a flag parade, speeches and a much awaited verdict, we bid goodbye to THIMUN 2014. Presidents of each forum, the Secretary General, and the Deputy Secretary Gener-als will all be giving closing speeches to reflect back on the week. The presidents will report on the events of the week, revealing what their group has worked on and ac-complished. The Secretary General Sarah Gharib will

be holding a speech to remi-nisce about the week along with the Deputy Secretary Generals Naomi Scheithe, Uchechi Odikanwa, Jun Hyun Shin, and Markus Jungnick-el who will also be speak-ing about the week’s events.

Entertainment will also be provided by a Caribbean brass band that has become a fre-quent participant in the cere-mony, this being their, approx-imately, tenth performance at a THIMUN ceremony. The flag parade is an indispensa-ble element that will also take place at this year’s ceremony, where the ambassadors of each delegation of THIMUN bring their country’s flags onto the stage and wave them around in honour of the country they are representing. Another

All good things come to an end

Laya BatainehAmman Baccalaureate SchoolMaja MelchingerJohn F. Kennedy School

As the end of the conference draws near, we celebrate our successful debates and coming together at THIMUN XLVI at the closing ceremony

Continues page 10

Continues page 4

CHLOE HINDESThe World Forum Theatre

ILLUSTRATION KATE MONSON

AUSTIN GRIFFINInternational Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

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THE TEAMmunityEDITORS-IN-CHIEFThomas Flynn Royal Russell SchoolMaximilian Larson John F. Kennedy School, BerlinTEXT EDITORSTate Bierut John Burroughs School, St. LouisNatasha Lodhi American School of ParisKatelin Quanbeck Brussels American SchoolMartha Shepard Park Tudor School, IndianapolisLeo von Kleist John F. Kennedy School, Berlin

REPORTERSIsabel Baer Zurich International SchoolLaya Bataineh Amman Baccalaureate SchoolHannah Hölscher International School of DüsseldorfAlyssa Hsu Pacific American SchoolMehraan Keval American Community School, AmmanTara Lechner International School of the HagueJordan Leonard John Burroughs School, St. LouisKatherine Monson Zurich International SchoolMaja Melchinger John F. Kennedy School, BerlinTara Parambi Dhirubhai Ambani International School

REPORTERS (continued)Marelle Ruijgrok American School of ParisNele Wenck International School of the HagueEmily Zhao John Burroughs School, St. LouisPHOTOGRAPHERSAustin Griffin Zurich International SchoolChloe Hindes Zurich International SchoolFfion Lavery Royal Russell SchoolMeredith Mannix Park Tudor School, IndianapolisLAYOUT AND GRAPHICS EDITORSofia Cababa Wood International School of the Hague

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

9:00 - 11:30Committees, SC, ECOSOC, sub-commissions, SPC, ICJ, and NSS in session

13:00 - 16:30GA plenary, SC, ECOSOC, Comissions plenary, SPC, ICJ, and NSS in session

11:30 - 13:00Lunch available

16:30Closing Ceremonies

20:00-24:00Dance for MUN participants

An American university ap-plication essay...gone wrong

Emily ZhaoJohn Burroughs School

Why I’m not getting a higher education

As I entered the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), guards ordered me to surrender all of my belong-ings to be scanned, before I could enter. After obtaining a visitor’s pass and having my ID verified, another security check followed. At the security check, the guard looked at me and said, “Why are you so serious? Lighten up. It’s a good day.” He didn’t realize that I was completely and utterly ter-rified of watching one of the most wanted criminals face trial in court. When I finally entered the view-ing room, I was seated no more than five meters away from Radovan Karadzic, who is on trial for geno-cide, persecution, extermination, murder, inhumane acts of violence and multiple other crimes against humanity. This trial is part of a larg-er court case against Ratko Mladic and Karadzic as well as their ac-complices for these alleged crimes.As described in the case informa-tion sheet, Karadzic is one of the founding members of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and held

the presidency of the SDS un-til 1996. He was also chairman of the National Security Council.Karadzic and other officials in the Bosnian Serb government are charged with encouraging and or-dering genocide against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats, par-ticularly in the city of Srebrenica. Bosnian Serb forces are accused of having done so by killing men and

boys forcibly removing children, women, and elderly men. He is also being accused of holding hostages and deportation. While the UN and NATO tried to intercept the attacks, the Bosnian Serb military threat-ened to injure or kill detainees.Currently he is being held in cus-

tody at the UN ICTY Detention Unit (UNDU) after not appearing for his first two court dates. The court proceeded to appoint a rep-resentative counsel in the name of Karadzic, however the accused ap-peared for subsequent court dates, choosing to represent himself.With only a glass wall to separate audience members from the law-yers, witnesses, and judges, the

experience of sitting through such an important court case was in-timidating. All audience members received a headset so they could listen to the ongoing debates while watching close ups of the speakers on two TV’s in each corner of the room. Documents were often shown

on the screens as they were being presented in court, while a translator narrated the debates and documents. Hearing the judges speak and the prosecutors argue was confus-ing at first. I couldn’t understand much of the jargon that was being used and I was so overwhelmed by Karadzic that I couldn’t focus on anything other than his bright white hair and his perfectly tailored suit.The accused criminal seemed to be a completely normal man. Not knowing who to look for, I wasn’t sure at first who was on trial. After he was pointed out to me, I could barely believe that such a regular-looking person could be guilty of committing such horrifying crimes.During the time I was there, a wit-ness was being questioned by the prosecution and the defense. Karad-zic was expertly prepared for his statements, using documents and quotes to back up his arguments. To my surprise, the judge respected him and treated him in the same man-ner as he treated the prosecutors.This court case is being televised and receiving large amounts of me-dia coverage. Some other MUN participants have been able to wit-ness the trial; however, as the conference is coming to an end, not going would be an opportu-nity missed. Being so close to the ICTY where history is currently be-ing made proves that here at THI-MUN we are exposed to incred-ible opportunities that rarely arise.

