Thomas Jefferson

Model United Nations

Introductory Packet:
The Crisis Committee

Thomas Jefferson Model United Nations

Written by Michael Romais (Class of 2007)
2005-2006

Introduction
Purpose of Packet: The purpose of this packet is to introduce you, the delegate, to a
different type of committee in Model United Nations: the Crisis Committee. The common
denominator of Crisis Committees is that there is an international crisis to be solved over the
course of the conference. The committees must work alone, or together with other
committees, to accomplish their goals. The level of debate is typically higher on a Crisis
Committee, and accordingly, these committees are also much more competitive in many
respects, frequently drawing schools best delegates. In light of this, it is important to note
that Crisis Committees are typically composed of members who already have solid
experience in the General Assembly and who have a working knowledge of the terms
presented in the previous Introductory Packet. As the proverb goes, You must walk
(participate in GAs) before you can run (participate in Crisis Committees). A thorough
knowledge of the first packet, combined with GA experience and an understanding of this
packet, will give you the tools that you need to be successful in the Crisis Committee. While
reading this packet, keep in mind that the policies given in examples may have changed since
publication.
Types of Crisis Committees: There are a few distinct types of Crisis Committees. The
following three are the most common, and the three upon which this packet will focus:
Cabinets: A cabinet is the leadership council of a nation. This council consists of the Head
of State/Government and his advisors. If a cabinet is at a conference, it will almost always
be involved in a crisis. The cabinet has at its disposal anything that its nation can do (this is
further explained in the How to Navigate the Three Types of Crisis Committee section).
Some common modern cabinet crises involve India/Pakistan, Israel/The Middle Eastern
Islamic Countries, and North Korea/South Korea. The United States and other major
powers can be involved in all of these. Cabinets can also simulate a historical event, such as
the Cuban Missile Crisis. Delegates on cabinets are typically some of the most experienced
delegates at the conference. The level of debate is extremely high, and awards are generally
very tight. The committees are usually not run very strictly in order to smooth the flow of
debate. (For more on this, see the Mechanics of the Crisis Committee section).
Regional Bodies: A regional body is an organization that represents a specific region of the
world. The most common regional bodies that have crises are the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), and the European
Union (EU).
United Nations Security Council: This is often the flagship committee of a conference. The
Security Council is the only body of the UN that can mandate anything. As such, it is often
utilized in crises. The Security Council is unlike any other committee. It is unique unto itself
and is often very competitive, but it is also very fun and rewarding.

Whos Who in a Crisis Committee

Among the Delegates: Different numbers of delegates participate in each of the three
types of Crisis Committees. These delegates also represent different entities.
Cabinets: In a cabinet, a delegate serves as a Minister or Secretary, a head of a governmental
department. The delegate assumes the role of this person and should act like him. Cabinets
are always single delegation, which means that one delegate alone will always represent one
member of the government.
Regional Bodies: Regional bodies are composed of member states. Each state has a vote and is
represented by one or two delegates, depending upon the individual conferences rules.
United Nations Security Council: In the United Nations Security Council, fifteen countries are
represented. Of these, five are permanent members and can veto any resolution. This
means that by voting No, a permanent member can override all fourteen other members
and strike down any given resolution. These permanent members are China, France, the
Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The other ten members
rotate. In committee, one nation is represented by one or two delegates, again depending
upon the conferences rules.
The Crisis Staff: A number of people at the conference are involved in the crisis. These
are the most common.
Crisis Director: At TJ, it is called the Crisis Czar. This person has developed the entire crisis
and runs it with help from his staff. This is a very hard job, so it is important to remember
that this person has probably put in a lot of time making the crisis realistic and fun. Some
conferences have Assistant Crisis Directors.
Chairs: The chairs run the various committees involved in the crisis. They are your liaisons
to the crisis staff. In a cabinet, the chair often represents the Head of State for the country.
If you have any questions at all throughout the course of committee, feel free to ask your
chairs. They are there to answer questions and make sure that your committee runs
smoothly. Different chairs approach Crisis Committees in different ways. Some will simply
arbitrate and moderate, allowing the majority to rule, while others will be more active in
portraying the Head of State.
Crisis Staff: The crisis staff can consist of anywhere from a few people to many people. All
of these people have some sort of role in the crisis. They could be briefers or researchers or
act in a variety of other positions. In fact, they morph into whatever the Crisis Director
needs them to be!

