The Olive Branch Issue II

8/10/2019 The Olive Branch Issue II

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The Humans of MUNQSMUN

So I submitted the MUNQS form for every successive year from class 9 to class 11.

One day, I decided to sit in one of the mock sessions being held in *coughs*

legitimately *coughs* seized classroom.

Jibraan called me on the side and told me to speak up. And so I did. Well, the rest is

history. Best Delegate Zeste, Best Delegate RISMUN...don t mention TIS, though.

My sir is looking at me

So at this *name removed* MUN, I encountered this little girl of about my age.

Well, she insisted on dragging me to the darkest corners of her school,

basement and all. And I ceded. In retrospect, people might just have gotten the

wrong impression

How heavy is a polar bear?

*desperately waits for reaction*

Heavy enough to break the ice

*clicks suggestively*

What impact do you think the IP has

on an MUN?

Well we shift around like b*****s

*5 seconds later*

No, seriously.

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THE SECOND ISSUE | 10 10 14


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Branch

Kashyap

Chauhan

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY)

"Where everything is an opinion, unless stated otherwise..."

By Radhika Joshi & Banipreet Kaur

The committee started off with chaos of doubts and clarifications, which seemed to end when the executive board stated thathe committee started off with chaos of doubts and clarifications, which seemed to end when the executive board stated that

even songs will be entertained as a General Speaker's List (GSL) speech. The first speaker in the GSL, the delegate of India,

started giving solutions right away, followed by the delegate of Germany, who was extremely passionate about the idea of merely

sitting in the committee. The next in line was the delegate of Canada, who believed that the United Nations had come a "long

way" since its creation. He stated that that the committee was gathered today to "decide the fate of these territories which are

under administration of other independent nations."

An interesting discussion was initiated regarding the status of Quebec, which confused the poor delegate as to the status of hisn interesting discussion was initiated regarding the status of Quebec, which confused the poor delegate as to the status of his

country. Then, as the floor was opened for motions, the committee saw a peculiar mathematical error by the delegate of Spain,

who wanted each speaker's time to be two minutes, yet the total time of the moderated caucus to be twenty seconds. The

committee proceeded to a more substantial discussion in the moderated caucus, in which the delegate of India raised points on

the social involvement, opening up to different cultures, and said that a country needs to be a good democracy.

Eveverything, from the geographical factors to the political factors of Non-Self Governing Territories were debated upon, yelled upon,

shrieked upon and howled upon. (We understand your plight, our dear first timers )

Now let's hope that the heated debate continues, directing the committee to a substantial debate hereinafter.


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onetheless, after getting past the minor disruptions, the committee convened with a General Speaker s List. It progressed

hile the United Kingdom consistently blamed the Sudanese government for supporting the militia in their nation, the

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Photos by Mahima Naik


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The Lost Wanderers

By Devyani Mahajan and Rhea Datta

The committed witnessed its commencement in a rather slothful manner. However the zeal to break the agenda down

and formulate solutions was crystal clear in their voices chits and laptop screens.

With each country focussing on the luxuries provided by their respective governments to the prisoners of wars the

road to the resolution seemed to be extremely foggy. Like every debate the first few words spoken explained the

agenda in a layman language. Hysterics reached their peaks when the comprehension of the word detainees took

the spotlight. However the points of order proclaimed their existence as the delegate of Germany stated how Nazi

regime died with Hitler in 1945 itself thence not holding the present system guilty for the genocides. Repetition of the

agenda without actual deliberation forced the Executive Board to directly encourage the delegates to move into an

unmoderated caucus keeping aside the fact that the committee had alnmoderated caucus keeping aside the fact that the committee had already entertained one minutes before. Lack of

individualism prevailed in some of the diplomats. The delegate of Belgium followed the ideologies of Obama while

countries like the USA and UK voiced indifferent debates.

An abundance of unmoderated caucuses and bewildered delegates was all that comprised the first half of the days

conference. On the crayoned side of the page the members did not lose hopes and came up with better issues in the

following hours.

by Anushka Kapoor. Photos by Madhav Bagai.

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Chasing Tail Ends of Technicalities

By Harsh Sinha and Vidushi Rijuta

The debate gained momentum slowly preceding which the executive board deflected questions about the marking

scheme by not acknowledging its existence setting off the highly technical committee in motion. Even before formally

initiating debate on the required agenda the committee took some time to debate what agenda was to be adopted

first.

The delegation of Nigeria emphasized the dihe delegation of Nigeria emphasized the difference between non-international armed conflict and international armed

conflict. This was followed by a spat between the delegation of Belgium and France with regards to the presence of

American troops in Afghanistan.