Criminal in a suitMUNITY journalist visits trial of former Bosnian Serb war criminal at the ICTYIsabel BaerZurich International School

Hi. My name is Emily Zhao. I belong to an ethnic minority—so, yes, technically I would add to the diversity of your campus. Am I Asian, you ask? That’s not relevant, because not that you don’t discriminate against Asians in the college process anyway, am I right? Right? Cool. Did I mention that I’m diverse? I’m also unique. Very, very unique. You might say that I am among the

most unique of your applicant pool. I’d like to give you an unabridged version of my accomplish-ments but that wouldn’t be very modest of me; gener-ally I am a modest per-son, except for when I’m doing some-thing great, which, to be honest, is all the time. Due to the constraints of the word lim-it, however, I’ll have to give you the highlights. I go seven hours on Five Hour En-ergy. I illegally park in handicap spots and ticket the police. I can make all of my cereal Snap, Crackle, and Pop, even my Raisin Bran. On bad days, I run ten miles in the morning;

on good days, I stand outside in my Nikes and the street moves back-

wards for me. I am the lioness to your gazelle, the large

business to your family shop, the Miley Cyrus to your local middle school twerk squad. Basically, I am win-ning the struggle of life 24.02/7. 24.02/7, you ask? Yes, 24.02 hours a day on average, because leap year February 29ths. Think about it. …

……

If you’ve had to think about it this long

you’re probably not as good at math as I am and

should just accept me. Did you

like how I put three lines of space in the middle of my essay? Wasn’t that clever and original? Really broke up the page and conveyed a sense of space. Dang, I’m good. And I am just getting started. I like to start things. I’m an inno-vator. I’ve started races, fires, chain mail, businesses, fights, religions, mobs, papers, revolutions, and cars, among other things, though to be honest I didn’t manage to fin-ish all of them—nobody’s perfect. I would like to qualify that pre-vious statement by saying that I come pretty darn close to perfec-tion a lot of the time; at least, I am always striving for it. When I want something done and done well, I leave no rock unturned, no grave un-dug, no suspect unin-terrogated, no inconvenient wit-nesses undead, no [butt] unkissed. (I wonder exactly how close I am to hitting the character count lim

creative commonscreative commons

PAGE 3

As government forces and re-bels continue to vie for control over Syria, violations of human rights and damage to civilians is taking place on a massive scale.

The UN is doing all it can to bring relief to civilians that are trapped or have been displaced by the conflict. One specific location that is beginning to receive aid is the Old City quarter in Homs, where 500 families have been trapped for almost two years. Many in the be-sieged neighborhood have been un-able to access much needed medi-cation, and rely on food and fuel supplies from the time before the siege. The UN World Food Program (WFP) plans to send food and sup-plies as soon as warring parties give them access. Homs is also acting as a starting point for negotiations, as both sides are asked to step back and allow aid to be delivered. The two parties have recently met for face-to-face negotiations, with guidance

from the UN, and there is hope that a peaceful resolution to the conflict is near at hand. However, until an agreement is reached, the people of Syria will continue to suffer.

The civilian population has suf-fered tremendous hardships during the war, as human rights violations have been committed by both the rebels and, reportedly in far greater magnitude and severity, the govern-ment forces of Bashar Al-Assad. In 2012, Amnesty International report-ed instances of people being burnt alive, the destruction of hospitals, and lethal torture. According to the report, such brutality was aimed not only at those involved in the civil war, but innocent civilians as well. One of the most destructive viola-tions of human rights to take place during the civil war has been the use of chemical weapons, allegedly by forces fighting for Assad. The use of chemical weapons brought new attention to the conflict during the middle of last year. As images and confirmation of their use came in, the international community was outraged and urged the UN to take action. The weapons were report-edly used by the government side of the conflict, killing hundreds, if not thousands of civilians in the deadliest attacks of the war. Us-ing land-to-land rockets, attackers were able to launch large quantities of chemicals such as Sarin, a nerve agent that has symptoms includ-

ing nausea, vomiting and convul-sions that often result in the death of the victim. The use of chemical weapons in the conflict has pushed the UN to intervene in the conflict.

According to Adam Johnson, a delegate representing the Organiza-tion for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), hundreds, or even thousands of people have been killed by chemical weapons in Syr-ia. According to Johnson, several ideas to rid Syria of chemical weap-

ons have been proposed in the Dis-armament Committee, such as “the introduction of Mobile Destruction Units into the Middle East to de-stroy chemical weapons, as well as heightened security for what’s al-ready taking place, that is, moving chemicals to the target for destruc-tion with foreign aid, as is currently taking place”. He also confirmed that the Assad regime is currently fully compliant with the OPCW in examining and eliminating the

stockpile of chemical weapons.Though confident that plans to

eliminate the Syrian stockpile of chemical weapons will succeed, Johnson acknowledges that, “There are of course issues. The deadlines that have been set for early Feb-ruary are very difficult to meet. However, with such great help from the international community, we feel that a chemical weapon-free Syria is an attainable goal.”

Leo von KleistJohn F. Kennedy SchoolKate MonsonZurich International School

Caught in the line of fireAs the Syrian civil war rages on, civilians become victims of violence

Marelle RuijgrokAmerican School of ParisMehraan KevalAmerican Community School

Your Deputy Secretary GeneralsGetting to know your friend-ly, enthusiastic, and some-what weird DSGs.

What is your role as Deputy Secre-tary General?

Arthur: I Read research reports prior to the conference for the chairs and organize the workshop. During the conference I mainly walk around and try to solve prob-lems that may arise.Markus: To ensure that the confer-ence runs smoothly and help any one that needs assistance.Naomi: My role is to make sure the conference runs smoothly. I mostly work together with chairs, particu-larly the committees I am in charge of which are the Security Council and HRC.

Uchechi: To read and correct research reports before the confer-ence and during the conference I have to check on committees and facilitate the communication be-tween chairs and the BOD.

How did you start MUN?

Arthur: I joined MUN in middle school and continued it through high school. I enjoy it too much to quit.Markus: Two years ago, a confer-ence in Berlin.Naomi: When I was 13 years old, my first MUN conference was a mini-MUN and I was confused the whole time. My second conference was THIMUN, and I got used to it, and now I love it. Uchechi: Around 4 years ago, when I first started high school.

How do you feel the conference has been so far and what do you hope for before the end?