Approaching a Crisis Committee

Your Mindset: When you know that you are going to be on a Crisis Committee, you
should not be intimidated by the fact that you are going to be on committee with some very
intelligent and experienced delegates. You will learn, and one day you may be the delegate
who is feared! You should approach your Crisis Committee the same way you would any
other committee: with research and an open mind.
Research: The type of research that you must do hinges upon whether or not the
committee that you will be on is addressing a topic. If a committee does have a topic,
research that topic as you would for another committee. For example, you might research
by looking at news websites for any current information on your topic. Make sure that you
focus on current events and what your country thinks about the issue. You should also have
general ideas about topics that are important to your character or country. This will prepare
you for what other delegates say and will enable you to have a better overall knowledge of
todays world.
Open Agenda: If a committee does not have a topic--this is called Open Agenda--a
position paper is frequently not required (still, check with the chair to make sure), although it
is still very helpful. You should research some big issues and come to the conference with
some ideas about issues that are important to your character or country.
Methods of Research: Books and the Internet are your two greatest resources. You
should try to know as much background information as possible about your character
and/or country. Especially important are your countrys views on your topics. It is possible
to find such information on the Internet. A fantastic resource is the CIA World Factbook,
which can be found at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/. Another tried and
true method is Google, through which much of your research can be done quite effectively.
A complete background of the issue will prepare you for anything that happens in
committee. You should also know which countries/characters support which side of an
issue. For instance, Japan would strongly oppose a North Korean nuclear weapons
program. On the other hand, Iran might be more lenient because it would set a precedent
for Tehran to develop its own.
Possible Crises: This section is geared more toward cabinets. When you find out which
cabinets are working on the crisis with your cabinet, or are linked to your cabinet, try to
think about possibilities for what the crisis might be. After doing this, research the situations
presented in the possible crises. You will go into the crisis with a more solid background.
For instance, if you are an Iranian minister, and the two other cabinets are Israel and Syria,
read about the history of the Middle Eastern Conflict. This is not to say that you should
read several books on the subject, rather simply that you look at a few webpages devoted to
your topic.
Oftentimes, you can have a good idea of where you want the crisis to go before it
happens. If the countries are the United States and the two Koreas, you should look at U.S.

troop strengths in the Pacific region. (More about strategy later in the How to Navigate the
Three Types of Crisis Committee section.)
An Open Mind: Keep in mind that crises are often far-fetched and may seem unrealistic.
If you find yourself in this situation, do not be put off, and try to take the issues at hand
seriously. Offbeat crises are often done intentionally in order to make you think even more
and come up with more creative solutions. If you try to go with the crisis, you will learn
that much more in the end. Even if you think the crisis is a little wacky, you could soon
realize--often with a bit of a shock--that the crisis is in fact quite plausible, or at least
interesting.

The Mechanics of a Crisis Committee

The Very Beginning: When you first walk into committee, greet the other delegates with a
firm handshake. These are the people that you will work with for the next two to four days.
(Note: Different conferences have different lengths. Most local conferences are two-day
affairs, Friday night and all-day Saturday. National conferences are anywhere from three to
four days.) When committee starts, the chair will ask everyone to sit down. Whenever the
chair is speaking, you should be quiet and attentive. The chair will take attendance, calling
everyone by character position or name for a cabinet, or by country for regional bodies and
the United Nations Security Council. Simply say Present. At this point, what happens
next differs by committee. The mechanics of a Cabinet will be explained first. Following
this will be an explanation of the mechanics of the regional bodies, after which will come an
explanation of the mechanics of the United Nations Security Council.
Cabinets: Cabinets are usually run by permanent moderated caucus, although it is up to the
chairs discretion and the committees preferences. This means that a delegate can be called
on at any time to give his opinion and may do it in as much time as he likes (after being
called on, of course). There is no speakers list. Also, you need not formally set a topic.
Therefore, you may switch gears to discuss new crisis developments at any time.
Regional Bodies: Regional bodies start in parliamentary procedure discussing the set topics
until a crisis breaks. At that point, they may continue in formal procedure or may switch to
permanent moderated caucus, depending upon the chairs and committees preferences.
Once a crisis has started, you generally do not set a topic, although this depends upon the
conference and dais.
United Nations Security Council: The United Nations Security Council is usually run like a
regional body. Often, though, it is the exception to the permanent moderated caucus rule.
The Security Council frequently uses the speakers list and sets topics as it would have to in
real life. Whenever a new development comes in, you may have to change the topic away
from what you are discussing to talk about recent developments. To set the topic, go
through the same motions as in a GA. As on other committees, the way parliamentary
procedure is used or not used is up to the dais.

