Open Thread April 12, 2007
Posted by damienpfister in Assignments.trackback
If there are issues you want to share as a result of today’s conference, you can do so here.
Verbal Perambulation
Just another WordPress.com weblog
trackback
-
Recent Comments
Jane on Comments from Self-Evalua… Neo on Comments from Self-Evalua… Neo on Comments from Self-Evalua… Halo on Comments from Self-Evalua… pepFekinace on Comments from Self-Evalua…
i think the confrence is a lot more difficult then i thought it was goign to be, and overall a lot less fun. It is difficult to argue a position such as mine, the European Union who doesnt really say what their stance is on anything. I think everyone is doing a nice job staying in character, so that is good, but overall this is not really so much fun, and i’m kinda sad we are ending the class this way.
You know, I’ve been thinking about this all weekend. It seems like people aren’t enjoying the conference quite as much as they thought they might. It’s a bit frustrating–we have all the wiggle room in the world to discuss and vote on different things and solve the worlds problems, but a whole new set of problems has arisen: namely, people are stuck playing fairly inflexible roles, trying to advance their points without being able to compromise. And without people willing to compromise, the whole process of discussion really becomes increasingly difficult.
In other words, international politics is _hard_. For anyone who follows international politics, I think that you might well be seeing some similar patterns of interaction here. The recalcitrance of one country–often China, but just as often the United States these days–delays or prevents compromises from emerging. So…if you’re getting frustrated, then you’re in good company…because virtually everyone is frustrated at the international level.
The question is, suggestions to move forward? What do we do to make it more enjoyable and productive?
I have to agree with Jack…although I missed the first day of la conferencia (lo siento)…I am rather unhappy with the way things are progressing and regret that this is our last “hurrah” so to speak. In fact the only enjoyment I see coming from fellow students is when someone breaks character to say something slightly witty and everyone laughs. But perhaps the object of the conference is not to entertain so much as to inform–that being said…I feel as if most people have been fairly clear with their country/organization/person’s viewpoint(s) and I don’t see much progression from there.
Am I out of line? Do I ever care if I’m out of line? Thoughts??
bring cake.
..that’s my suggestion to make it more enjoyable.
I am enjoying the conference, but I am abnormal. It isn’t as “fun” as our past discussions, because I feel we got so used to informal discussion and the ability to tell our own stories—both things I’ve enjoyed as well. I would hate to scratch the conference, because I did so much research on my character. However, I guess we could perhaps open it up to being in our own characters, rather than having to play roles. I feel that there is underrepresentation of one viewpoint (anti-humanitarian intervention) which almost makes it redundant. Perhaps if we tried to reach a resolution based on the information we have researched, but as ourselves, this would make the majority of the class happy and perhaps be a more “fun” way to end the class.
Perhaps an intermediate step might be to stay strongly in character on Tuesday, but actively pursue concessions; then step slightly out of character on Thursday when we have to come to some real resolution to the issues.
What do I mean when I say concessions? Well, when someone disagrees with something, try to figure out what it woul take to get them to change their mind. For example, when China says “I disagree with all humanitarian intervention for national sovereignty reasons,” try to get a little below the surface there. Instead of asking “would you disagree with intervention in this case?” try asking “what would it take to get you to support intervention?” Perhaps China will then open up about a real concern–energy insecurity. If energy insecurity is the root cause of China’s objections, then perhaps the conference can make some sort of statement about what to do to address the root causes of conflict (one of which might be considered energy insecurity).
I don’t know if that helps, but it might point us in the direction of negotiation rather than freewheeling discussion, which might be slightly more productive. I think that people can introduce some flexibility into their characters on Tuesday–so, for example, it would be ok if China relaxed a little on national sovereignty and went along with the group, assuming it could get some concession to satisfy it’s constituents. (Not singling China out here, just came to mind as a salient example.)
Does that help a bit?
Because I was sick on Thursday I sort of waited for comments to see how things went before responding but from what I can tell, people are only discussing things in the narrow view of this topic. As Damien pointed out, when international politics are going on, people cut deals and sometimes try to bully others into consent. This is what can make simulations really fun. Maybe instead of straight formal discussion we should add in caucus time so we can make alliances and determine .. “incentives” .. to get obstinant countries to do what we want. This can make things really interesting.
Oh .. and I agree with Luke. Food is always good.
I like the idea of negotiation; however, I think that for some of us it will be easier to negotiate than others.
For example, China’s worldview is different than the Western view, as we’ve been seeing, and I feel that for China it would be very difficult to come up with a hypothetical negotiation and say:
“You know what? Although our worldview is that organizations (in the workplace and governmental) should be like families, so we support sovereignty rather than humanitarian intervention, as long as the U.S. makes a deal to export their oil from Alaska, we will support humanitarian intervention after all.”
Especially since China has its own “genocide” going on (Falun Gong http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2922644).