Arthur: The conference so far has been very interesting and gone well. With a lot of motivated, dedi-cated, mellow delegates which is an interesting combination but a good way to describe them. Markus: So far it has run smoothly, everyone is working very hard, there are some good debates. In the coming days I want to see some good final debates and that the Closing Ceremony goes by smoothly.

Naomi: I feel like it’s going well and I am proud of my student offic-ers. They are taking any challenge and they turn it into a personal challenge to make it work.Uchechi: I think it’s been OK. For the end I hope that the conference ends with people feeling that they did something useful with their time.

What do you think of this year’s set of THIMUN delegates?

Arthur: The delegates this year are very motivated, dedicated, mellow delegates. Markus: Very enthusiastic and motivated, ready to make a change. Opening speeches were very good as well. Naomi: They seem very enthusi-astic and seem to be doing a great job, are hard workers, dedicated and seem well prepared. Uchechi: I think they are good. Nice and very international.

What do you think of Sarah as Sec Gen?

Arthur: She’s lovely as a co-worker and she definitely doesn’t make the workload dull, especially with her sassy humor. It’s been an awesome experience working with her and the rest of the secretariat. Markus: She’s very good at organ-izing and coordinating work with student officers. Sarah’s a very nice person and a very competent Secre-

tary General.Naomi: Sarah is great and we have gotten really close, she’s adopted me as a sister; she is such a kind and friendly person that just has a heart of gold.Uchechi: She’s really nice, a lot of fun.

What do you think of Michael as PGA?

Arthur: He’s a really competent PGA whose people skills really help make the Student Officer brief-ing and debriefs super fun. Plus, I think his love for the environment, especially how much he cares about paper, is quite admirable. Markus: He’s a very good PGA and his performance at the opening ceremony was admirable. Naomi: He’s very good in his posi-tion, I think he did a very good job with the opening ceremony, he is really good. Uchechi: Has a nice voice for the job.

What are your pet peeves?

Arthur: I do not like it when people eat with their mouths open.Markus: Don’t like overly arrogant and pretentious people, mushrooms, and scorpions (but I’m fine with snakes and spiders). Naomi: People that are mean to the Admin.Uchechi: I do not like food that is luke-warm when it’s meant to be hot.

Deputy Secretary Generals CHLOE HINDES

Arthur Shin CHLOE HINDESMarkus JungnickelCHLOE HINDES

PAGE 4

On Thursday both subcommissions of the Disarmament Com-mittee had a lively and active day of debate discussing resolu-tions concerning each issue. President, Peak Sen Chua from Mont Kiara International School in Kuala Lumpur and the Deputy President Arief Johan from the UWC South East Asia in Singapore gave us an insight to their exciting day. On Thurs-daythey were discussing the issues of cyber-warfare, biologi-cal weapons, militarization of the Arctic, and promoting peace building and peacekeeping in North-East Asia. They had a tre-mendously busy day discussing all four issues. Peak Sen said, “debate started off being disruptive but as more and more del-egates submitted constructive amendments it soon picked up. The most heated debate, according to Arief, was due to policies between different nations. Furthermore, the President believes that the delegates are doing a fantastic job and that the best part of the conference when the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came and talked. Peak Sen he’s really happy about his position and stated that he loved work-ing with six other chairs, and that the committee had really evolved over the last few days. Similarly, Arief is honoured to be here and to be part of the sub-commission and feels that the delegates are representing themselves appropriately; “de-bate is fruitful and productive.” Moreover, some funny mo-ments that the two chairs experienced were when a delegate referred to debate as ‘vegetableful’ debate instead of fruitful, and Arief believes that Peak Sen takes advantage of the other chairs whilst Peak Sen thinks that Arief needs to use moistur-izer. Lastly, Arief wanted to let all THIMUN delegates to know that “MUN has changed my life and I absolutely love it!”

Though they discuss urgent world affairs in Syria, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Sudan, the Security Council is very re-laxed. The council finished the preambulatory clauses early Thursday morning, yet had to wait for the main resolution to get in. However, there was no appearance of stress caused by the delay. During the break, delegates from all nations were laughing and talking together. According to Josh Merchat, del-egate of France, this mood however quickly changes during debate, with “clear differences between country representa-tives and friendships”. When the Council is in session the de-bates are “productive, relevant and realistic,” as the Deputy President Sophie Auton explained. She added that the aim of the Security Council is to be as productive as possible, which has been working out well. The Security Council has already passed two resolutions concerning Mali and the Western Sahel Region as well as the question of Sudan/South Sudan.

Johanna Dekker and Dimitri Hamelynck of the Internation-al School of Curaçao, delegates of Morocco, explained that this productivity is due to the great group work in the com-mittee. Yet in debate you can still see “clear rivalry” and the occasional use of the veto by the permanent five members. As Sadi Can Sӧnmez, representing Turkey, puts it, there is a “thin line between mutual compromise and political rage” in the committee. The feelings about the Syria resolution discussed on Thursday were mixed. The delegation of Morocco believed that the resolution would not pass due to the veto expressed by Russia and China. Yet there was support when the delegate of France declared he would like to see more humanitarian aid in Syria for civilians. The first clause of the resolution directly addressed this problem. Again, the atmosphere was friendly even with rigorous debate about the need for armed vehicles for peacekeeping.

An engaging insight into subcommission two

Tara Lechner International School of the Hague

DISARMAMENT COMMITTEEThe fine line between rivalry and friendship

Hannah HölscherInternational School Düsseldorf

SECURITY COUNCILBogged down by the details

Jordan LeonardJohn Burroughs School

ECOSOC

of several schools’ attendance, the directors are confident that there were will be at least a few experi-enced chairs present at THIMUN Montevideo.

Starting next month, prepara-tions will start and board members are looking forward to introducing THIMUN to Latin America. They are ready to face the challenge and work hard to make it possible for students to enjoy an incredible con-

ference.With this exciting beginning

visible on the horizon, some may wonder what other expansions may be in the future for THIMUN. “Are we planning any new conferences? Yes and no....not for many years. We

considered THIMUN India or Oce-ania, and of course we’d like one in Africa, but we have to consider sta-bility and accessibility, so it doesn’t seem likely for many years yet. We will concentrate on affiliated confer-ences for a while, now.”

