JCC Crisis: Gaby Mongelli and Steven Lyubomirsky (amun2012.jcc@gmail.com)
JCC Libya - Sarah Boutom and Janet Jisoo Park (amun2012.libya@gmail.com)
JCC Yemen - Emily Belthoff and Arielle Shkedi (amun2012.yemen@gmail.com)
JCC Egypt - Alexine Matthew and Grace Jooyoung Son (amun2012.egypt@gmail.com)
JCC Saudi Arabia - Mary Stuckey and Jiseop Kim (amun2012.saudiarabia@gmail.com)
JCC Syria - Amanda Wolosz and Joanna Orlova (amun2012.syria@gmail.com)

Topic Papers:

JCC Libya: [DOC]
JCC Yemen: [DOC]
JCC Egypt: [DOC]
JCC Saudi Arabia: [DOC]
JCC Syria: [DOC]

The Joint Crisis Cabinet (JCC) is comprised of four different countries, which are each represented by a cabinet of prominent political figures of each country. These cabinets are faced with an international crisis at the beginning of the conference. The delegates must then debate within their cabinets, and the cabinets must work with one another to diffuse and resolve the conflict, all the while receiving secret intelligence which changes aspects of the problem and forces delegates to redevelop solutions. Because international crises are often unexpected, the JCC crisis is withheld from delegates until debate formally begins.

While it is not an official Model UN committee, the JCC puts an exciting twist on debate for both experienced and first-time delegates by not only requiring delegates to have acquainted themselves with the political policies of their respective political figures, but also compelling delegates to navigate the political landscape of their nation and to apply and extend their knowledge to formulate dynamic and creative, yet realistic, solutions that mirror possible solutions of their respective cabinets.

This year’s JCC will be modeled after the Arab Spring, a wave of revolutionary demonstrations and protests that began in December 2010 with the ultimately fatal self-immolation of Mohammad Bouazizi protesting the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia and now spans much of the Arab world. Long-standing autocrats and political dynasties are facing the first challenges to their rule in decades from their nations’ disillusioned and socially conscious youth. The Arab Spring has been characterized by strikes, rallies, and in the harshest cases armed resistance against the despotic and often oppressive regimes that govern many Arab nations, and by the use of social media to organize, communicate, and agitate. In response, many governments have instituted Internet censorship and the creation of pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators, increasing the violence in the nations. The primary upheavals in the Arab Spring so far include revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, a civil war in Libya, civil uprisings in Syria and Yemen, as well as widespread protests and demonstrations demanding social reforms in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia.

The nations represented in this year’s JCC scenario range from countries that have faced regime changes and are in an uncertain process of reconstruction to countries where the conflict between the twentieth century and the twenty-first still runs, violently or nonviolently: Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Delegates will determine whether “May you live in interesting times” is a blessing or a curse as they are tasked with finding a new equilibrium for the Arab world.