Students From Iraq To Attend Model UN

For the first time in the 51-year history of the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN), university students from Iraq will participate in this weekend’s conference, an annual simulation of the United Nations.

The visit of these six Iraqi students marks the first time in 35 years that Iraqi students have participated in a formal international conference, according to Robert Kerr, cultural affairs officer of the American embassy at Baghdad.

“Iraq is now a part of the world community again, yet people from Iraq, especially students, have no outside exposure to the rest of the world,” Kerr said.

During their five-day visit to Cambridge, the four males and two females will experience campus life as well as participate in the conference, which is sponsored by the International Relations Council (IRC) and open to college students worldwide.

Their trip—costing over $20,000—will be entirely paid for by the IRC and other Harvard sponsors, including the Ann Radcliffe Trust.

Hailing from Baghdad and Basrah, the students were assigned to represent the country of Australia during the UN simulation. They will also get the chance to interact with 2,100 students from over 15 different countries participating in the event.

“The idea behind a model United Nations is to look at international relations with other’s eyes,” said Matthew R. Smith ‘05, secretary-general of HNMUN.

Getting full exposure to the typically busy life of a Harvard student, the Iraqi visitors will have a jam-packed schedule during their time in Cambridge.

The students will attend the conference course Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1203, “Gender and the Cultures of US Imperialism,” appear at a variety of luncheons and receptions, and participate in a panel discussion open to the entire Harvard community.

Smith said he expects the college-aged students to offer an “interesting spin on Iraq.”

“They lived at the center of what is going on in international relations,” he said.

“Personal beliefs, perspectives, or aspirations on the Iraqi situation are not what we see in the news media,” said Dhruv Taneja ’07, an IRC board member and organizer of the Iraqi delegation’s on-campus events.

According to Kerr, the students are busy preparing for the conference and “very energized about the chance to come to the U.S.”

Kerr said that the visiting students are aware of the attention their visit will garner and feel the pressure of serving as representatives of the new Iraq after the overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

“Most of them expressed it was a dream for them to be able to come. They are aware of the fact that this type of travel would not have been possible under Saddam,” he added.

Security issues pose a concern for the visiting students, with the U.S. continuing to occupy the country after the 2003 invasion.

“They probably didn’t tell their classmates where they were going,” Kerr said. “There are still a great deal of security concerns about being associated with the U.S. or the American government.”

But despite worries, many Iraq students expressed interest in the program late last year. The U.S. embassy chose students based primarily on their English fluency, as well as interest and knowledge in international relations, Kerr said.

According to Kerr, the chosen students are well rounded and “like to read, like movies, and many of them, including the women, like sports.”

This visit to Harvard marks the first departure from the Middle East for all but one of the students. For most of the students, this trip is also the first venture out of Iraq.

HNMUN began its efforts to bring Iraqi students to this year’s conference in November by contacting the Kennedy School of Government, according to Genevieve M. Sheehan ’05, director-general of this year’s HNMUN. Although the U.S. embassy in Baghdad responded with enthusiasm, the possibility of a visit was not confirmed until after New Year, and the students only received their visas last week.

Although HNMUN does offer financial aid to help defray the cost for students that want to participate in the conference, the Iraqi students will be the first delegation to be entirely paid for by Harvard, according to Smith.

“It was a fantastic opportunity for Harvard and IRC to step up and demonstrate the diverse ways in which we try to promote awareness on international relations...It was such a fantastic opportunity that we couldn’t pass it up,” said Swati Mylavarapu, president of the IRC.

While HNMUN has constantly attracted students from abroad—with representatives from more than ten countries each year—the conference has seen increased international presence in the last few years.

According to Smith, “The ultimate goal of HNMUN is to facilitate students with different backgrounds to come together to discuss and learn about international relations and what’s going on around the world.”

—Staff writer Victoria Kim can be reached at vkim@fas.harvard.edu.