Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation
PICSIM Invitation Letter
Dear Head Delegate,
The Princeton University International Relations Council would like to cordially invite you to our second annual Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation Conference (PICSim). PICSim will be held at Princeton University from February 17th to 20th 2005. My name is Tomas Blanco, and it is my honor to serve as the Chairman of the 2005 edition of our conference. Last year’s inaugural conference turned out to be a very enjoyable and unique experience, both for us and for the attending delegates. Our staff has been working with great energy to make this year’s session an even bigger success, and we look forward to your decision to join us in what will surely be a wonderful and original experience for you and your delegation.
PICSim is not a traditional Model UN Conference. MUN committees tend to work in isolation, each committee oblivious to the actions of others, or even the issues that others address. At PICSim, we have striven for a model that closely simulates the real world. The eleven committees with be completely interactive and crisis driven; the actions of one will have repercussions on the others, and will provoke reactions from across the board. The issues will be integrated, with crises on both macro and micro levels. Official diplomacy is only one of many tools available to world leaders; however immediate fiscal, economic and military options and their immediate consequences are often forgotten during deliberations in traditional Model UN conferences. In our conference we also address the involvement of non-state actors, such as rebel groups, multilateral agencies, terrorists, private economic interests, quasi-national agencies, and the media in international politics.
This year, PICSim will be focused
on Central Africa. This is a region that needs little introduction
as to the grave problems that plague it. Poverty, war, hunger, and
disease are at the top of the list, but they certainly do not mark
the end. As delegates, you will take your place in national cabinets,
multi-nation councils, a UN taskforce, a corporate summit, a foreign
intelligence agency, and a trans-national rebel group to tackle
these issues head on, in cooperation or in conflict. Scenarios will
be crisis driven, with a stress on swift policy responses and an
easy flowing, non-cumbersome committee dynamic.
Like last year, PICSim will be held on the scenic Princeton University
campus, with the delegates housed in the luxurious Nassau Inn just
a stone’s throw away. Such a simulation demands a high level
of technological sophistication, and the conference will be held
in some of the best-endowed locations on the Princeton campus.
We have enclosed preliminary registration information and other conference details courtesy our Chargé d’Affaires, Jeanne Zelmati. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us with any questions you might have. We are extremely excited about PICSim 2005 and look forward to you joining us for what promises to be a stimulating and uniquely enjoyable experience!
Sincerely,
Tomas Blanco
Chairman, PICSim 2005.
