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Hey guys!   I hope y'all are getting pumped for conference -- only a few weeks away!   In the meantime, it is crucial to continuously follow current news regarding the Middle East while addressing our CRISIS topic since it's is a chance for you to deeply involve yourself in ongoing controversies that take place within the real world.   Aside from the rise of terrorism within Middle East, we must pay attention to how the regional community responds to such crises, though this is difficult since immediate political action is often halted by internal strife. In particular, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (check out the topic synopsis!) has played within the ongoing accusations of Palestinians for financially supporting terrorist organizations. However, as the topic itself remains controversial, Israel's own internal crisis has merely heightened tensions of political authority, international recognition, and social dominance. Within this article, you will find...

Hi everyone, Hope you guys are doing well. Just to give a bit more light on blogs, my vice chairs and I will be making posts every week about news and articles that we feel are relevant to our topic for CRISIS committee as well as other posts about position papers and actual committee proceedings. I suggest trying your best to keep up to date on current events within the Middle East as well as any news relevant to your countries. I also highly encourage posting your own thoughts in the comments section, and my dais will do our best in replying to all of your comments. To start things off, I came across an interesting article in the New York Times about the Kurdish fighters in Syria known as the People's Protection Units, or Y.P.G. The Y.P.G. played a major role in pushing the Islamic State out of northeastern Syria backed by U.S. military support. However, the Y.P.G. is now involved in increasing tensions with Turkish forces in northwestern Syria. Moreover, the Y.P.G. has also ...

Hello! I'm Serena Wang, and I'll be one of your vice chairs alongside Moriah and Anish! I grew up in San Diego, California, and I'm currently a junior here at Berkeley studying Political Science and Arabic. Berkeley Model UN has been a tremendous eye-opening experience for me at Cal, and I'm super excited for our CRSIS committee this March as the topics relate to my previous internship experience at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in addition to my personal interest in Middle Eastern politics. See you guys soon!

Hi everyone! My name is Moriah Meyers. I'm from Palo Alto, California, and I am a first-year at Berkeley studying Political Science. Outside of BMUN, I am an editor for the International Relations Review of Berkeley, and in my free time, I enjoy hiking and writing. I'm so excited to meet you all soon!

Hi everyone! My name is Andy Luo, and I will be your CRISIS head chair for BMUN LXVI! I am currently a junior here at Cal studying Economics and Molecular Cell Biology, but I'm originally from a small town in New Jersey called Plainsboro. Some things that I like to do in my free time include playing basketball, working out, trying out different types of food, and hanging out with my friends. Last summer, I had the awesome opportunity to work at a biotechnology company in San Diego called ACEA Biosciences. I am super stoked about being the head chair for this committee this year, and I can't wait to interact with you guys over the next months. Of course, my vice chairs and I are even more excited to actually meet you guys this coming March! The topic for CRISIS this year will Counter-terrorism and Regional Stability in the Middle East. If you have any questions about me, my background, my experience here at Cal, BMUN, or our committee, feel free to ask!  Andy

Hey guys! I am Anish Vankayalapati and I will be serving as your vice-chair at BMUN LXVI. I am a freshman at UC Berkeley intending to major in Applied Mathematics. I am from Hyderabad, India, although I did live in Los Altos, California for about half a decade. Apart of MUNing, I enjoy playing and watching soccer, playing video games like Metal Gear Solid and reading Stephen King books. I joined BMUN because I know what a transformative experience participating in a MUN can be and I wanted to help facilitate that for the high schoolers who will be coming to BMUN. Looking forward to meeting all of you!