CHLOE HINDESTHIMUN Board of Directors and conference management from left to right: Irene Crepin, Alain Meidinger, Fokke de Jong, Fran Laughlin, Neil Milne, Peter Loy, Tanya Kaizer

Continued from page 1

Continuation: Latin AmericaThey are ready to face

the challenge and work hard to make it possible for students to enjoy an increidble conference.

According to the United Nations in 2005, there were approxi-mately 100 million homeless individuals worldwide, a figure which has probably increased since. The Economic and So-cial Council is addressing the question of affordable financial services as a tool for human growth and economic develop-ment. The resolution submitted and subsequently debated, emphasized the lofty goal of eradicating poverty and hunger, also known as the Millennium Development Goal which has been set in place by the United Nations.

A delegate representing Pakistan argued against the origi-nal resolution, particularly clause nine. The resolution’s clause nine was a suggestion for those in poverty to lift themselves out of the endless cycle by not only forbidding them access to loan sharks but also seizing the loan sharks finances. During the debate, an amendment was proposed by a Haiti delegate, which included the proposition to create a “short term loan system to aid potential victims to loan sharks, facilitated by the IFC, UNDP, and member nation governments…” This amend-ment was subsequently refused by the other delegates. The ex-pert chair on the resolution question, Vyette Tiya, believed that “this resolution was actually thorough, and well put together and with amendments it could have definitely been improved luckily it passed. However, the delegates are focusing on small pieces of information, there was a mixup of terminology such as loan sharks. The term was used much too expressively by the delegates.” Finally, the resolution that was submitted by a delegate from Turkmenistan, was passed with forty-seven votes for, eleven against, and seven abstentions.

The coordinator of ECOSOC, Jack Wyss-Lockner was im-pressed by the cooperation and the level of constructive debate occurring in the committee. Mr. Wyss-Lockner reported that he has yet to hear a single objection to a motion.

PAGE 5

On the 4th day of THI-MUN, both subcommis-sions of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) have continued their heated de-bates. HRC 1 is currently debating a resolution on the issue ‘’Economic growth, urbanization and the rights of children’’, which was submitted yes-terday. The issues that this sub-committee is tackling include: the situation of Human Rights in the Syr-ian Arab Republic and promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful pro-test. The Chair of HRC 1, Meem Mamoun Einefeidi

from Khartoum Interna-tional Community School, stated, ‘’The delegates in this committee are paying a lot of attention compared to the other conferences that I have been to.’’ When asked how HRC differs from other committees at THIMUN she respond-ed, ‘’HRC is the basis of everything as it discusses basic human rights. With-out human rights you can-not address other issues around the world.” The Chair also mentioned that when she saw the issue “Promotion and protection of human rights in the con-text of peaceful protest’’, she was very intrigued as, “just a few months ago, we had peaceful protests in Sudan and since I am from Sudan, I could re-late to this personally.’’ Malou den Dekker, Chair of HRC 2, stated, ‘’Delegates remained very respectful, were willing to cooperate and stayed on task through-

out the whole week.’’ The issues that HRC 2 is address-ing this week include the im-plementation of human rights in Mali and protecting the rights of migrants at border crossings. The resolution that

they are debating today con-cerns the issue of the right of the child to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, submitted by Ethiopia. Ma-lou also said, ‘’HRC answers the question how we can im-prove human rights and eve-ry clause refers to a specific way of tackling the issue.’’ Overall the delegates in the HRC committee have worked very hard to make their de-bate as thrilling as possible.

Isabel BaerZurich International School

“I’m disturbed by the fact that you’re now calling it a past week!” exclaimed the President of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), Deniz Tanyolac. Time has passed quickly for the NSS; the panelists have worked hard on tackling the topics, as was evident by the smell of sweat and enthusiasm when entering South America (the room). The NSS at THIMUN is a simulation of the actual NSS, which will be be held in The Hague this March. Procedures at the simula-tion should be as close to the actual ones as possible, which proved to be the big-gest challenge for the Presi-dent and the Deputies. This

is the first year the Summit has been held at THIMUN, thus is new territory for both the panelists and presidents. “There’s no precedent to fall onto,” explains President Tanyolac, which makes the procedures a balancing act between known MUN pro-cedures and the real Sum-mit. The presidents often felt conflicted over decid-ing to stop debate in or-der to follow procedure. “We’re trying to make it as close to reality as pos-sible, at the same time we have to bear in mind that it’s an educational event,” says President Tanyolac. One part of the procedure that was initially rejected but then applauded by Dep-uty President Richard Ouma as “a wonderful concept,” was consensus. This encour-ages the panelists to speak up on certain issues. “If they don’t talk and [then] vote against [the clause], then they throw into the trash what everyone has been do-ing,” explained President

Tanyolac. The presidents were delighted to see the panelists actively participate in debate and eager to make improvements to the claus-es where possible, raising awareness of certain issues. Deputy President, Eveline Duyster, accounts for the panelists’ thorough work by stating, “We’re trying to look at it from every angle.” “It’s basically been our kid, having raised it from the ground up,” remarked President Tanyolac on the progress that the NSS has made. It has been “a joint venture” that brought a lot of joy to the presidents, who are content with the progress that the group has made over the past week. Communicative, con-tentious and lively are only some of the ways the Presi-dent and Deputies describe this THIMUN’s Nuclear Security Summit. It will be interesting to see how THI-MUN’s NSS compares to the real summit in March.

