Troops on Alert [2012 Archive]

The fact that it took place in an executive conference room high up on the 14^th floor was not the only thing unique about the Security Council. The minute the delegates stepped into that room they were presented with a crisis. They were immersed in the crisis of the ongoing tension between Israel and Lebanon. I walked into the mundane looking room as the dais eagerly urged the exhilarated delegates to create directives. They were elbow deep in a moderated caucus to discuss the placement of troops on the Israeli-Lebanese border in order to “investigate the helicopter,” according to an excited delegate.

Confused about the events that have transpired in room 14-01, I decided to walk around and do some investigating of my own. Just as I realized I was getting nowhere, the Chair coincidentally decided to list the three main topics being discussed at the moment. First was the discovery of the helicopter and the missing crew. The second subject at hand was the efforts being taken to ensure that hostility between Israel and Lebanon did not reoccur. Last but not the least was the attempt to investigate the source of the weapon used. As a person who just walked in the room fifteen minutes ago, I confess that I found myself utterly bewildered. I finally decided to ask a fellow delegate about the issue at hand and thankfully, the mystery unraveled as she spoke.

Apparently, an Israeli helicopter was shot down in Israel and Lebanon was suspect because of the ongoing tension between the two nations. It appears as though Hezbollah, specifically, was the lead suspect in this case.

As the situation in the room became crystal clear, it was rather thrilling to watch and listen to the delegates debating the situation and produce sharp and innovative solutions. There was a discussion on placing troops at the Israeli-Lebanese border as India tenaciously declared that the troops on alert have to be careful in case Syria decides to intervene. It was definitely perceptive of the delegation of India to allude to Syrian interruption because that started a long chain of discussions regarding this matter.

I watched as the discussion evolved from brief rhetoric about Chinese medical troops to advancing the inspection of the explosive that caused the crash. Out of all the committees I have been a part of, this one has been particularly interesting because they were presented with a crisis that took place in present time and were forced to recognize and include outside factors as well, such as Syria. It also proved itself to be an incredibly difficult topic because it requires not only the knowledge on the assigned country and information on current events around the world,  but it also necessitates the ability to improvise and solve real world issues on the spot and devise answers to the complex questions left unanswered by the unrest in the Middle East.