COUNTRIES
Congo (now DRC), Belgium, USA, USSR, South Africa (NP), ANC, CIA, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), France, Algeria, West Germany (FDR), Italy, UK, Republic of China (Taiwan), Brazil, Japan, Turkey
Topic A: The Congo Crisis, 1960
The decolonization of Sub-Saharan Africa in the second half of the 1900s resulted in several proxy Cold War confrontations between the United States and the Soviet Union over the newly independent, non-aligned countries. The first occurred in the former Belgian Congo, which gained independence in June of 1960 following an uprising against the Belgian colonizers. The Congo moved from being ‘property’ of King Leopold II and facing horrific human rights violations, to a Belgian colony, to a ‘democratic state’ that was actually controlled and influenced to a large extent by external aid and many nations and organizations, all with their own agendas. In the newly-democratic Congo there was a series of rebellions, mutinies and two coup d’états, most with Congolese leaders but heavily backed by external forces including the US, the Soviet Union, Belgium, and Belgian companies, the CIA, the UN, and mercenaries from Apartheid South Africa, then South Rhodesia, and France (who had fought in Algeria). It was a combination of these interventions that created the huge turmoil faced by the Congo in the early days after its independence, which still affects the country today. Delegates will discuss the agendas of their states and the impact their actions will have on the future of the Congo (from 1960 onward).
CHAIRS
Jowill
Jowill Mihindou is a young Gabonese, African and multicultural woman on her road to invest herself in the socio-economic development of her home, the African continent. She is currently a second year Master student in International Development at Sciences Po Paris, France. Passionated by the African continent and its History, she wishes to dedicate her future work on her conviction that human well-being should cannot be achieved if not in partnership with the natural mechanisms that govern the environment and traditional knowledge, which has been accumulated since millennia. Her MUN adventure started during her first year of college back in 2015. Since then, she fell in love with the concept and participated to several simulations first as a delegate and then mainly as chair in various contrasting settings tackling regional and global issues. As in the end the animation of a committee is both a team effort and a valuable learning experience for all, she is convinced that in this major collective exercise of exploring the past will enable all participants to both understand the past and design innovative solutions to build the Africa of tomorrow.
Aisha
Hello hello there! I’m Aisha, one of the chairs for the Historical Security Council! I’m incredibly excited to be back at AUCMUN another year, and to chair with the lovely Jowill. The topic we’ll be discussing within committee is as complex as it is interesting, and I look forward to seeing how matters will proceed in April. But we’re not in April yet, so I’ll introduce myself instead of going on a topical monologue. I’m a third-year student here at AUC, studying international relations. I am Dutch-ish, meaning that I am Dutch by nationality but grew up moving around everywhere but the Netherlands. I’ve always been a bit of a history nut, and got into MUN back in highschool when I was told there was a club specifically for being argumentative; ever since that fateful first meeting I’ve been hooked. Six years later and I’ve had almost every position in an MUN and am having difficulty keeping track of exactly how many MUN’s I’ve done, but I still love it just as much. I look forward to meeting you all in committee, and remember, if you ever have any questions at any point – don’t hesitate to reach out to us!