In the simulation, I was assigned to be a representative and speaker from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). I was a little bit nervous in the beginning because this is a graded assignment, but that did not take away from me having prepared as much as I could. I felt that I was provided a reasonable amount… Read more »
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/syria-peace-2018-180103110604320.html After nearly seven years of conflict, the war in Syria has all but subsided. The fighting and bloodshed that once spanned the entirety of the Arab nation have been relegated to a few areas, raising the question of whether the country will see at least some semblance of stability in 2018. With the help of Russia and Iran, forces… Read more »
http://www.france24.com/en/20180101-israel-palestinian-conflict-charges-teen-tamimi-viral-video-slapping-soldiers-occupation Ahed Tamimi, 16, has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Israelis accuse her family of using her as a pawn in staged provocations. The charges filed with an Israeli military court relate to the events in the video but also five other incidents… Read more »
In 2011, Syria fell victim to a civil war between the government, led by President Bashar Al-Assad, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Fast forward to today, with the help of Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia, the Syrian government is increasingly closer to winning the war. Now that the war could potentially come to an end, the issue of peace talks… Read more »
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/middleeast/palestinians-aid-trump-israel-intl/index.html On Wednesday, President Trump threatened to cut the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Palestine. Palestinian General Secretary Saeb Erekat responded by stating, “You are moving from negotiating to dictating and then you are threatening us if we don’t accept your dictations — that you are going to cut aid.” Though it is easy to see why… Read more »
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/asia/iran-protests-government-intl/index.html (CNN)The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saidWednesday that a string of anti-government protests were over after six days of unrest. In comments to the semiofficial Fars news agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari said that only 15,000 people had turned out at the height of the rallies and that the main “troublemakers” have been arrested. CNN has not been able to… Read more »
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/middleeast/palestinians-aid-trump-israel-intl/index.html Jerusalem (CNN)Palestinian officials responded angrily Wednesday to US President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off aid to the Palestinian territories unless Palestinian leaders agree to engage in peace negotiations with Israel. Addressing Trump directly, PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said to CNN, “So, Mr. Trump, your art of the deal. What’s left to negotiate?” referring to Trump’s 1987 book, “Trump:… Read more »
In the refugee crisis simulation in the sixth block class, I was a member of the USDOS group. I felt adequately prepared, as was the rest of my group, after thoroughly reviewing the provided briefing documents prior to the simulation. I felt well-engaged throughout the simulation, contributing by taking notes and participating heavily in the informal negotiation stages. I felt… Read more »
In the this simulation, I helped advise my group members and work with representatives from other countries and organizations to come to an agreement on the “refugee crisis”. Overall, I believe the simulation went very well. There are, however, several things that could have made it much more realistic. The basis of the simulation was the bringing together of several groups… Read more »
In the simulation, I was the secretary and treasurer. I took notes of all deals, agreements, comments, and points that all of the countries made that could be significant. I felt pretty prepared for the simulation after reading my role in it. I knew that there was going to be dominant countries and we would have to find a way… Read more »