For All Committees: At the start of the conference, the chair will either give the committee
a crisis briefing or ask for delegates to present topics of discussion. In the event of the
former, the delegates will read the briefing and then discuss it. Sometimes they will suggest
action, sometimes not. In the event that a crisis does not start at the very beginning,
delegates should suggest to the committee a topic to which they feel devoting time is
warranted. This is untrue in the UN Security Council or a regional body, where a speakers
list is the first priority. After committee proceeds for a time, the delegates will certainly
receive a briefing. This briefing generally suggests that the crisis has worsened (or may
introduce the crisis in the first place if you did not start with one). Sometimes, the delegates
will still feel that the crisis is not important enough to warrant devoting resources to it.
However, other delegates will feel the opposite. A debate will ensue in which each delegate
should voice his opinion. (For more on what to do, see the How to Navigate a Crisis
Committee section.)
Briefings: Briefings are presented in two ways. First, a hand-out may be passed out to each
delegate with a press release, news report, or internal governmental communication. The
other option is that a member of the crisis staff comes in and portrays a government official
or a member of the media. You may be able to ask questions of these live people. Doing so
is beneficial, provided that your questions are serious and relevant (obnoxious or pedantic
questions really frustrate a chair and the crisis briefer).
Intelligence Briefings: Intelligence is normally treated in one of three ways. The first is
that it may be shared with anyone in the room. The second is that it may be shared only
with allies--this is rated Secret. In a committee such as NATO, this means that it may be
shared with anyone in the room. The last is For Your Eyes Only, or Top Secret. This
means that on a regional body or the Security Council, no one else should read it.
Obviously, on a cabinet, intelligence is to be shared, though it may initially go to the minister
whose department received the intelligence.
The Rest of Committee: The way that the rest of committee unfolds completely depends
upon the conference and the crisis.

How to Navigate the Three Types of Crisis Committees

Staying on Policy: It is important to always stay on policy, especially in Crisis Committees.
Cabinets: To stay on policy on a cabinet, you must do two things. The first is to stay true to
your position. For example, if you are the Secretary of State, stress diplomacy. The second
thing is to stay true to your character. If you are Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, you
might be a little more hawkish than, say, Madeleine Albright. It is important to remember
that in desperate times, such as a hostage situation involving Americans, most any
government official would be in favor of military action. Remember, you can slightly alter
your policy as long as you explain it to the committee first and it would be realistic for your
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character. Although I normally would not be in favor of this sort of move, after
considering the situation, I have determined that it is indeed the needed course of action, for
these reasons would be a diplomatic way of prefacing a departure from your previous
policy that would sufficiently explain yourself to the committee and the chair. Looking at
quotes from, and news items about, your character is the best way to know the policy to
which you are trying to adhere.
Regional Bodies: In a regional body, you represent a country. As such, you must be true to the
policy of that nation. In a body such as the African Union, a country might hold much more
power than it does in the regular United Nations. If you are Nigeria, you might not have all
that much to say on DISEC, but you can be a major power in the African Union. As long as
you stay on your message, you can be a real power in committee.
United Nations Security Council: In the Security Council, you must stay on policy as well. You
are often confronted with unique situations, and you must evaluate what staying on policy
is. For example, if you are the Russian Federation, and Iran is threatening to make nuclear
weapons, you would know that you do not want the Security Council to talk about Iran.
This is because Russia has said that it will veto any resolution on Iranian nuclear arms. You
had to evaluate whether or not supporting this resolution contradicts your policy. To
research what said policy is, simply use the same methods of research outlined above.

Employable Actions and Tools, Session by Session:

What you can and should do often vary by the session of committee.
First Session: The actions taken in the first session are often more conservative than those
taken in the others. On the whole, you should generally refrain from major military action in
this session unless it is necessary. If you are dealing with a terrorist group, see if you can
force their hand and make them give in. All three types of committee can have another
country trying to hold the world hostage. Do not give in to their demands too easily in the
first session. In general, try to simulate the first steps a government or international body
may take in response to a crisis, which will naturally be more cautious than later in the
situation when more information is known.
Second Session: Second session (at locals) is when committee is made or broken. This is
the session in which more drastic action can be taken. Employ any and all options as you
see fit. Do not underestimate the power of the crisis staff; they will make sure that the
group you are working against is a worthy foe.
Third Session: The seriousness of third session, at locals, depends upon the committee. If
your chair stays serious, you should certainly be serious. Sometimes, the crisis staff will do
something like provoke nuclear war, thus indicating that the crisis is no longer serious. If
your chair wants to have fun, you may certainly do so. In fact, 90% of crises end in
thermonuclear war as committee decorum deteriorates.