I understand that we could be a little less strict on sticking to our character’s views, but then that pretty much defeats the purpose, in my opinion…how much is too much to get out of character?
I’m not trying to shut down these ideas…I’m just trying to point out a concerns.
I’m all for staying in character throughout the conference. We are getting all sides of this topic called discussion and sometimes everyone doesn’t get their way (China).
I think it’s pretty tough to compromise on anything if we’re staying fully in character this week. Also, I’m feeling a little frustrated during the voting process. It’s important to recognize that the majority of groups/countries are mainly FOR intervention, posing a problem for China, me (noam chomsky) and other countries. Anti-intervention countries are definitely outnumbered, posing a problem for our input for the final resolution. I find it difficult to participate during the conference knowing that whatever your country/character wants isn’t going to be welcomed by the majority of the group.
I find myself agreeing with the majority of what is being said here. I think that everyone is getting worried about the grade they will receive, myself included, especially this being our last grade in the course. I have difficulty in my position as a citizen of Darfur, in that, my stance is pretty “plain.” My point being: almost everyone in the class is having difficulty with their role , in one way or another. I think breaking roles would help with participation, and perhaps, accomplish more compromise, but then we defeat the purpose of our conference goals. I am at a loss for a resolution. I like the idea of “being ourselves” on Thursday. Perhaps we should just stay the course until then and not leave with a bad taste in our mouths, because up until this point, the class has been kickass! So, lets buck up, bring in some food, and try and enjoy the last classes as best we can!
i feel so popular. i love being china. hehe.
I feel like remaining in character is important, because I for one do not feel like my views should be compromised just because i am the minority. However, i guess we must come to a resolution. So if that means that i get sucked up with the majority vote and compromise my views, then thats what happens. Its always the little guys, eh?
In all, I propose that for the next few days we remain in character, but can stretch a little to come up with some sort of resolution or document so everyone is relatively happy. Even if our character would not normally budge that much. So, let’s discuss. With cookies. Or cupcakes.
More input? Half the class hasn’t said anything…
It seems to me that we will never really get anywhere if we stay in character. In my opinion, none of us have the actual knowledge background and experience in this area to make this a realistic and incredibly worth while (in or out of character). Maybe i’m just being a debbie downer and I’m sorry for that. Even if we can’t come up with a bitchin/righteous resolution, the whole thing is still a good learning experience, i suppose. And since as of now everything is still as we originally planned..and I’m a rep of the Org. of African Unity.. Hey let’s make up something to fix all of the problems in Africa.. even you China. It won’t kill you to spread some love…for real.
Since I spend my time craning my ear for every word for note taking purposes as the scribe I can sense the class’s frustration. I can see everyone fighting to stay in character and how difficult that can be when they don’t agree (though Sarah does an excellent job with it). I think tomorrow we should focus on the resolution, at least regarding the WHEN problem if that is all we have time for, and then Thursday have a more typical discussion as ourselves (one where my hand doesn’t cramp from taking down every word). I’d like to be able to participate more.
Charlotte
This is armchair quarterbacking, but I wish that we could have done this earlier in the semester. It seems like we are a bit rushed.
However, I do think this is a pretty good exercise and it shows how frustrating and complex international policy really is. If there was an easy way to solve these problems, they probably would not be an issue.
I’m fine with any idea really. Staying in character can be tough and really limits the discussion. I also think that regardless of how much research was done, it is pretty hard to represent someone or some country on an “international” stage. Some people, just are not politically focused or educated. This has been a cause for some personal frustration for sure, and I have talked with others in the class who feel the same way.
Regardless, playing a character is fun, challenging, and in some ways rewarding.
One question…. Where is the UN in this conference, as the United States, I have often fallen into speaking on behalf of the United Nations.
Donuts are yummy and I vote for those.
Sean McCormack is pretty ill right now and will probably suck tomorrow in class.
-Nate (Sean)
i agree with what others have already said… i really do not like the conference. the topic i recieved believes God should help anyone who needs it… i thought that we were each going to get a topic relating to the same thing… but we didnt… when i asked about my topic i was told to focus on sudan… i think if everyone was who they are but focus on intervetion in one certain place it would work out a lot better… right now there is just way too much and everyone is on a different level and topic
I agree with what alot of people are saying..this conference is not nearly as fun as i though it was going to be. Its hard to compromise and come up with a document when everyone has their set stances on these issues. for me, i have my stances on issues and i dont want to compromise because i feel that i am not staying in character then. i think on thursday we should all say our own opinions on the subject rather than that of our characters for the conference. I dont remember who said this but i am also kind of sad that we are ending on such a note as the conference..we have such a good class and the semester was so interesting and fun on most days that i wish we were doing something along those lines again.
We can’t rush and try to force someting through in today’s class. See how things go and worry on Thursday. We can’t just slap documents together, they take time. We can start today and work on getting something ready for Thursday.