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Academic Spotlight: IP531 Arms Control Simulation

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"The Arms Control Simulation course, a major factor behind my decision to attend the Monterey Institute, proved to be one of the most rewarding educational and professional opportunities of my life."
- Elena Hushbeck, fall 2007 participant and Co-Chair of the Negotiating Conference

The Arms Control Simulation course is an interactive and unique way for Monterey Institute Nonproliferation and Conflict Resolution students to engage in real world negotiations aimed at resolving central nonproliferation challenges. The fall 2007 class simulated the 1991 Madrid Arms Control and Regional Security or "ACRS" process in the format of a High Level Working Group that was mandated to consider how to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

In order to gain a fresh perspective of the issues and to see the world through the eyes of others, students represented nations that were politically and culturally unfamiliar to them. For instance, an Egyptian student represented Israel, an Indian student represented Iran, an American student represented Syria, and a Chinese student represented the United States. Students also received controversial "instructions from capital" (ie instructions from the course instructor), and though difficult for some, as negotiators they were expected to defend their state's positions and convince others of their arguments.

Under almost constant media scrutiny (a teaching assistant was assigned the role of an Al Jareeza reporter who filmed the negotiations and interviewed the participants), students were forced to be at their best game everyday. Since each student assumed the roles of grunt researcher, intelligence officer, policy strategist and ambassador, successful participation required a thorough understanding of their state's posture to develop real-time and accurate national strategy papers, opening statements and conference working papers. Throughout the course, the identification of potential allies, and the establishment of their support, was critical. "Shuttle diplomacy" (or third-party mediation) was integral to the process and was often held in "clandestine" settings, such as the Libyan Embassy (CNS Conference Room E100) or the Russian Embassy (a student's home), with no official record in order to facilitate support. At times, delegations found themselves in the unfortunate position of being forced to make concessions for the greater good: that of progress towards their specific goals or the establishment of a MENWFZ.

With the help of the real experts, such as Ambassador Peter Goosen of South Africa (a primary negotiator of the Pelindaba Treaty and current ambassador in Buenos Aires), Ambassador Nabil Fahmy of Egypt to the United States (an architect of the ACRS process), Ambassador Richard Butler of Australia (a primary negotiator of the CTBT and former Executive Chairman of UNSCOM) and Ambassador Edmundo Vargas of Chile (former Secretary General of OPANAL), the students had a "behind the scenes" look at real negotiations and developed a deeper understanding of critical arms control issues. While some outside experts, such as Ambassador Fahmy and Ambassador Butler traveled to Monterey to participate in the course, innovative use of technology allowed others, such as Ambassador Goosen, to participate from Buenos Aires in real time.

The opening session of the negotiating conference was held in a formal atmosphere with students exchanging their normal 'student attire' for dark diplomatic suits while some wore colorful traditional outfits that were representative of their states. The UN High representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte, officially opened the Conference via video link from New York while simultaneous interpretation was provided (courtesy of MIIS Translation and Interpretation students). This gave the Opening Ceremony an authentic diplomatic atmosphere. During the simulation, the students faced the same critical issues that have delayed real-life progress towards the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. These issues include: the mandate of the treaty (weapons of mass destruction free zone vs. a nuclear weapons free zone), verification measures of the treaty (and the role of the IAEA itself), entry into force issues and the geographic scope of the zone. But perhaps the most challenging dilemma was how to circumvent an Israeli declaration of nuclear possession as a precursor to disarming, given that such a declaration would have prompted other Middle Eastern states to withdraw from the negotiations. As students attempted to work through the impasses, they were challenged by their state's real-life multilateral obligations, alliances and political pressures. True to the tragedy of real-life conferences, the class was unable to conclude a MENWFZ treaty. At the end, Egypt — not Israel, as expected — refused to accept a compromise text. However, the class managed to develop a "single text" negotiating document containing all of the elements of what a MENWFZ could look like.

The fall 2008 Arms Control Simulation class will be equally challenging and rewarding. Participating students will be tasked to simulate negotiations related to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review process. In preparation for the negotiating part of the course, lectures and talks by "real-world" negotiators will focus on political and technical issues as well as arms control negotiating practices and techniques. Students will assume the roles of negotiators representing key NPT State Parties and will be required to prepare concise policy papers and draft international legal texts. Emphasis will be placed on developing analytical and political skills relevant to operation in foreign ministry and international organization bureaucracies. As such, students will acquire advanced interpersonal and oral skills and will become familiar with the process of multilateral negotiations aimed at consensus building among a large number of divergent positions - certainly no easy feat.

Fall 2007 participant Jake Quamme best summarizes the spirit of the Arms Control Simulation course, "The learning curve was steep, but the format encouraged students to take the extra initiative to prepare for class — knowing the issues better than the other delegations was essential to effective negotiating and earning the support and confidence of your fellow delegates." In a field full of technical, legal and political complexities, this course offers Monterey Institute students the opportunity to fully investigate the issues and develop their negotiation skills and nonproliferation expertise. Simply put, this course will provide students with a hands-on experience and a chance to apply their research experiences and implement their negotiation skills in a real world environment. If you are up for this challenge, sign up for this exciting course!

For more information about the Arms Control Simulation course, please contact Jean du Preez, the course instructor, at jean.dupreez@miis.edu.

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