Under humanitarian laUnder humanitarian law law of armed conflict has come to stalemate as most wars are held in guise of international

conflicts and covert operation. the lone delegate of Belgium stated providing an example of Afghanistan where the

United States of America and NATO intervened without UN consent. While France claimed that the American troops

had only begun their attacks after it had been cleared with the Security Council Belgium remained adamant that not

only had the American troops been present in Afghanistan but had been committing war crimes long before any kind

of acknowledgment from the Security Council.

Delegations pelegations provided their definitions of international armed conflict ranging from vague terminology of similar to war

to being in reference only to internal hostilities or conflicts between two countries and not a country and a rebellion

group. The delegation of the USA stated their belief that when two countries are at war it is termed an international

armed conflict. However when the situation comprises of allied countries against the rebellion group this definition is

considered invalid. Proclaiming that having a Big Brother role obligated them to help little nations in dire needs the

delegation was subject to heavy criticism from the fellow delegations.

The committee holds expectations of a mohe committee holds expectations of a more concise direction of debate for the rest of the conference where the dele-

gates finally let go off the tail ends of technicalities.

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Kanwar


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The Conference Staff: Now with an integrated invisibility cloak

A hypothetical and hopefully accurate account

So I look in your direction,

But you pay me no attention, do you?

I know you don't listen to me.

'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you?

-ColdplayColdplay

Thishis rather romanticized (and completely out of context, mind you) verse from Shiver manages to sum up everything I, as the

one who lurks in the deep murky swamps of chit passing, have ever felt. I am a shadow, a specter; a supposedly mere and

insignificant mediator of the conference. My names vary from conference staff to oye to even just a more rigorous shaking

of the chit. I feel that this loss of identity in being lumped with the others is perhaps the worst part. It would be nice to be

called by name just once in every while. The ruthless delegates look at me, but do they really? Am I not as integral to the

confeonference as they are? Then why do I feel like the confines of a committee hall have descended into a hierarchy, of which I

form the lowest rung?

I frantically run about the committee room passing chits as frivolous as OMG what are you wearing tomorrow? to Kuch nayi

pata mujhe yaar, vots goin on whilst the delegates continue to play Angry Birds/Flappy Bird/New Addictive Birdie Trash with

that Im all business faade of a face, because obviously the EB marks you on how serious you look in committee.

Although a brilliant learning experience that I have the immense privilege of being a part of, a little gratitude wont hurt.

And you? PLEASE stop shaking that chit. I dont appreciate the vibrate mode setting youre perpetually stuck on. Also, here's

your extra chitpad. And pendrive. And report. And water bottle. And laptop. Oh, I forgot the charger is it? How very

incompetent of me.

Surbhi Sachdeva

Lament of a Chit

By: Kartik Maini

I am a chit, irrevocably so. Albeit just a piece of paper, my journey spans several hands, few minds and careless glances.

My birth is from intellect, and so I lay, with spurring vanity and blistering intellect. I wear my descent like a crown. Lying dazed

in my humble meditation, the transfer is stirringly perturbing. What must the fault of a little piece of paper be to be tossed

around, lain in several hands, and not even find careful minds at receipt?

The other dahe other day, the delegate I was in possession of, in his unbecoming fury and vanity, hurried a contentious message to

another. Does he not know how must the sharp end of a pen he holds ever so carelessly hurt my insides, especially when

he is audacious enough to be as ruthless as he can? Human relations shall always be an ever illusive mystery to me, for I'd

rather confront than vent my fury on a defenseless piece of paper. Thereon I was handed to a logistic who had his hands

allready full, and I was carelessly dropped on the floor I lay, silent, eyeing the careless nut with a reproaching glance. I was

not seen Can you believe it? And then came the stodgy footstep, slamming me till the depths of my existence. Just as I

was about to endeavor to clean myself, I met a rough hand and so I was handed, to another delegate just as cruel and

careless. When life comes to me, I shall take the sharpest of pens, etch the most ruthless of strokes and stomp with the

dirtiest of feet on this puny species This shall be my vengeance.

Having given them the libeaving given them the liberty of my handling, it was so foolish of me to read what was written. Theretofore, my life was a

complacent dream of meaningful existence of transferring wisps of intellects from one mind to another. What agony I

endured for this And the chits just smashed my dream. On my body, there lay the flirtiest of pickup lines, the raunchiest of

flirts, and the most useless of conversations. I am made from the severing of countless trees, and they deem it fit to waste

me. What fools

I don't think I should feel for my pdon't think I should feel for my preposterous circumstances, for I function regardless. I shall be etched with the worst of

things in the worst of ways whilst being handled in the worst of manners to be received in the most careless of ways. How

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The Olive Branch Issue II