From Crisis to Potential: The Gulf Cooperation Council's Journey to Unity

January 12th, Michigan League - The MUNUM 2024 conference witnessed a dramatic number

of events in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The committee spent an immense amount of time

fighting with working papers, engaging in intense Q&A sessions, and going through voting

procedures on resolutions that would shape the trajectory of the conference for these delegates.

Gulf Cooperation Council Confronts the Middle East Crisis at MUNUM

This committee was tasked with addressing two significant Middle Eastern issues, focusing on

the 2011 Arab Spring on this day (1/12/24). To connect, the suicide of a Tunisian citizen sparked

widespread international protests that challenged government corruption and the lack of

economic organization across the region. In Bahrain, disapproval of the Sunni ruling family

created a fight by the citizens for greater political freedom for Shia Muslims. Here, Middle

Eastern governments faced great backlash, and for the first time, change must be made.

Resolution Drama Unfolds

Amidst the tensioned environment of the committee, a resolution paper titled "Directive Good"

took center stage, with sponsors under the spotlight reading the paper. Advocating for Shia

separation from Sunni Muslims, the paper suggested this be done by building separate mosques

by sectors of Islam, emphasizing tolerance within the Arab Nation for any practiced religion.

However, during the vigorous Q&A session of this paper, the delegation of Egypt, with opinions

as large as the pyramids, voiced strong disapproval, arguing that only domestic Middle Eastern

countries should be involved in the discussion of the Sunni Muslim issue in Bahrain –

considering it has become a widespread issue throughout all Arab nations, despite Egypt’s close

ties with non-domestic China – that’s irony.

China, in turn, questioned “Directive Good” on the achievability of the troop deployment from

Malaysia into the Arabian Peninsula (a suggestion in the paper). The delegation of China was

interested in understanding how two countries pulled apart geographically could agree to such a

decision. The response given was not parallel to the question. The delegation of Sri Lanka

criticized the potential for a civil war if troops were sent into Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to calm

the protests and ensure equal rights to practice any religion. Malaysia, the paper's sponsor,

claimed it was simply a scare tactic, deviating from the paper's written amendments. Clearly, the

paper faced criticism during the Q&A, and its fate was closed as "Directive Good" failed to gain

support in the voting processes.

KPOP (Keeping Peace Over Protection): A Paper with Signature Trouble

As the chairs of this committee introduced the working paper "Keeping Peace Over Protests"

(KPOP), an unnamed delegate raised a placard, questioning the validity of the paper considering

its lack of reach to the ratio of sponsors to signatures. Consequently, KPOP was not introduced

to the room. However, the chairs voiced an opportunity for the block working on this paper,

giving KPOP the chance to revisit the ratio and reintroduce the paper. The results of whether

KPOP could make a comeback remain uncertain. Here's to hoping for the best of luck for

KPOP's writers.

A Crossroads of Turmoil and Potential

On Friday, the GCC council struggled with the aftermath of not only a failed paper but also

immense debate and disagreement. This committee finds itself at a critical juncture. The question

now lingers: Will they unite in the opportunity for change? The answer remains uncertain, a

suspense that echoes through the halls of the Michigan League.

Reported by Isabella M. Doss (ICC delegate MUNUM 2024)