Welcome to UPMUNC 2008's Arab-Israeli Peacekeeping Summit of 2013!! My name is Amy Pont, and I am really looking forward to being your chair. Since most all of you will be heads of state, I am sure that the debate will be simultaneously provocative, intense and entertaining. There won't be a dull moment!
Nuclear weapons, mixed with fragile states and deeply-rooted enmity, mean that the Middle East is constantly on the brink of a crisis. Being in Israel a month before the 2006 Lebanon War has made me keenly aware of the fragility of the Middle East. One moment you feel safe, and the next, there's a war. This is how our committee will be. Expect the unexpected. However, in order to avoid the inefficiencies of long, drawn-out diplomacy, I expect you to act quickly. You are, after all, holding the weight of an entire state on your shoulders!
A little bit about myself, I am a junior double-majoring in International Relations and Hispanic Studies. I have been actively involved in the International Affairs Association at Penn for the last three years. I have always been involved in Crisis Committees because they are the most exciting and fun. This committee will be no exception. Our Crisis Director, Josh Glick, is a double major in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and Biological Basis of Behavior. He is really looking forward to UPMUNC as well! We also have an amazing crisis staff who will be working behind the scenes to make sure that you experience the best crisis ever!
I promise a very stimulating committee full of surprises. I am sure that we will all have a lot of fun together, both in and out of committee! Here's to a great weekend in Philadelphia!
Amy Pont