Dear Delegates,

Welcome to NCSC XXXVI and the Historic United Nations Security Council, 1993! My name is Jasdeep Singh and I have the true honor of serving your chair. Having debated in five United Nations Security Councils over the past two years, I have truly learned the inner workings of the UNSC and what delegates look for in the ever famous Security Council. This year’s NCSC is one of realism and innovation, and that will serve as the mantra of this simulation.

First, let me introduce our incredible staff. I am a rising junior in the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), majoring in International Politics, with a concentration in Foreign Policy, as well as a Asian Studies Certificate. This past year I served as the Head Delegate of Georgetown’s nationally undefeated Model UN team and this coming year will serve as Chair of the Georgetown International Relations Club. Our Crisis Manager is Jeffrey Morshed, a rising sophomore in the SFS. Jeff will be serving as the Head Delegate of our MUN team this year, and has wide experience running Security Councils. Our director is Dipika Chawla, also a rising junior in the School of Foreign Service and a former UNSC Chair for the Georgetown high school conference, NAIMUN. And finally we have our Crisis Analyst Gilbert Glickstein, a rising sophomore in the SFS who is an experienced Model UN-er and avid fan of Manchester United.

As you can see, we have staff well-versed in the UNSC. One of my frustrations with other UNSCs is that the background guides are never relevant to the debate. In the spirit of innovation, we are going to structure our simulation around themes rather than the typical topic such as Iraq. A realistic UNSC simulation presents pressing international developments, and this guide will highlight the prevailing themes driving these events. Furthermore, many similar simulations devolve into crisis-solving simulations with no regard for the significance of the UNSC.

It is for this reason we simulate the UNSC in 1993, a year where its decisions regarding increasingly complex international developments would set precedents for years to come.

The first theme of this simulation will be the intersection of international terrorism and nuclear proliferation. It was in 1993 that the international community bore witness to the horrors of international terrorism from the United States all the way to India. Equipped with the current understanding of terrorism, delegates will address international terrorism in the context of 1993. Furthermore, in 1993 the possibility nuclear proliferation came into reality.

The second theme is humanitarian intervention in internal conflicts. In 1993, the UNSC faced 20 internal conflicts around the world. Recently, the 1992 UN Operation in Somalia (UNISOM) was poorly managed and assumed by the U.S. With this in mind, delegates will have to decide if the UN should authorize a similar mission elsewhere and establish a precedent for humanitarian intervention in internal conflicts, which many consider a blatant violation of state sovereignty.

Finally, the use of themes can seem rather vague, and we plan to present very coherent and specific crises for the delegates to address and debate. Therefore, we will address this two-fold. First, this guide will include a “World News Brief” section that will look at major developments around the globe in 1993, with special attention to some issues more than others. Secondly, we will be releasing Current New Articles in the coming weeks that will set the context of the crisis. These will allow the delegates to anticipate the coming crisis and decide their agenda in advance. They will be posted on the website under United Nations Security Council.

Ultimately we will be organizing one of the most exciting United Nation Security Councils you will ever experience in your collegiate Model UN experience. We have structured our simulation in this manner so that you come in with a web of knowledge and understanding of the prevailing themes in 1993 so that you are fully prepared for the pending crises. As busy as college students are, I ask that you conduct sufficient in the coming weeks of not only the events of 1993, but also the themes and the UNSC in the context of 1993. I wish you best of luck and look forward to welcoming you to the return of NCSC XXXVI to Georgetown campus.

Hoya Saxa,

Jasdeep Singh
Chair, United Nations Security Council, 1993
js572(at)georgetown.edu