Crisis Council

About the committee

Introduced in 2009, the Crisis Council simulates historical and hypothetical topics from the perspectives of national cabinets. Instead of representing nation states, delegates step into the shoes of individuals, each carrying their own sets of powers and interests. Last year delegates were thrown back in time to the Cuban Missile Crisis and put in the shoes of JFK, Khrushchev and their respective cabinets. Two days later they traveled forward to the Indian and Pakistani governments of 2010, reacting to growing tension in Kashmir: a scenario that ended with assassinations, a visit from future Secretary-General Sarah Palin, and 14 million peacekeeping troops being deployed in the region! All the while reacting in real time to unexpected scenarios, backdoor dealings, breaking news, and a healthy amount of backstabbing, thanks to the creative energy and hard work of the Crisis Council team.

Historical: The outbreak of World War I

It is August 3, 1914. The world is reeling from a devastating chain of events sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Alliances formed over the decades have been invoked, and all major powers, as well as their respective colonies, are on the brink of global conflict. Members of the Triple Entente - the United Kingdom, France and Imperial Russia - face a growing multi-fronted threat from the Central Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. The United States of America stands precariously on the sidelines, determined not to get involved in matters outside her home-soil. With the entire might of military forces in Europe now mobilised, will the alliances stick to their foreign policy guns, or can they stand to prevent what could be one of the most costly wars the world has ever seen and dictate the course of international relations in the decades to come? Can history be rewritten?

Hypothetical: Nuclear Flashpoint, Israel & Iran 2012

The year is 2012, and tensions already running high between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran have been further exacerbated by the rapid development of Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program, as well as the continued threat of terrorism in the region. Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmedenijad, now in his last year of office, is pursuing the acquisition of proper defence mechanisms, a move that poses a high risk to the already volatile Middle Eastern shatterbelt and his politically limited republic. The ninth Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, faces crippling conflict on several fronts: not only against Iran, but also Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and even closer to home, Palestine. Due to the War on Terror, Al-Qaeda’s resources have been depleted to all but a bare minimum. Yet the organisation continues to exist, scattered around the Middle East, particularly on the western outskirts of Iran- their only safe haven. 

When an unmarked nuclear test missile is detonated on the Iraqi-Iranian border with no nation claiming responsibility, all eyes turn to Israel and Iran: the only nations in the region with nuclear capabilities. Can Israel manage to avoid possible destruction from all of its borders? Is Iran taking the first steps toward becoming a regional hegemonic power? And, has Al-Qaeda's desperation to survive and fulfill their long standing goals sparked a new Cold War based on religion?