Joint Crisis Committee Berkeley Model United Nations Introductory Letter: Hello, delegates! My name is Megan Gramling and I will be your head chair for BMUN LXIX Joint Cabinet Crisis. I am currently a second year at Berkeley, hoping to major in Business or Political Science. I have always had a growing interest in international politics and relations, which was what originally sparked my interest to join MUN. This will be my second year in BMUN and my sixth year in MUN altogether. Outside of BMUN, I hold a position in my sorority, Delta Gamma, and mentor students at a local elementary school through the Sage Mentorship Program. Some of my favorite things to do are travel, go to the beach, and binge watch Criminal Minds. I can’t wait to meet you all in committee! Jin Wei is a junior at UC Berkeley, studying Computer Science and Economics. This is his third year in BMUN and fourth year in MUN. His past chairing experiences include vice-charing UNIDO (66) and head chairing UNEP (67). His hobbies include binging Youtube and cooking new recipes he’s seen from Youtube. Vishnu is a junior at UC Berkeley studying Economics and Business Administration. This is his 3rd year in BMUN and 7th year doing Model UN. Last year he was the head chair for JCC, and previously was a vice chair for JCC. In his free time, Vishnu enjoys playing video games like Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon. Eric is a sophomore studying Computer Science. This is his 5th year of MUN, and he’s incredibly excited to dissect the intricacies of the Cold War Era and potentially blow some things up. Outside of BMUN, Eric is also part of Cal’s ballroom team and an Extended Reality researcher. In his free time, he loves running, board games, and late-night chats. Mathilde is a junior studying EECS. This is her 6th year of MUN and in her free time she enjoys swimming, dancing and exploring the bay, and these days she has also been baking a lot. She is super excited about this committee topic and can’t wait to meet all of you at BMUN LXIX! Vaishik is a freshman studying Molecular and Cell Biology. This is his 4th Year of MUN and he is super excited to be chairing JCC this year! Vaishik enjoys playing volleyball, binging political & Jocelyn is a freshman studying Business Administration and Political Economy. This BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 1 bake, and take naps. She can’t wait to see what happens in committee this year! Milana is a sophomore studying Computer Science. She enjoys playing cards, trying new cafes, and walking around the city. She attended BMUN twice as a delegate and was a vice- chair for CSTD last year. She looks forward to hearing the delegates explore such a fascinating, explosive topic during committee! Alex is a freshman studying Mechanical Engineering. This is his 4th year of MUN and memes. He’s excited for a fun committee full of creative crises and solutions! learned of the Soviet nuclear-armed medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles being installed set in stone, yet all events and decisions starting October 16th, 1962, are up to the delegates. So, history worldwide, whether it be an end to the Cold War or the start of a nuclear war. Prior to the installation of missiles in Cuba, tensions between the two global superpowers had been escalating for decades, arising as World War II came to an end. The end of WWII brought about a divided world based on the ideological systems that the U.S. and U.S.S.R. followed and reached its peak during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This crisis is said to have been one of the tensest periods of the Cold War as it marked the closest point that the world had ever come to a global, nuclear war (Chan, Amy). During this crisis, the fear of a nuclear attack spread worldwide which truly tested the diplomatic capabilities of the United States and Soviet Union governments. Although the central topic for committee is the Cuban Missile Crisis, there are lots of other internal and external challenges that the two countries continued to face during the crisis, ranging from the nuclear arms race to tension in Berlin to the escalation of the Vietnam War. As representatives of your respective cabinets, it is your job to come up with solutions to the missile crisis that will ensure the safety of your citizens and their future, as well as maintain the strength of must also be aware of the problems their nation faces domestically and internationally, from protests BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2 to proxy wars. Throughout committee, delegates will be given the chance to rewrite history, while working in the interest of their character and country. Please note that this topic synopsis contains welcome to read both to further understand the ideas, perspectives, and roles of delegates in the other cabinet. Megan Grammling Head Chair, Joint Crisis Committee BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 3 Topic: Cuban Missile Crisis Historical Background: The Start of the Cold War Before World War II had even ended, there was already a baseline of tension, rooted in the Soviets’ anger about the Allies’ delayed start to opening a second front against Germany and the United States’ fear of Stalin and his tyrannical government. At the end of World War II, although the divided world which had developed throughout the 20th century. The two contrasting systems of capitalism and communism soon engulfed the world, further increasing tensions that would last for decades. In this growing competition, the Soviet Union began taking over Eastern European countries, some before WWII ended and some after. The Soviets controlled these satellite states, At the same time, the United States jumped at every opportunity to instill democracy in Western the world of the dangerous iron curtain descending through the middle of Europe (“Revelations from After the war, hostility rose even more when it became clear that the Soviet Union was not Union failed to remove their troops from Iran after six months of armistice in Europe, one of the terms agreed upon at the Tehran Conference (Cleveland). Next, the Soviet Union proved that they BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 4 would not uphold the Potsdam Agreement, in which the Allies agreed to treat Germany as an economic unit (Cleveland). The Soviet Union’s negligence of these agreements only ripened the animosity between the two nations. the Greek government appealed for international help, Truman called upon the U.S. congress to allocate funds to assist not just Greece, but Turkey as well (Cleveland). Soon after providing aid to Greece and Turkey, it became apparent to the United States that other European countries were in dire need of assistance in restoring their industries, infrastructure, and economies. In 1948, the Marshall Plan was passed, guaranteeing U.S. aid to European countries, including those in Eastern controlling Eastern Europe. By managing the satellite states of Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union not strengthening of capitalism across Western Europe. Both countries felt overwhelmingly threatened by the other’s expansionist and interventionist policies, essentially leading to the creation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact (Cleveland). These treaties shared similar terms in which the signatories formed an alliance, guaranteeing collective security to all countries who signed on. As World War II came to an end, a mutual distrust and hostility sparked across the United States and Soviet Union, ultimately leading to the competition and tension which shaped the Cold War (Cleveland). Nuclear Arms Race In order to maintain their position as a global superpower after World War II, the Soviet Union needed to construct a similar or more powerful weapon than the U.S. made atomic bombs. As a new enemy of the United States., the Soviet Union was extremely threatened by the United States possession of bombs which could obliterate a city in seconds. So, after the explosion of the bombs on Japan, the Soviet Union worked to develop their own form of an atomic bomb (Thee, 19). Due to the competitive environment between the superpowers, both countries formed BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 5 Just four years after the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, the Soviet Union successfully accelerated to have the biggest and strongest weapon. The next generation of nuclear weapons developed were the thermonuclear bombs. These hydrogen bombs had the potential of being 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb, meaning a bigger blast, shock wave, heat, and radiation (Chan, Melissa). As each nation further developed their nuclear arms program, the explosive yields of each bomb grew exponentially, expanding the threat and fear of a nuclear war which could destroy humanity and Earth (Thee, 19). Both countries were consistently competing to produce the stronger bomb to deter the other from attacking and the threat of these attacks changed the way of life for both Americans and Soviets. Bomb shelters were being built across cities, leaders were recommending constructing a bomb shelter in your own home, and public places would often practice nuclear attack drills (“Threat of Americans and Soviets alike. Case Study 1: Mutual Assured Destruction After World War II, the United States continued to produce nuclear weapons. The goal was to provide a deterrence - no foreign nation would dare cross the United States and risk facing its nuclear arsenal (Wilde). Between 1953 and 1961, the number of weapons increased from 1,000 to BERKELEY MODEL UNITED NATIONS 6 18, 000 (Wilde). Nonetheless, the Soviet Union began to increase their own stockpile, and soon possibility.