Crisis Procedure

CRISIS PROCEDURE

Please note that during crisis some rules of procedure will be suspended.

How to Write Crisis Notes (Personal/Private Directives)

Crisis Notes are the dominant medium for taking individual action in committee by using your portfolio powers. Delegates will continually sending Crisis Notes to shape the crisis at hand, to both fix the issue and bring more power or prestige to themselves.

Main Components of a Solid Crisis Note

Memorable Title (can be funny or serious, but needs a name, tends to be to crisis room)
Addressee (Somebody under your command, or just their title, or just the crisis room)
Specific orders or actions that you would like to see undertaken
What you expect/hope will be the result (So the Crisis Staff can figure out what the result will be if they don’t understand your goal)
Signature, with your title, on the front

Goals

Demonstrate expertise and thorough planning to impress Crisis Staff
Clearly state what you want, and why, so they can decide to grant or deny it
Do it so well that the crisis staff is afraid to shoot you down without good reason
Make sure it is realistic and you have the power to do it

Example of a Personal/Private Directive

Operation Nautilus

TO: Admiral of the 7th Fleet, Thomas Fitzwallace

INSTRUCTIONS:

Under my authority as Commander, USPACOM, move the following ships from the US base in Yokosuka, Japan to 15 nautical miles NE of the Straits of Malacca in the South China Sea:
- 2 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers: Fitzgerald and Stethern
- 1 Virginia Class Submarine: USS Texas (SSN-775)
- They will be moved on the 15th of September, 2015 at 21:30 (GMT+9)
- They will patrol the area and protect oil trade to the Philippines, a close US ally
Through these measures, I expect all piracy against commercial and military vessels in the area to cease, and any pirates to be captured and reported to me.

SIGNED: Commander Harper, US Pacific Command

How to Write Committee Directives (Public Directives)

While Crisis Notes are how you take individual action, Directives are how you take committee action, instead of long-form resolutions. Just like in any Model UN Committee, the goal is to sponsor (write) as many strong directives as possible.

Main Components of a Solid Committee Directive

Memorable Title (can be funny or serious, but needs a name)
Specific orders or actions that you would like to see undertaken
Sponsors and Signatories
(Note: In different committees, the Chair may require different numbers of signatories, anywhere from three to half the committee)

Goals

Demonstrate innovative ideas that the rest of the committee isn’t thinking of
Position yourself as the leader of the idea, and defend it against opposition
Pass the directive as a committee to positively impact the crisis with your ideas

Example of a Public Directive:

Directive: Seoul Food

Sponsors: Minister of Commerce, Minister of Culture

Signatories: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice

Release emergency food stores to the Korean public, to be distributed by police forces over the next two weeks, to reduce rates of malnutrition and starvation from this conflict;
Request assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross is providing clean water to residents of Seoul, Incheon, Uijeongbu, and Ansan as needed;
Establish emergency lodging centers in non-essential government buildings for individuals that have been displaced due to recent violence;
Temporarily cease exports of agricultural products and order mandatory sale of all foods to the Ministry of Agriculture for 50% below market value to help mitigate the current food crisis.

Communiqués

Communiqués are messages that delegates in a Crisis Committee can send on behalf of the entire committee to another country, organization, the Dais, or more importantly to the external world. These often facilitate dialogue with relevant actors in a crisis. Communiqués may include negotiations, threats, as well as requests for aid or support, but are not limited to those topics. In fact, the crisis staff may send communiqués to individual delegates with new information or intelligence, with directions on how to use that information. Keep in mind that a communiqué needs to be just as well worded as a directive. Moreover, this can be where your inner linguist shines since the tone of a letter or communique can absolutely change the meaning of it, and affect the outcome in the overall scope of committee.

Example of a Communiqué:

Dear Mr. Phillip Hammond, It has come to our attention that British naval forces are currently forming a blockade across the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, and blocking United States naval vessels. This is a threat to both our national security as well as economic security and we will not take it lightly. We expect full compensation for damages to trade, as well as full reversal of the blockade. In your capacity as the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defense, stop this nonsense or face consequences.

Sincerely, The United States Cabinet

Press Releases

Press releases are similar to communiqués in the fact that they are sent from the
committeeasawhole; thedifferencelies in thefact that apress releaseisaddressed
to the public. Press releases can help sway the opinions of the public or even
Provoke public reactions to crises at hand. This could range from civil unrest over
Issues of human rights committed by a member state, corruption discovered that
Engages a member of the cabinet, or even the possible calls for a presidential or
Executive resignation. An example of apres release is provided below:

Example of a Press Release:

Recent reports from news sources indicate that an alien spacecraft crashed through
our atmosphere and landed somewhere in the desert near Las Vegas, Nevada.
After investigation, the Department of Defense has issued a statement that the
downed craft was a prototype Air Force research project. Unfortunately, it still needs
somework. The Cabinet would like to extend regrets over the lives lost in the crash
and dispel rumors of alien landings.

To "succeed" when in a crisis committee, means that you have successfully represented your character throughout the simulation. In some cases, you will need to focus purely on one of the types of reactions/actions; however, you will most likely need to utilize all in some combination to have the greatest influence on the committee. And that’s it! You now have a command of the basic tools that you will need to function in a crisis-based committee!

One more thing you should know for all crisis simulations is that the crisis staff acts as the response team for every action you or a member of the committee could take. Every time one of the above actions takes place, the crisis team responds according to the direction of the storyline as well as the numerous other actions being taken by the rest of the committee.

As you, as a delegate, input the specific decisions and actions you would like to carry out, the crisis team will counter back with a reaction from the bodies, actors, and others beyond the walls of the committee room. All of these will require your rapid and thoughtful response as you continually navigate the terrain of the various Crisis Committees at WAMUNCC.