I Knew You Were Trouble(s): Belfast City Council
The early 1970s saw some of the most tensions throughout the island of Ireland in the early years of a three-decade conflict known as The Troubles. In the decade prior, Northern Ireland had become a flashpoint for concerns about the UK-controlled region’s mixed Catholic and Protestant communities. This dynamic was far from harmonious, as the Catholic minority often suffered discrimination along social, housing, occupational, and educational lines, alongside constant pro-Unionist gerrymandering and electoral injustices. Starting in 1966, Northern Irish Catholics began rallying and petitioning for reforms and protections to address these concerns, which became stymied with sectarian tensions. Belfast ultimately became a warzone in the late 1960s, culminating in riots and the infamous firebombing of the mostly Catholic Bombay Street neighborhood on August 15, 1969. Over the next several years, urban warfare and terrorism from both Protestant Loyalist and Catholic Nationalist circles brought about widespread violence and destruction throughout the city.
The 1973 Belfast Local Elections saw a heavily mixed city council take charge for the first time following the total reorganization of Northern Ireland’s local government in 1971-72. Members from various parties—ranging from Ulster unionists to Irish republican socialists—convened to manage the affairs of the city at the height of its violence. While frequent terrorist attacks and urban violence left an air of fear throughout the city, citizens also suffered from worsening economic conditions, brought about by a serious decline in the industrial sector much like the “rust belt” economic crisis in the United States. Many in Belfast were unable to find work, requiring them to seek jobs and better pay in England to be sent back to their families. This committee, set in the wake of the 1973 elections, places delegates in the midst of a comprehensive urban crisis, requiring innovative solutions from all sides of the conflict.
Chair:
Ben Aurbach
Benjamin Aurbach (though most call him Ben) is a member of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service class of 2026. He is majoring in International Politics with a concentration in Foreign Policy and Policy Processes, minoring in Chinese, and potentially pursuing a minor in Theology or Jewish Civilization. He was born and raised in Washington, DC (actually in the district). Benjamin began doing Model UN in High School and has continued it in college, staffing at NCSC LI, NAIMUN LXI, and now NCSC LII. Outside of MUN, Ben is the President of the Georgetown University Ultimate Frisbee Team and a grill-master in the Georgetown University Grilling Society. In his free time, you can find Benjamin walking through Glover Archibald Park, locked in his dorm room practicing bass, or watching sitcoms with friends. Benjamin is honored to chair for Troubles Ahead: Belfast City Council at NCSC LII and can’t wait to see everyone in DC in November!
Crisis Manager:
Will Doran
Will Doran is a member of the School of Foreign Service Class of 2026, majoring in International Politics with a (begrudging) minor in Economics and a concentration in Foreign Policy and Policy Processes. Hailing from the unwalkable town of Danbury, Connecticut, somewhere just beyond the orbit of New York City, Will is also an Irish citizen, making this committee something of a passion project for him. In the world of Model UN, Will serves as a Conferences Staffer on Georgetown’s travel team and previously staffed NCSC LI as the Crisis Manager for the Northern Forum, while also chairing the 1MDB Scandal at NAIMUN LXI, Georgetown’s conference for high school students. When not raising his placard or staging dramatic crisis updates, Will serves as a TA for Georgetown’s (in)famous Map of the Modern World class and writes for the Middle East and Central Asia section of The Caravel, Georgetown’s student-run international affairs newspaper. On the rare occasion that he actually has free time, Will can probably be found listening to dad rock, attempting to learn new languages (right now, Turkish and Greek), or exploring DC on foot. Will is very excited to be serving as the Crisis Manager for the 1973 Belfast City Council and cannot wait for NCSC LII this October!
USG: Caroline Dupas
This committee is in the Councils & Boards Organ, and your Under-Secretary General is Caroline Dupas. Committees in this organ are Non-traditional crises with 25-30 delegates.
If you have any questions about your committee, please reach out to c.dupas@modelun.org.