Northmun-2019-HCC-Background-Guide.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJV AKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 1/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Welcome Letter 4 Position Paper Policy 5 What is a Position Paper? 5 Formatting 5 Due Dates and Submission Procedure 5 Committee Overview 6 Historical Setting 6 Chronology 6 Rules of Procedure 7 Unmoderated Caucus 7 Directive Break 7 Crisis Voting Procedure 8 Directives 8 Public Directives 9 Private Directives 9 Press Releases 9 Writing Directives 9 Formatting Directives 10 Directive Examples 10 Crisis Updates 11 Topic Overview 12 Topic Timeline 12 Geography 14 Historical Analysis 15 Fidel Castro’s Rise 16 2 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJVAKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 2/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs The Bay of Pigs Invasion 17 Rising Tensions 18 Current Situation 19 Inciting Conflict 19 Discussion Questions 20 Possible Solutions 21 Diplomacy 21 Secretive Approach 21 Invasion 21 Air strike 21 Blockade 21 Personal Positions 22 Works Cited 22 3 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJVAKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 3/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs Welcome Letter Dear esteemed delegates, It is with my distinct pleasure that I invite you all to the Historic Crisis Committee at the first iteration of North Model United Nations. My name is Shamus Li, and I am currently a grade 11 student in the International Baccalaureate programme at Semiahmoo Secondary. I began my MUN journey in search of the perfect addition to my resume, but I was drawn into the unique debate style and the very pertinent life skills that I’ve learned through trying to convince others to see my point of view. A crisis committee is very unlike your regular Model UN experience, in that you get instant gratification and real-time updates to every directive, and every decision counts. Aer writing countless directives, employing a large number of cunning strategies, and watching most of them fail spectacularly and result in nuclear war, crisis committees have gained a special place in my heart. Prior to the conference, each delegate will receive their personal agenda. Also, the dais reserves the right to discard directives deemed infeasible or improperly written. With a revamped Rules of Procedure, the HCC stands to be the most advanced diplomatic experience offered at NorthMUN 2019. The HCC will be set in the year 1962, a time of great stress for many in the global stage. Cuba, a newly established communist country located merely a few hundred kilometres off the mainland United States, posed a significant threat, and an ensuing conflict brought the world closer to nuclear war than ever before and ever since. Delegates will represent members of the U.S. Cabinet, and try to diffuse the nuclear threat using their strategic brilliance. Whether you can prevail or not will change the course of world history. In hopes of leading your bloc to victory, it is essential for you to have a complete understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis, including its causes and potential effects, pivotal moments, historical significance and much more, as well as be able to write concise directives to take direct action against the issue. Please take note that a large portion of your delegate evaluation will fall under the accuracy of your role-portrayal abilities as well. The HCC dais team, consisting of myself and the tireless Samuel Tung, is excited to meet you all and are ready to provide you with an unforgettable conference experience. Due to the complexity of a crisis committee and its special Rules of Procedure, I am fully willing to answer any questions you may have as well as provide any clarifications through my email at [email protected]. On behalf of the entire NorthMUN team, I wish you the best of luck in your research and good fortunes in the battles to come. Best Regards, Shamus Li Director of the HCC North Model United Nations 2019 4 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJVAKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 4/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs Position Paper Policy What is a Position Paper? A position paper is a brief overview of your delegation’s stance on the topics being discussed by this committee. Though there is no specific format the position paper must follow, it should include a description of your positions your delegation holds on the issues on the agenda, relevant actions that your delegation has taken, and potential solution that your delegation would support. At North Model United Nations, delegates should write a position paper for this topic. The position paper should not exceed one page, and should all be combined into a single document. For the Historic Crisis Committee, position papers are not mandatory but highly recommended, and required should a delegate wish to be considered for an award. Formatting Position papers should at least: - Include the name of the delegate, his/her position, and the committee name - Be in a standard font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri) with a 12-point font size and 1-inch (2.54cm) document margins - Not include illustrations, diagrams, decorations, national symbols, watermarks, or page borders - Include citations and a bibliography in any format, giving due credit to the sources used in research. This does need to be included in the 1-page limit Due Dates and Submission Procedure Position papers for HCC must be submitted by midnight on Thursday, April 4th, 2019. Once your position paper is complete, please save the file as [your last name]_[your first name] and send it as an attachment in an email to h [email protected], with the subject heading as [your last name], [your first name]—Position Paper. Please do not add any other attachments to the email or write anything else in the body. Your position papers should be combined into a single PDF document file. Position papers submitted in any other format will not be accepted. 5 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJVAKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 5/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs Committee Overview The Historic Crisis Committee, unlike the rest of the committees at NorthMUN, deals with a pressing historic issue. The HCC will operate under different rules of procedure. As the crisis develops very quickly, and we only have a limited amount of time to go through the debate, it is difficult for the dais to explain every step of the rules of procedure. Therefore, it is highly recommended for all delegates to completely read and understand the entirety of the RoP section of this document in order to properly participate in debate. If you have any further questions, don’t be afraid to email h [email protected] . Delegates in HCC will represent the cabinet of the United States government at the end of 1962 and beginning of 1963, during the famous Cuban Missile Crisis Conflict, to rewrite history as we know it. Delegates won’t need to worry about presidential elections because the entire crisis should take less than a year. Delegates are also discouraged from debating impeachments or the deaths of any fellow cabinet members unless permitted by the Director. Historical Setting The Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps the most dramatic Cold War confrontation between the USSR and USA. During the 13 days of the crisis, the United States and the Soviet Union came close to a direct military showdown for the first time during the Cold War. Both sides were under intense domestic pressure to prove themselves, and their individual personalities and perceptions were critical in the development and resolution of the crisis. Although the committee is set in the frame of mind of the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is essential to keep in mind that we will be operating in an alternate timeline that may or may not have anything to do with what actually happened in history. This is an exceedingly important point to stress, because it means that the events of the committee will not adhere to the pages of history, and therefore specific battles or political manoeuvres from history are not legitimate arguments for how a committee update should play out, and delegates should not assume certain outcomes based on how history played out in the real world. Therefore, delegates in HCC are discouraged from directly referencing historical events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. For example, an alliance historically made in the real world is not guaranteed to be remade in HCC, or vice versa. However, by no means do we discourage delegates from conducting research on the general socioeconomic circumstances at the time, as understanding pivotal decisions, successful tactic, and critical turning points will serve greatly to an eventual victory. Chronology Historically, the Cuban Missile Crisis did not take place in one day. Therefore, the HCC will be running on an accelerated timeline represented by a scaled model of committee time. By default, every forty minutes will equate to approximately one day of crisis time. However, the 6 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0z0l7EfhYJVAKu2VByM3l7wmU3TAEd2kBGV-_8qAjY/edit# 6/23 3/24/2019 HCC Backgrounder Draft - Google Docs dais recognizes that during scenarios of great importance, the time may need to be sped up or slowed down. Therefore, the time is nonlinear and heavily subject to change by the dais. Delegates are recommended to take note of the time as you will be required to include the time of execution on your directives. Additionally, delegates are reminded that directives will require a specific amount of time to execute—they are not instantaneous.