Delegates in the Human Rights Commission de-bate actively and enthu-siastically

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

For many, “Where are you from?” has become a dreaded question, often answered with “It’s a long story…” or “It’s a bit difficult.” With increasing globalization and working overseas, this question be-comes harder and harder for some to answer. ‘Having lived in many countries’ has already attained it’s own term: Third Culture Kids, or TCK. David C. Pollock, author of “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds,” sees a TCK as a “person who has spent a sig-nificant part of his or her develop-mental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relation-ships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any.” Many aren’t aware of the term TKC, even if they have lived in sev-eral countries. Chloe Stally-Gibson of the American School of The

Hague was born in England but has lived in Sweden, USA, and now The Hague. When asked if globalization

will cause people to recognize more than one town or country as their home, she confidently answered that she agrees with this, “because it is hard to choose between where you live and where you were born.” Even people who haven’t lived abroad are aware of the topic. Izzet Kebudi of the Hisar School thinks ‘it’s pos-sible’ to have more than one home country. According to Kebudi, it all depends if the family wants to go abroad and if they can finance such a plan. Izzet thinks “narrowminded families won’t allow the children to move abroad, because they want to keep their culture in their family.” Not everyone who has lived in many countries identifies themselves as a TCK, while others believe “it’s the only identity [they] can hold on to.” Natalie Nogueira of the Internation-al School of Düsseldorf for example feels like her home is “everywhere and nowhere,” because she has pass-ports from Argentina, Brazil, United Sates, Poland and Italy, speaks five languages, yet lives in Germany. The newly formed culture of not re-ally belonging to a particular culture is growing rapidly. Moving around internationally can have its nega-tive sides: losing friends, switching schools and oftentimes the yearning to call one place “home”. On the other hand, the entire world has be-come accessible. TCK’s have the op-portunity to understand several cul-tures and become the most globally orientated citizens in today’s world. With this knowledge, it is possible to establish more cultural bridges and bring our world’s community closer together. Yet the question remains: “Where is your home?”

Home is where your heart is...?When the question of ‘where home is’ becomes too com-plicated...

Hannah HölscherInternational School of Dusseldorf

“For many, ‘Where are you from?’has become a dreaded question, of-ten answered with ‘It’s a long story...’or ït’s a bit difficult...’’

Africa is not one of today’s super-powers and hunger and poverty are important issues that need at-tention. Yet, our development ini-tiatives should be built on knowl-edge, not on ugly stereotypes.Most of us would recognize one of the typical, depressing advertise-ments or documentaries about the starving children in Ethiopia or about the women who have to walk miles to find water in some deserted part of Africa. This side of Africa is real. There is growing poverty, stratification, hunger, and crime in this large continent, but our ways of understanding such issues should not be rooted in ugly stereotypes the media and other public figures have perpetrated. There are some things about Africa that we, as peo-ple that are part of an educated soci-ety, tend to blow out of proportion. For example, not all African people are deprived of Western goods and relief. Many people think that Africa is stripped of all resources, where its

undernourished children are unable to enjoy everything a ‘normal kid’ would. The mistake here is that a Western normal kid is not the same as an African normal kid. Every cul-ture has different types of products that they hold particularly close to their tastes. For example, Coca-Cola, Mars bars, deep-dish pizza from Pizza Hut may all seem like American or Western classics to us, but this doesn’t in any way dictate that these tastes will apply to every culture. It may seem that places like Ethiopia or Sudan are full of peo-ple impoverished of such delicious food, and we are the privileged ones, but this is a complete mis-conception in many instances. Yes, burgers are delicious, but several cultures don’t actually like burgers or pizzas or other Western foods. In fact, their own cultures are so rich

with meats and spices and breads or grains that they wouldn’t even want to acquire those taste buds anyway. There are so many other stereotypes about Africa we often find ourselves making: Africa doesn’thave a history, it is uncivilized, it is a culturally monolithic expanse of land, and that Africans experience endemic violence. To a certain ex-tent, our stereotypes are based on existing problems in Africa. There is hunger, poverty, and crime, but there is so much about Africa we often forget to acknowledge or we often misinterpret. Nelson Mandela was not the only good person in Af-rica, South Africans can be white, and Africans are not all great run-ners. What’s important is that when we try to approach the real problems in Africa, we are not obscured by the media and stereotypic perspectives.

How not to save Africa

Are stereotypes about Africa’s condition blinding our judgment?

Natasha LodhiAmerican School of Paris

NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMITA joint venture to the summit: a reflection on the past week of the Nuclear Security Sum-mit

Maja MelchingerJohn F. Kennedy School

FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

“‘Delegates re-mained very re-spectful, were will-ing to cooperate, and stayed on task throughout the whole week.’”-Malou den Dekker

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T H E F A C E S O F

PAGE 7

O U R F U T U R E

Do you know Ben and Sam?

AUSTIN GRIFFIN, CHLOE HINDES, FFION LAVERY, MEREDITH MANNIX, ANDREW NEWMAN

PAGE 8

O-MUN demo debate

“I’m interested in being able to do MUN on a more regular basis be-cause I’ve only been to three con-ferences but have been doing MUN for two years,” said Maddy Werner, representing Colombia from THI-CAD 2. “Thus, to be able to debate online would certainly be interest-ing.” It is no secret that O-MUN has garnered many inquiries throughout the THIMUN conference this year. In response to such widespread en-thusiasm, the O-MUN team has

decided to bring the O-MUN ex-perience to all interested delegates through a series of demo-debates in the Antarctica room. Various delegates gathered, sitting in front of computers logged into the O-MUN’s Blackboard collaborative system. Delegates will each rep-resent the delegation presented on their screens and debate online, as they would in a real-life MUN con-ference, with people all around the world. In this instance, participants in the demo-debate event will be observing, and if they wish engag-ing in, a debate with delegates from countries such as Australia, United States, and the Philippines moder-ated by chairs in Taiwan and China. As it turns out, the O-MUN pro-gram is quite easy to master. The

program operates the same way any MUN conference would, just on-line. The main submitter will upload his/her resolution onto the site and the chairs will proceed with roll call. When delegates wish to speak, they will click on the “talk button “and speak into their microphones. If they wish to pass notes, they could simply do so by using the chat box. “We’re very glad of the turnout of delegates this year. We are very excited about adding new delegates from this region to the O-MUN team,” said O-MUN’s assistant di-rector, Nick Yeh. “This program is very appealing to those who don’t usually have opportunities to debate. And it is our job to provide such op-portunities to those delegates.”

Alyssa HsuPacific America School

The virtual Model United Nations experience right here at THIMUN

CHLOE HINDESDelegates participate in an O-MUN online debate

Oil has become the most important fossil fuel in this constantly evolv-ing world. Food, clothes, transpor-tation, manufacturing rely heavily on oil and oil-derived products; this increasing demand is resulting in a drive for new oil and and gas dis-coveries. To date, countries around the world are clawing at any poten-tial for newly discovered resources, and although the Arctic is now the primary focus, Africa as a whole has also been a monumental contributor to the world oil reserves.