Nationals: For every session at national conferences, you should remain serious and
industrious during committee. You should also always be working toward whatever goal the
chair has set for you. That being said, at some nationals, the last session of committee (the
Sunday session) will be more relaxed and will allow for some fun. Remember: if your chair
stays serious, stay serious, but if your chair wants to have fun, have fun! After all, you have
worked hard for the past two to three days!

Possible Actions to be Employed:

Cabinet: On a cabinet you have a variety of options. If you are the United States National
Security Council, you can deploy the Marines, FEMA, or the CIA. You can evacuate cities
or close borders. You can inoculate people against smallpox. You can call for covert action
to be taken in any part of the world. In short, you can literally do anything that your
government can do. Indeed, you should utilize the full extent of the tools of your
government. If you have an idea, bring it up to the committee. If you are Secretary of
Defense, you can order troop movements. As Secretary of State, you can write
communiqus to foreign countries. Acting as the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
you can order widespread vaccination. A cabinet is your chance to come up with dynamic
and creative solutions to a crisis that is ever-changing and could take a drastic twist at any
time. While you should always make sure that your ministry or department is doing
everything it can, you do not need to confine your comments to your ministers area of
expertise, so if you are the Minister of Commerce and the crisis is military, you can certainly
give your opinion.
Regional Bodies: Regional bodies have somewhat fewer options than cabinets. It really
depends upon your body. Some bodies are more military and action-oriented (NATO) and
some are geared toward economic issues (EU). You must research the capabilities of your
body and its member states before the conference.
United Nations Security Council: The Security Council has the power to do many things. These
things include sending in UN peacekeepers. Also, the UN can authorize member states to
utilize military force, as in the Korean War against North Korea or the First Gulf War
against Iraq. One of the Security Councils favorite actions is economically sanctioning a
country. This is often the first step in censuring a country. Never use military action
without first attempting diplomacy or economic action. The only exceptions are when many
human lives are at stake or the fate of the international system hangs in the balance. No
pressure, though!

The Three Types of Committees, In Summary:

Cabinets: On a cabinet, you represent a specific person, usually a Secretary or Minister. You
must try to stay true to your character while on committee. If he is a warmonger, be a
warmonger. If he wants higher taxes, push for higher taxes. Make sure that you form
working partnerships with other individuals on the committee. Most importantly, stay
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serious and realistic. Do not suggest rash and unnecessary military action. On the other
hand, do not wait too long or your citizens being held hostage by terrorists could be dead.
Cabinets, like all Crisis Committees, are all about treading a fine line. If you have a particular
area of expertise, try to relate that to the committee, but feel free to comment on all
important issues.
Regional Bodies: These combine the committee atmosphere of a GA with the fast-paced
action of a crisis. It is important to stay on policy in regional bodies. However, in some
situations, the rules can be bent. For instance, if you are the United Kingdom on NATO,
your policy would frequently follow that of the United States. However, if the U.S. is very
off-policy, do not follow it. Be knowledgeable about the capabilities of your committee.
For instance, NATO has a strong military force at its disposal, while the Organization of
American States does not. These are important things to know before you start trying to
send in OAS Special Forces to shut down a Colombian drug operation!
United Nations Security Council: In many ways, the Security Council is the ultimate committee.
It is a hybrid of a global regional body and a cabinet with representatives from 15 nations.
Whenever the United Nations has a crisis, the Security Council is the body to respond. A
Security Council resolution is binding, which means that it compels member nations to
comply. The Security Council often handles issues between two nations who could
potentially come to blows. There are two types of nations on the Security Council: those
with a veto and those without a veto. If you have a veto, do not use it with reckless
abandon. In fact, only veto a resolution that is completely against your policy or that you
think would have detrimental effects. Using your veto otherwise could turn the committee
against you and opens you up for your resolution to be vetoed. If you do not have a veto,
fear not! Resolutions still need 3/5 support to pass, so form alliances and gain influence that
way. It is a myth that only veto powers win awards on the Security Council. In fact, if you
play your cards right, not having a veto can be an advantage.

Conclusion
It is my great hope that this guide has thoroughly introduced you to the Crisis Committee
and that it will serve you well in your Crisis Career. However, you must remember that there
is absolutely no substitute for experience. If crises intrigue you, try one out! They are very
rewarding and will introduce you to the upper echelon of Model United Nations. If you
have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to email me, Michael Romais, the Arbitrator,
at DEROMAIS@aol.com; I would be more than happy to answer them for you. With all
this in mind, I wish you the best of luck on your first Crisis Committee and beyond. Hope
to see you on committee in the future!