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BACKGROUND
GUIDE (.pdf)
Welcome to one of the most exciting committees at BosMUN 2002!
My name is Imtiaz Velji and I am a freshman at Boston University
studying Economics and Accounting. I was born, raised and educated in
Nairobi, Kenya in far away Africa. Besides riding on elephants and
killing lions, I also enjoy watching Indian movies and reading just
about anything. I have attended nearly a dozen MUN Conferences, ranging
from the East African Middle School MUN to the Harvard College MUN. I
received junior chair training for EAMUN 2001, but this is my first time
serving as vice-chair. I am glad to be a part of the Middle East
Summit, because I truly believe that our generation has the capacity to
solve the problems in the Middle East.
The Middle East is a region of great economic, social and religious
significance to all of humanity. The Middle East is the birthplace of
the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths. It is an area blessed with
great resources, including energy resources. The Middle East is the
place where three continents - Africa, Asia and Europe- meet. One would
think with such natural endowments, the Middle East would be amongst
the most prosperous areas of the world. Unfortunately, this is far from
the truth. Your job, as representatives of your respective countries,
is to make proposals and suggestions to improve the situation in the
Middle East.
You have the option, should you choose to use it, to utilize the many
organs of the United Nations in order to achieve acceptable goals. As
you may already know, the two issues on the agenda are the Palestine and
energy. The Palestinian conflict is one that has plagued the Middle
East, and indeed the world at large, for the last century or so.
Energy has been a resource that the Middle East has profited from for
the for the last few decades. However, as more Middle Eastern energy is
consumed worldwide the people of the Middle East are becoming anxious
about their future economic situation. What will the region do when it
runs out of oil in the next few decades? How will the Middle East
ensure that its position on the international level is as powerful as it
once was? These are legitimate concerns of people in the Middle East,
and it is your job to address these issues. Having said that, it is
important to note that the chairs and organizers of this committee
hardly expect you to solve all the problems of the Middle East.
Since the Middle East Summit is a crisis committee, we will be providing
updates and news with the assistance of our crisis team. The crises
will demand that the committee think on its feet, with the clock ticking
away. In order to do this skillfully, you will be required to have a
working knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs. Use the Internet as a
resource, because it will certainly help to find updated information and
views. I'd like to suggest that rather than relying entirely on the
Western media, you expand your horizons and research through English
language Middle Eastern newspapers and sites. Researching on both
Western and Middle Eastern sites will give you the advantage of a well
rounded approach, something that we desire in our delegates. Good luck
in your research, looking forward to seeing you in March,
Sincerely,
Imtiaz Diamond Velji
Vice Chair, Middle East Summit
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