Interesting Developments

With the 31st anniversary of Iran's revolution, a controversial declaration regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities was made by President Ahmadinejad. Take a look at this article for some of the stir that has caused internationally.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2552810

As the conference approaches, please keep up to date with current events such as these. Feel free to send in any questions you have about your country and/or conference details and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

NMUN background paper

NMUN is a highly respected model UN conference for university students and each year their staff prepares a number of fabulous background papers. This one covers the topic of the trade and traffic of nuclear material and is definitely worth looking at.

Background Papers!

Background papers for HSMUN 2010 have been released!

The Illicit Trade and Traffic of Nuclear Material

The Militarization of the Arctic

Good luck with your research!

Into the New Year

Hey All,

As the conference slowly approaches, (and we can no longer ignore our responsibilities to keep on top of research-related commitments) it is worthwhile to look at some of the notable events of 2009 towards the topic of nuclear diplomacy. The IAEA has put together a "Year in Review" that is a great place to look at some of the big stories from the last year, and gives a taste for international strategies in dealing with nuclear issues. Take a look here http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2009/year_in_review.html

Remember, the blogs are helpful tools for starting points to research, but they are not the only resources delegates are expected to consult. Try to stay up to date with news so that relevent, contemporary examples can be used in debate.

DISEC

Another Article

Hey Guys,

Here is an article about Canada and the "Battle for the Arctic" that provides a decent overview of the situation: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2009/battleforthearctic/

In other news today a group of men from Papua New Guinea have been rescued after more than two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean. This has nothing to do with our topics but it's crazy so it made the post.

Update

Here is an old, but still relevent article concerning efforts to strengthen the NPT regime and limit production of weapons-grade Uranium and Plutonium.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092401721.html

Another, somewhat antiquated, but nonetheless relevent article on the situation that Canada faces in the Arctic, and some information regarding plans by other states to protect what they feel is theirs.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/08/16/matt-gurney-promises-aren-t-enough-to-protect-the-arctic.aspx

Welcome

Greetings!

The powers that be have decided to enforce a stricter internet-based pedagogy this year, so these blogs will (ideally) become a more useful tool. With that in mind, the DISEC committee is hoping that delegates will be dilligent about keeping up to date on relevent world events that pertain to the topics at hand.

Aside from regular sources of news, the International Atomic Energy Association (IEAE) keeps an excellent record of important events related to nuclear material, diplomacy and world events. The 'News Center' and 'Daily Press Review' are both excellent sections to find up to date information on this topic. They can be found at http://www.iaea.org/

The Arctic Militarization topic will also likely find its way into local news, but don't hesitate to look at less conventional sources. This article from GlobalResearch provides an introductory insight to some of the main issues and key players. It is a good starting point for further research http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6586

More to come, so please check in periodically.

Cheers,

The DISEC team.