Letter from the USA National SC 1979 Chair: Ilana Gunczler

I want to give you a warm welcome to this year Caracas Model of the United Nations Joint Crisis Committee 1979 U.S. National Security Council. Being a few days from the model, I expect from each and everyone of you to have already researched and investigated about your historical character. Nevertheless I encourage you to search for more information so that you can have a clear view of the position that your character has inside this committee.

As your chair, I would like to give you some guidelines of how the committee will develop and what is your role in it. Since this is a crisis committee the dynamic of it will be very different from the regular UN committees, therefore there are no formal rules. However you must at all times be respectful towards your fellow delegates, while keeping the debate.

The main topic that we’ll discuss during CAMUN 2008, it’s going to be the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and its repercussions in the world. Also internal and foreign affairs topics will be treated, as well as political, economical and military. Additionally you need to take into account the worldwide situation during this period. The committees’ debate will be developed in the period embraced from December 27th, 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to November 4th, 1980 the date of the American elections.

Since in this committee you are a character instead of a delegation, it is important that you react the way that your historical character would, even if the decisions taken by the committee and the consequences of them, are different from the ones in the past. This will make the debate more interesting due to the fact that each delegate will have a defined position which not only doesn’t have to be the same but that will bring to the table many points of view.

You also need to take into account that each action that this committee passes will have consequences from the crisis staff and our joint crisis committee the 1979 Soviet Politburo. These actions will be passed through action papers which will have to be voted previously.
You will also be requiring, once in the committee, a short statement or an opening address in which you will have to express your character’s point of view of the situation.

Looking forward to it,
Good Luck!
And be prepared for the unexpected…

Ilana Gunczler
President Jimmy Carter
US National Security Council 1979