Model NATO - Student Conference Blog #1

While most Canadians probably know of NATO either from school or the news, seldom do they truly understand or appreciate NATO’s function in the world. In our North American cocoon, safely isolated from the wider world, Canadians tend to forget that Canada is an active and respected member of the international community. Membership in the world’s preeminent military alliance, along with our unique geographical position, has been the key drivers of Canadian foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. With the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine and trouble near Europe's borders, NATO is more relevant now than anytime since the end of the Cold War. Being an International Studies major, I was familiar with the Alliance but only had a vague understanding of its inner workings.

This past July I had the incredible opportunity to attend a weeklong event hosted by SFU and funded (in part) by NATO and the Department of National Defense. The 2016 Global Model NATO summit hosted in Vancouver was a first of its kind summit focused on accurately recreating NATO’s work and procedures with a focus on learning by doing. While this was not the first time students have organized a NATO summit, prior summits relied on Model UN rules and procedures, which are worlds apart. Participants were divided into sub committees and councils where mentors who had first hand experience working at NATO for their respective governments coached us.

The summit focused on dealing with a fictional crisis in the Mediterranean Sea with many modern day parallels. We also grappled with NATO’s response to Russian aggression and what NATO’s role in the Middle East, if any, should be. Work extended beyond active meeting hours however and most participants were dedicated to committee work even during unsocial hours. Interlaced with these simulations were workshops featuring a bevy speakers ranging from active military officers to renowned academics. These workshops covered diverse topics including, but not limited to, NATO’s role in the Middle East, the rise of China, and Canadian security policy. Questions were always encouraged and every speaker was enthusiastic and knowledge about their respective fields. The major highlight of the summit was a one day field trip to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on Vancouver Island. Once there we had the opportunity to take a tour of HMCS Regina, a Halifax class frigate. Beyond its physical representation of our naval capabilities, the Regina represented Canada’s greater commitment to defending the Alliance and promoting international security.

This trip served as a great reminder of the important, but often unrecognized, duties the Canadian armed services perform day after day. Getting the opportunity to socialize with fellow participants outside of scheduled activities was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the summit. Meeting young leaders from around the world helped to give the summit a truly international identity, appropriate given the nature of the alliance. Despite some summit growing pains I left filled with a wealth of NATO knowledge, a revitalized sense of national pride, and new lifelong friends. I strongly encourage all students to participate in next year’s summit which will undoubtedly be of even higher quality.

~ Bruce Liu (2016)