Discourse or dialogue in DISEC?

By Gianna Kwok

Nearing the end of council debate, a resolution main-submitted by the delegation of India was introduced to the council. A large portion of said resolution was centered around outlining core principles guiding security alliance. Some notable clauses included increasing greater transparency in alliance construction via implementing periodic dialogue and ensuring equity security in alliances, as well as encouraging public disclosure and information sharing between nations to build trust between nations and work together smoothly with newfound information to resolve transnational issues. However, other delegates brought up the strong argument of the struggle of reaching a consensus between countries with different national regulations. Shared military knowledge could also be exploited for personal interests, and this could incite war and increase the number of casualties. 

A particularly contentious proposal was also the gift exchange clause. Utilizing entertainment and culture as a token to negotiate peace was claimed to be “Flowery language and facades” by several delegates, and was said to be unable to tackle the root cause. Alternate solutions such as directing resources to initiating global conferences and communication platforms between nations were suggested instead. Upon intense debate, both problematic clauses were eventually struck, and delegates arrived at a consensus.

The decision to implement incentives for fundraising and pooling resources together for lesser developed countries was then debated upon, with delegates raising concerns of where such funds would come from, and which MEDCs would contribute to what proportion of the fund. While some countries agreed that all efforts possible should be made towards alleviating the burden of LEDCs, others believed that these funds might be used for corrupt purposes and would not be put towards establishing stability in regions. 

The resolution was passed after debating amendments, much to the council’s delight. Next came the light-hearted events of the conference, superlatives and Banter Box. As the chairs gleefully declared who was the most likely delegate to become Secretary General of the UN, and who was the most likely delegate to commit murder and get away with it, delegates of the council chattered excitedly while exchanging contacts, dwelling on the memorable moments in the past 2 days. 

Although the two day journey of the DISEC council was nearing its end, it was evident that the delegates had each learned from each other, be it more knowledge about worldly issues, speaking style, or how to compose themselves while negotiating with people with opposing views.