Historical Crisis

Topic Update!

Download the topic update (pdf)

Crisis in Cuba
Christopher Janney
HistoricalCrisis@bruinmun.org

 
Dear Delegates,

 
Hello and welcome to BruinMUN 2012! My name is Christopher Janney, and I will be the chair of the Crisis in Cuba simulation. I am a third year Economics History double major from New York, currently studying at UCLA as an out of state student. I am very excited to run a committee that will simulate one of history’s textbook examples of crisis management and resolution. For this simulation, you will all be representing members of the United States presidential cabinet during the Kennedy Administration starting in the spring of 1961. For the purposes of running this crisis, it will be imperative that you put yourselves into the shoes of these men as they dealt with a communist threat only 80 miles from Florida that had recently come about during the Cuban revolution of 1959.

 
Although the past has been referred to as a foreign country, the era that we shall be covering is close enough to our own modern era that the ideologies and values held by the men of the Kennedy administration are not too far from those of our own. Yes, at that time communism was the ever present threat to national security, much as terrorism is the rather amorphous concern of today, but man in the cabinet had been born in the 20th century and considered themselves to be liberal, forward thinking individuals who wanted to make the world a better place.

 
We will not be primarily concerning ourselves with domestic policy, and the implementation of the New Frontier, but the court of foreign affairs shall be very much within our purview for this simulation. The most pressing matter at hand will of course be the situation in Cuba and how best to stop communist influence from spreading throughout the Western Hemisphere. Shadowy games of diplomacy may have to be played with the Soviets as well as perhaps acts of aggression and pressure. It must also be emphasized that this is an age of nuclear weapons, so attacks against Cuba or any other Soviet ally should not be suggested casually. Therefore it will be up to you, delegates to not only ensure that communism is stopped in its tracks, but also that a nuclear war does not break out and end all life as we know it.

Sincerely,

Christopher Janney
Historical Crisis, Chair

Download Topic Synopsis! (pdf) Updated June 1. Document is password protected.
 
Crisis Committee Guide
The basics of participating in a crisis committee are outlined in this handy guide.
Crisis Committee Basics (PDF)

Contact Your Chair: HistoricalCrisis@bruinmun.org