Gavels and Guerillas: The Cabinet of Belisario Betancur, 1985
It’s November 1st of 1985 in Bogota, Colombia, and life is good. Or at least, it’s certainly getting better. President Belisario Betancur has initiated peace processes with guerrilla groups, promoted low-cost housing and open universities, and passed democratic reforms in a presidential career that is altogether uneventful so far.
That is, until November 6th, 1985, when disaster strikes. The M-19 guerrilla group has taken over the Colombian Supreme Court, leading to the deadly Palace of Justice Siege that will historically last two days. The guerrillas took hundreds of people hostage, including judges, lawyers, and visitors, demanding the establishment of a public trial for President Betancur, accusing him of failing to uphold peace agreements. The siege escalated quickly as the Colombian military responded with a full assault to retake the building. By the end of the two-day conflict, about half of the 25 Supreme Court Justices were killed, and more than 100 people, including guerrillas, civilians and workers at the Palace of Justice, died.
In Gavels and Guerillas, delegates are tasked with working through the two-day conflict and its aftermath with a chance to rewrite history for the better. Can you prevent the intense fighting, severe fire damage, and death toll that historically characterize this gruesome guerilla conflict? Or is peace between the government and the guerilla groups out of reach?
Chair:
Victoria Che
Victoria Che is a member of the Walsh School of Foreign Service Class of 2025, pursuing a major in International Politics with minors in History and French. She is originally from Dalian, China but has been studying in the US for the past nine years. Victoria spent the spring semester of 2024 studying abroad in Strasbourg, France, where she has enjoyed French pastries, traveling in Europe, and on-time public transit. Victoria served as the Director of Marketing and Media for NCSC 50 and she was the Under Secretary General of Contemporary Crisis at NAIMUN 60, Georgetown's high school conference. Victoria currently serves on the GIRA Board of Directors as the Global Initiatives Strategist, where she oversees new program development of GIRA globally. In her free time, Victoria loves to take naps (with the room humidifier turned to max), watch period dramas and binge-drink lattes with wayyy too much syrup. Victoria is thrilled to chair The Cabinet of President Belisario Betancur, 1985!
Crisis Manager:
Sergio Rodriguez Cifuentes
Sergio Rodríguez Cifuentes is a member of the Class of 2025 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, majoring in International Economics with minors in Statistics and International Business Diplomacy. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia (notice a pattern here with the committee’s topic?), Sergio now calls Singapore home. Sergio discovered MUN in middle school, where he first competed at his school’s Model UN conference, and since then, he has been involved in the MUN community. This will be Sergio’s third and last NCSC :/. Outside of MUN, Sergio works in the Georgetown Writing Center as a tutor, conducts research in the Economics Department, and is a TA for “Maps of the Modern World.” In his free time, he enjoys listening to classical music, watching movies, going on hikes and runs, cooking with his friends, and learning new words in several languages. Sergio is extremely excited to serve as Crisis Manager for the Cabinet of President Belisario Betancur, 1985!
USG: Anna Kelly
This committee is in the Cabinets Organ, and your Under-Secretary General is Anna Kelly. Committees in this organ are small, fast-paced crises.
If you have any questions about your committee, please reach out to a.kelly@modelun.org.