Model United Nations focuses on terrorism

Chechen rebels. Nerve gas. A world on edge.

A.J. Barks never figured it would be so hard to save the world, at least not at a Model United Nations where the security council wrestled with how to deal with make-believe disaster: Chechen rebels threatening to release deadly nerve gas in Moscow.

The Cape Girardeau Central High School student was one of approximately 300 students from nine high schools and one middle school who attended the 14th annual Model United Nations at Southeast Missouri State University Thursday. The students represented 64 countries at the daylong event, sponsored by the university's political science department.

Barks was among 25 Central students who spent the day at the University Center trying to iron out international problems.

She and fellow Central student Nathan Foley represented the Ukraine in the mock security council where more than 20 students wrestled with how best to keep peace between Russia and Chechen rebels.

Barks said the exercise showed how hard it is to reach a consensus. "I understand a lot better why not much gets done," she said.

The security council ended up approving a resolution that called for Russia to withdraw its troops from Chechnya in exchange for the rebels agreeing not to release the nerve gas. The resolution called on both sides to sit down at a U.N. conference in an effort to end the civil war.

But Barks, who had backed a different resolution that would have sent in U.N. troops to recover the nerve gas, said getting everyone to agree on a course of action wasn't easy.

She said she didn't like parliamentary procedure, which governed all the deliberations.

Foley said the mock assembly showed the differences in power between nations like the United States and China that have veto power in the security council and those that don't.

Barks said bickering is no way to run a United Nations. "I hope people are more open-minded at the United Nations," she said.

At the Model United Nations, discussions weren't always realistic. "They can talk more flippantly about nuclear war," said Daryl Fridley, Central High social studies teacher.

But he said the Model United Nations gets students to think about international issues. "It encourages them to learn about other countries," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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