The large oil companies that infiltrate the frequently shaky Afri-can economies pose a threat to the health of local communities and the livelihoods upon which they de-pend. Although oil companies are often synonymous with negativity, foreign oil companies must invest in the developing countries in order to have any economic success. Johan-na Diederichs, a delegate represent-ing Pakistan, expressed her opinion on the necessity of oil discovery: “I think that in order to have Africa become more developed in general, we have to get Africa more con-nected into the Global economy and more independent as well, because it is obvious that Africa has plenty of untapped sources that could lead to many economic gains.” Even though Johanna statement is valid, she fails to acknowledge the im-morality that accompanies oil com-panies, such as Royal Dutch Shell Oil which has exploited Nigeria’s economy and forced them to face a billion dollar expenditure and a 3 decade clean up process.

Although a multitude of coun-tries are rich in oil reserves, these countries are often home to some of the world’s poorest individuals. Common occurrences include both corrupt politicians, and stolen gas and oil incomes which traps civil-ians in an endless cycle of poverty.

Uganda is currently transitioning into an oil producing nation, but at the same time, Uganda faces a rap-idly increasing inequality gap. As the poor are plunged further and further into the depths of debt and squalor, the established hierarchi-cal system in Uganda will bathe in the current and future profits. In 2012, Angelo Izama wrote in her novel Uganda: Oil, Corruption, and Entitlement that “In Uganda, there is not one single public works pro-ject that has ever been finished on time or within a budget. This is because a large part of the money paying for the country’s cashmere exhibitionists and hedonists is ‘bor-rowed’ from the taxpayer… This illegal market is one cornered by politicians and civil servants.” Be-cause of this corruption and in this billion dollar industry, Uganda’s oil production endeavors will not only continue at a snail’s pace but also consume the finances for necessary infrastructures such as healthcare, education, and transportation. In addition to Uganda, Ghana is also of particular interest to both oil producers and oil consumers. The International Finance corpora-tion (IFC, also a world bank group) has invested its resources in order to develop Ghana’s offshore oil, sub-sequently leading to a diversified economy. Currently the IFC has invested a total of $215 million in Ghana’s oil project, which accord-ing to Somit Varma (IFC’s Global Head for Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals) will “provide a new and vital revenue source in a country that has one of the best governance track records in Sub-Saharan Af-rica”. The support that Ghana has received from IFC will prevent the infliction of inequality and political corruption that has plagued Uganda for years.

Those either involved in or af-fected by the oil production process (including local and global govern-ments, oil companies and society), must positively engage one another so that they can develop the most beneficial methods of achieving a functioning economy.

Oil and its effects on Africa

Jordan LeonardJohn Burroughs School

A new drive for oil encour-ages Africa to contribute to world reserves

On December 17, 2010, a poor street Tunisian street vendor, Mohammad Bouazizi, was selling his fruits and vegetables to make what money he could for his poverty-stricken fam-ily. Just like every other day of his life, he was being bullied and abused by the corrupt local police. On this day, however, unlike on all the other days, he chose to stand up for his fundamental human rights. When a female police officer attempted to confiscate Mohammad’s sales, he resisted until she pinned him to the ground with the help of other offic-

ers and had him beaten.After being publicly humili-

ated, Bouazizi sought recourse and went straight to a local municipality building to demand a meeting with an official. With no official willing to listen to his grievances, and seem-ingly no hope, Bouazizi purchased paint fuel, returned to the street out-side of the municipality building, and set himself on fire.

On this same day, Mohammad Bouazizi sacrificed himself in re-sponse to the actions of a corrupt Tunisian Government, the day that the Arab Spring was ignited. And look what has come of it. In Tunisia, the country of Moham-mad’s residence, ex-president Ben Ali fled into exile to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23-year reign. On Octo-ber 27, 2011, the Tunisian people voted to elect their leaders for the very first time in their history. The holding of free elections in Tunisia is a monumental step for the region as a whole. Andreas Gross, a Swiss

parliamentarian and the head of the observer delegation for the Council of Europe, stated, “I have observed 59 elections in the last 15 years, many of them in old democracies, and never have I seen a country able to realize such an election in a fair, free and dignified way.”

This Sunday, January 26, the Tunisian government passed a new democratic constitution, laying the foundation for democracy in their country. Further elections will be held in the coming year as well. The fruit born of the Arab Spring can be directly attributed to the actions of Mohammad Bouazizi.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.” We must create the world we wish to see around us, and Mohammad Bouazizi is evidence that we can. In a conference filled with future world leaders and diplomats, the question is not whether or not we will make a difference, but when.

Fruit borne of fireA street vendor’s stance: the ignition of a revolution. Mo-hammad Bouazizi proves the cliché that one man can make a difference

Mehraan KevalAmerican Community School - Amman

creative commons

PAGE 9

By making wealth inequality a focus in his State of the Un-ion address this Tuesday, the President of the United States Barack Obama called citizens’ attention to the unequal distri-bution of wealth in the western world today. In his speech, he looked at the improvements made with employment and graduation rates, but stressed that there is still a long way to go. This problem is put into a global perspective by Oxfam’s report on wealth inequality, which states that “The bottom half of the world’s population owns the same as the richest 85 people in the world.”

Most are aware of high wealth inequality in develop-ing countries, as confirmed by the latest report of the United Nations Development Pro-gram (UNDP). The report states that income inequality in developing countries in-creased by 11% between 1990 and 2010. This effect is even observed in countries with fast economic growth, such as India and China, where distri-bution of the newfound wealth

has been unevenly distributed, leading to greater inequality. Currently, China’s top 10% of the population owns 31.97% of the wealth, and some devel-

oping countries are even less equal, such as Namibia where the top 10% owns 54.75% of the nation’s wealth.

