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Showing posts from January, 2019

A few reminders...

Hello Everyone!  Hope you guys are well-rested, well-prepared, and excited for our upcoming BMUN conference!! DEADLINE REMINDER: Your position papers are due this Sunday, February 3rd. I have received quite a few emails over the past few weeks, so I am posting on here to make a committee-wide announcement to clarify any confusion regarding the content of your papers.  Firstly, I would like to see you develop your own opinions regarding the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although the topic synopsis itself indicates a lack of feasibility for the two-state solution in modern-day politics, this does not mean that it is not viable within our committee. In fact, I will be expecting this topic to be debated upon during conference. The two-state solution is both complex and controversial -- even if the two-state solution is implemented, will this fully resolve the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? Where are the borders, exactly? How will

Introduction to Vice Chair Taanvi Malhotra

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Hi Everyone! My name is Taanvi Malhotra and I will be one of your Vice Chairs for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation committee this year. I am currently a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Economics. I was born in New Delhi and lived there for 6 years and then moved to Dubai for 12. Middle Eastern politics and policies are essentially what I grew up studying, discussing and watching on the news and therefore this committee's topics are of great personal interest to me; I’m super excited to facilitate the speeches that will take place during this conference. In my free time, I love to travel, explore new places around the bay, play basketball or binge watch the office! (If you have any recommendations of places to visit, do reach out) Hope to see you all soon!

Introduction to Vice Chair Dhruv Mandal

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Hello delegates, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! My name is Dhruv Mandal, and I will be one of the vice chairs for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at BMUN LXVII. I am a sophomore at UC Berkeley double-majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Political Science. This is my sixth year being involved in Model UN, and last year, I was a vice chair for the World Health Organization at BMUN LXVI. Besides BMUN, I am involved in the Berkeley Suitcase Clinic and The Berkeley Forum. During my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, and playing golf! The OIC is extremely important due to the number and variety of barriers that systemic problems in Islamic countries present. Delegates will be forced to navigate challenges imposed by the cultural and religious restrictions of Islam, resource scarcity, and issues concerning state-building and territoriality . However, with proper research and enthusiasm, the experience of debating in the OIC will be, I'm

Introduction to Head Chair Serena Wang

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Hello everyone! My name is Serena and I will be your Head Chair for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation this year! I am currently a senior at UC Berkeley studying Political Science. This is my third year being involved in Berkeley Model United Nations -- I previously served as the vice chair for BMUN Legal Committee LXV and BMUN Arab League Crisis Committee LXVI. I am originally from San Diego, and the high school I attended in La Jolla provided me the opportunity to study Arabic. Since then, I have become heavily involved with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, Model Arab League, the UC Berkeley Arabic department, conducting independent research on Middle Eastern affairs, and now, serving as your Head Chair for OIC! Aside from Arabic, my primary interests include traveling the world, watching Friends on Netflix, and learning foreign languages (my goal is to master 7 languages in my life-time!) I would also say that surviving Berkeley for this long has become

Welcome to OIC!

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Welcome to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation! This year, OIC will cover two topics --the Empowerment of Muslim Women and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. As you begin your research process, I encourage you to keep an open mind and be cognizant of the vast information that is online. Our primary objective in OIC is to maintain a non-biased neutral perspective during debate and have you become well-informed of these fascinating topics. This will not only prepare you to debate upon these topics in March, but will also equip you to become an elite researcher who is capable of sifting out inaccurate or tendentious biases. Here is the link to the  OIC  committee page. You will find the Topic Synopsis, Executive Summaries of the topic, Position Paper Guidelines, and a brief video introduction of me trying to encourage you to read our synopsis! The best way to start your research journey is to  read the Topic Synopsis , then eventually make your way towards scholarly or new