ZOTMUN Crisis Topic Synopsis
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MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Welcome Delegates, Our names are Angie Lo and Mary Lee, and we are the Secretaries-General for the UCI Model United Nations 2020-2021 school year! This year, we are excited to host our first ever collegiate-level online conference, ZOTMUN, and thrilled to have you all join our new journey. We have worked hard to make this conference happen, and we hope that everyone will have a fun and engaging time in debate. Angie is a fourth year Sociology and Political Science double major. She has been involved in MUN since freshman year of high school and loved her experiences there so much she has continued being a part of MUN throughout all of her college years. Throughout her time at MUN at UCI, she has been Assistant Director and Director for General Assembly, Under Secretary-General of Mains, and now has been Secretary General for the past 2 years. When not busy with her school, research, MUN and work, she likes drawing and playing video games. Mary is a third year Criminology, Law and Society major. She has been involved in UCIMUN since freshman year of college and loved her experiences here by far. Her favorite part of actively being involved in MUN is cooperating with other students to contribute to raising awareness of global issues and international affairs. In UCIMUN, she has been an Assistant Director of the Legal Committee and Director of the SPECPOL Committee. Outside of UCIMUN, she is actively involved in research and a networking organization on campus. In her leisure time, on the other hand, she likes listening to music and watching YouTube videos. By now, we have spent more than 7 months in this unprecedented time due to Covid-19. Between the pandemic and the social unrest, however, there has become a need to be able to adapt to these new circumstances. Therefore, our theme for this conference will be “adapting to a changing world,” reflecting our new normal that we have restlessly been trying to get familiarized with. Through ZOTMUN, we hope to give everyone a unique opportunity to learn how to adapt and, most importantly, rise to the challenge through dedication and resilience. Although this will be our first college-level conference in an online format, we are determined to give everyone the best experience at the conference as always. We will provide delegates with an opportunity to get engaged in high quality debates and immerse themselves in an intellectual discussion of issues that are relevant to the community and others around them. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us or our directors anytime between now and the day of our conference—we will be happy to assist you with anything in any way we can. Thank you for your time in advance. We look forward to seeing you in November! Sincerely, Angie Lo and Mary Lee Secretaries-General MUN at UCI Secretariat 2020-21 [email protected] 1 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Esteemed Delegates, Greetings everyone and welcome to ZOTMUN! My name is Vinootna Kakarla and I will be your head chair for the Crisis Committee about the Japanese Shogunate from the late 1500’s to the 1600s. I am honored to be a part of this committee and I look forward to being your chair for ZOTMUN 2020 and excited to see what this year’s conference will offer for each of us. This will be my seventh year of doing Model United Nations, and my second year chairing for MUN at UCI. Since I have been a delegate for quite some time, I know what it is like to be in your shoes. I know these aren’t the ideal circumstances to participate in a conference, and I applaud you for taking the challenge to participate in an online conference. With that being said, I will ensure a fun, informative, and memorable experience for our committee this year. This is my fourth and final year of university at UC Irvine, and my majors are International Studies and Public Health Policy. In these trying times, I find my interests to be extremely prevalent and important for future generations and to fix our current inequalities in the world Additionally, I have been a part of a mentorship program on campus and research opportunities working on combatting and understanding Global Trafficking. With this being my last year of college, I am bittersweet about this conference, but more thrilled to be chairing in it. Our committee has quite in store for us. The Sengoku Jidai is a key event in World History, specifically Japanese history, as it was a time where Japan was able to fight for power, but also helped instigate a centralized and unified government at the end of the period. With our world constantly changing powers, Japan itself was facing its own qualms during this time period. While many shoguns and daimyos were distrustful of each other because of the constant betrayal of the time period, other key figures utilized loyalty and strategic planning to take over Japan. As delegates, you will act as Shinto gods overlooking the Warring states period, and will play a key role in changing the environment and the stance of many of the samurai and shoguns. Although shinto beliefs weren’t as practiced as Zen Buddhism and Buddhism in general during this time period, we would like for you all to consider the amalgamation of the two together that started growing after the introduction of Buddhism into the country. You will be manipulating and overlooking the situation, understanding important war tactics, gathering different worshippers to increase your power, and helping your wanted shogun to victory. The background guide is just your starting point for your journey of research into the Sengoku Jidai. Use this as your informational guide to help you find the right direction in creating your story arc and understanding your characters. The background guide alone is not enough information; use this opportunity to research outside the box and expand your knowledge of different war tactics and skills that shoguns and samurai utilized during this time period. Research is imperative for developing a deeper understanding of the time period, as it can be overwhelming and confusing at times, especially in this crisis committee. With that said, I look forward to virtually interacting with each of you during the conference. I am looking forward to seeing what each and every one of you will be bringing to the table during our committee, as it will be more exciting than ever. Please feel free to contact us for any questions at [email protected]. I wish you the best of luck in creating your own story arcs and being a part of our committee for ZOTMUN 2020. Sincerely, Vinootna Kakarla, Director Struggles in the Land of the Rising Sun: Oda Nobunaga's Legacy, 1590 2 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Dear Delegates, On behalf of the entire UCI Model United Nations program, I would like to welcome you to the 2020 ZOTMUN Conference. My name is Ravi Sandhu, and I will be serving as your Assistant Director for the Crisis Committee. I graduated from UCI with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health in June of 2020. As an undergraduate, I had the privilege of being involved in several interdisciplinary organizations within and beyond the Anteater campus community. Some of my most formative experiences included conducting public health research, participating in public speaking organizations, and serving as a clinical volunteer. In the future, I hope to draw upon my undergraduate experiences in healthcare, research and legal theory to attend law school. Ultimately, I hope to pursue a career in public policy and to advocate for legislation that improves the health status of all Americans. As delegates chartering struggles in Medieval Japan, I ask you to consider the timeless importance of collaboration and compromise as you navigate dynamic obstacles during committee session. In designing solutions, remember to begin by exploring diverse primary and secondary sources to comprehend the intricacies of contemporary conflicts. However, remember to extend and complete this research with genuine diplomacy. Enter committee with adaptive research frameworks that welcome the unique insights of your fellow delegates. Be eager to create friendships and strong working relationships during committee session. Create a platform for people of all backgrounds to share their voice and shape the present. Most importantly, match your enthusiasm to speak with an eagerness to listen, learn and grow. As your Assistant Director, I urge you to enjoy this experience as much as possible. Reflecting on my time as a board member and delegate in the UCI Travel Team, I find myself at no shortage of irreplaceable memories and lifelong friendships. I hope this conference offers you a similar experience. I am looking forward to getting to know each of you. Until we meet, I wish you and your loved ones health and safety. Best regards, Ravi Sandhu, Assistant Director Struggles in the Land of the Rising Sun: Oda Nobunaga's Legacy, 1590 3 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Introduction The Sengoku Jidai, or the Warring States Period of Japan, was a period of bravery, conquest, mistrust, betrayal, violence, and glory. Key figures such as Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Hattori Hanzo all played a role in influencing Japan for its future. The period began at the end of the violent Onin War in 1477, towards the end of the Ashikaga Shogunate.1 The main time period of the Sengoku Jidai lasted from 1467 to 1567, with a whole century for conflict of power.