It is expected that develop-ing countries will experience some wealth inequality; how-ever, it is increasingly clear that even developed countries are seeing widening income gaps. After the “gilded age” of the late 19th century, which was characterized by obscene-ly wealthy individuals such as Andrew Carnegie and John

D. Rockefeller living along-side an impoverished work-ing class, many people believe that wealth distribution has evened out. Unfortunately

that has not been the case. Ac-cording to Think Progress, the top 1% of the population of the United States owns 42% of the nation’s wealth and 50% of all stocks and bonds. Income disparity is currently at its highest point since the 1920s. This “top 1%”has also been the target of repeated campaigns by those seeking a more equal distribution of wealth, espe-cially during the Great Reces-sion of the late 2000s which often harmed the poor more

than the wealthy. As pointed out by Presi-

dent Obama in his State of the Union address, this increas-ing wealth inequality is par-

tially caused by technological advances and the process of globalization in a deregulated world. The ability of compa-nies to hire workforces from all over the world puts in-dividuals seeking work in a weaker bargaining position, as there is more competition for jobs. This entails lower wages, as companies seek to maximize profit by paying employees less. Technological progress allows for more au-tomation and replacement of

workers by machines, leading to a smaller number of mid-dle-class jobs.

Besides mentioning the main causes of growing in-equality, President Obama proposed some solutions for distributing income more equally and made it his goal to prove that the American dream of equal opportunity still exists. He plans to en-courage incentive programs to further decrease unemploy-ment rates and bring more jobs to America. The United States is just one example of a developed nation that is strug-gling with wealth inequality, but the problems, causes, and solutions are very similar all around the world. The focus on an increase in employment rates is repeated in the UNDP report, with Chief Helen Clark stating, “The key thing is to fo-cus on jobs – jobs, jobs, jobs.”

The issue of wealth ine-quality is not merely a nation-al, but a global issue, having a potentially significant impact on political and economic sta-bility. It is therefore essential to focus not merely on fast-paced growth of the national economy, but on the econom-ic well-being of all individuals.

A new gilded age

Leo von KleistJohn F. Kennedy SchoolKate MonsonZurich International School

UN report warns of growing wealth inequality.

Turning over a new leaf

On December 10, 2013, Uru-guay became the first country to fully legalize marijuana for all purposes. However, the UN, taking a more conserva-tive stance, is trying to nip the movement towards legaliza-tion in the bud.

The International Narcot-ics Control Board, an inde-pendent institution dedicated to the implementation of UN drug laws, condemned the move, bluntly stating that the government of Uruguay “knowingly decided to break the universally agreed and in-ternationally endorsed legal provisions” as set forth by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Also in re-sponse to the legalization in

Uruguay, Yuri Fedotov, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), appealed to the international community to work closely together and to “jointly agree on the way forward for dealing with this global challenge”. The offi-cial stance of the UN towards the drug, which is derived from the cannabis plant, holds that it is addictive and negatively impacts the health of those who use it.

H o w -e v e r , p u b l i c a p p r o v a l of the drug has never been higher: In a CNN poll, 87 percent of Ameri-cans think that marijuana is

no more dangerous than alco-hol. Barack Obama, President of the United States, echoes that view, s t a t i n g that

“[he doesn’t] think it is more dangerous than alco-hol”. However, while more and more people are begin-ning to question the current classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, it remains a divisive issue. As states started to slowly edge towards legali-

zation, intense debates lit up in Congress about the role of the federal government in regulating drug use.

T h i s fierce a r -g u -

m e n t over the legal

status of cannabis is taking place in countries around the world.

Even in Germany, a coun-

try that is, by all accounts, going green, liberalization of drug laws is taking place at a slow pace. Plans to set up a coffee shop in Berlin went up in smoke when the Senate struck down the plans in or-der to protect the health of the citizens of Berlin. This reflects a trend that transcends na-tional boundaries: Those with liberal political views (such as the government of the neigh-borhood in Berlin where the coffee shop was to be built) are overwhelmingly in favor of le-galization of marijuana, while conservatives often try to keep a lid on it.

Whichever side is right, one of the main goals of law-makers in the coming years will be to balance the will of the people with the protection of their health when consid-ering modifications of drug laws.

As proposals to legalize marijuana abound, the UN retains its firm stanceLeo von KleistJohn F. Kennedy School

ILLUSTRATION JORDAN LEONARD

Wealth inequality in America, youtube user: politizane

PAGE 10

(cont. from page 1) much antici-pated aspect going on in the cer-emony would be the verdicts from the International Court of Justice on the issues of Bolivia vs Chile and Costa Rica vs Nicaragua. “The ceremonies are always boring, so we’re not very excited,” is one re-sponse from some delegates when asked about the anticipation for this year’s closing ceremony. It seems difficult to excite the MUN participants for any kind of ceremony. However, with the line up for today’s hour long ceremony, we hope that it would be an end-ing to be remembered an reminisced about for a long time. This cer-emony marks the official end of the this year’s THIMUN con-ference. The Ethiopian ambassador, Shaker Al Khaldi commented on

how hard it would be to leave say-ing “It is very sad that THIMUN is ending because we’ve all met so many new people and this is prob-ably the last time we would get to see most of them, but other than that

it was so much fun to be here and to debate many issues.” However, to him and probably to all people here in THI-

MUN, this was an experience

like no other, “At first it was very frightening to picture myself speak-ing in front of a very large aud ience , especially since I had to do an opening

speech, and b e - cause I want-

ed to contrib-ute a lot the resolution. However, after the first time I spoke,

it became easier and I

became more confident, and what

really helped is that I made new friends within my forum which defi-nitely eased me into my newfound con-fidence,” said the

Ethiopian ambassador.

Time to go home (sob!)

CHLOE HINDES

In our January 30th, 2014 issue, the article entitled “Human Rights Committee” (page 4) stated that no resolutions had been passed in said committee. This was correct when the paper went to print, however, in fact, two resolutions were passed later that afternoon.

CORRECTION

Over 900 students attended MUNISH this year in the International School of the Hague MADA CRETU

PAGE 11

OTHER THIMUN CONFERENCES AROUND THE WORLDThe THIMUN Foundation holds conferences in The Hague, Singa-pore, Qatar, and now, the Founda-tion is planning on opening the first THIMUN Latin America Con-ference in Uruguay this year. The THIMUN mission is “to promote and foster collaborative solution-oriented discussion to important issues by instilling life-long pas-sion for improving our global community into today’s youth, who will be tomorrow’s leaders”.

Each year in Singapore, the THI-MUN conference takes places in the second half of November. It has been a sister conference to THIMUN - The Hague since 2004. It attracts approximately 1,500 participants. The conference is located in the

prestigious Hwa Chong Institution. Singapore is famous for its art and modern architecture, its food, and its cultural life. Historically it is a key trading nation and meeting point for seafarers, alongside its outstanding tourist facilities and communica-tions which make it an ideal loca-tion for THIMUN in the Far East.

The THIMUN Qatar confer-ence was created by the THIMUN Foundation in collaboration with the Qatar academy in 2011. In to-tal, 1200 participants from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East come to this conference. The conference venue is the new Qa-tar National Convention Centre: a world class facility that provides delegates with modern technology, a 2400 seat auditorium for open-ing and closing ceremonies, and the latest in AV equipment. Addition-ally, it hosts three main events: the MUN conference, an international film festival, and a leadership con-ference. Each year, the MUN con-ference takes place in January and encourages students from all over the world, sharing the same pas-sion, to come together and debate.

OTHER MUN CONFERENCES IN THE HAGUMUNISH is held at the Interna-tional School of the Hague and was established in 1990. Last year over 900 students came from Europe, Africa, and Central America. The venue for MUNISH is The Interna-tional School of the Hague (ISH) located in the spacious environment of Kijkduin, The Hague. MUNISH is “a conference run by youth, for the youth of today to participate in, and for the youth of tomorrow to benefit from”. It is a student-run conference and the Board of Directors consists of year thirteen students from the International School of the Hague.

MINIMUN is a one-day THI-MUN-sponsored conference in The Hague. It was created in order for delegates to gain experience and prepare themselves for larger con-ferences, but it also gives begin-ning chairs a chance to practice. It is located in Voorburg – a suburban area of The Hague. MINIMUN was established in 1986 as a more local conference but now it also attracts schools from divergent nations.

The mun doesn’t have to endTara LechnerInternational School of the HagueNele WenckInternational School of the Hague

The dance begins at eight o’clock, tonight, and runs until midnight in the Atlantic, in the cafeteria of the World Forum. Remember, there won’t be any admission after9:30. This afternoon your MUN Director should give you a ticket, so ensure that you bring this ticket and your THIMUN badge with you in order to gain entrance. There will be two cloakrooms available. Ensure you bring one euro for every piece of attire or baggage that you wish to check-in, but no big bags! If you wish to know more about the DJ at tonight’s dance, check the following website: http://www.ohiomusic.nl. Michael Carden, President of General Assembly, is excited about the dance and is definitely attending the event. He hopes that all people respect the Netherlands’ new law as well as the official THIMUN rules; smoking, alcohol and narcotics are strictly forbidden at the dance and your coat or bag could be searched. When asked about whether the change in the drinking age will af-fect the turnout of delegates at the party, Arief Johan, Deputy Presi-

dent of Disarmament Committee Two, stated “I think the number of people attending the dance differs each year, anyway. There might even be more people attending due to the change in law.” Tom Flynn, Editor in Chief of the THIMUN conference MUNITY newspaper flies back to London shortly follow-ing the Closing Ceremony and so he is extremely disappointed among other early leaving delegates, direc-tors and chairs to not be attending the THIMUN danceon Friday even-ing. “It’s a great shame,” he said, “because the THIMUN dance is a really fun evening, a time for us all to let loose and enjoy ourselves in a more informal setting.” Isabel Baer,

a reporter for the Press team at THI-MUN this year, said, “I’m very ex-cited about this dance as it gives me an opportunity to meet some friends I couldn’t see earlier in the week,” showing that participants are really looking forward to the dance. Gen-erally there has been a lot of posi-tive feedback regarding the upcom-ing event, with whole delegations and teams expressing their excite-ment. The THIMUN dance tonight is officially a must-go event!

Tara LechnerInternational School of the HagueNele WenckInternational School of the Hague

CHLOE HINDES

After the closing ceremonies this afternoon and the official THIMUN delegate dance tonight, new friends will say goodbye as they travel all around the globe back to their home countries. The first few days away will be spent on computers, looking at pictures from the con-ference, adding new friends on Facebook, and laughing about that hilarious note so-and-so sent on Thursday. Post THI-MUN Depression (PTD) will inevitably hit everyone as they go back to school and their “normal” lives. Thinking about that ‘delicious’ free food and those crowded trams will make everyday life seem empty and boring. After speeches finish, there will be no stress left, and no essay will seem nearly as important as that one clause you contributed in your commit-tee’s resolution.

Once this initial stage of sadness passes, however, life will gradually become normal again. The hotel breakfast buffet will be a distant memory, and the usual bowl of cereal will become routine once again. The conference will diminish in the chaos of daily life. Sure, pictures of the conference and the friends made there will continue to show up on Facebook and Insta-gram, but memories may blur and specific details will become difficult to remember.

As memories fade, so do friendships. There will be those few friends who have become your absolute-best-friends-in-the-whole-entire-world during the conference, and maybe you will still keep in touch if you discover some mutual friends and live near to each other. More likely than not, though, your friendship will eventually consist of scrolling through their Facebook profile every so often when a picture or status reminds you that they exist and an occasional conversation about how great the conference was and how much you miss it.

Although Facebook is great for keeping in touch and remembering the conference, there is little chance that more than a few memories and friendships will stand the test of time. So for the time we have left, feel free to enjoy the com-pany of your new best friends and exchange contact informa-tion, because even a small chance is a chance nonetheless.

Come twerk it at the THIMUN danceThe logistics: where, when and why

As the conference comes to an end, parting is such sweet sorrow

Keeping in touch after THIMUN

Kate MonsonZurich International School

MUNITY photographers

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Meet your press team

How well do you

know your world?

9 4 7 5 1

5 3 8

8 3 9

1 6

6 3 1 2 7

9 1

4 5 6

9 5 3

1 7 3 5 2

Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.62)

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Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.62)

986437521532169874714258396251876439693514287478923165345692718829741653167385942

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