Boston University International Affairs Association

Iran is a member of the IAEA and is committed to the NPT. Why then are there objections to our legally recognized rights? Some [states] have abused nuclear technology for non-peaceful ends…and some even have a bleak record of using [bombs] against humanity…the abuse of the Security Council is indeed a source of grave concern.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, Speaking at the UN in 2006

A lot has happened involving Iran over the past week – Speeches at the UN, disclosures of hidden nuclear enrichment sites, and tests of long-range missiles. Can you keep track of it all? Could anything worse happen? Come join us on Wednesday at 7:30PM in SMG 304 as we simulate the United Nations Security Council, a key organization in this dilemma as member states try to find a compromise on whether and to what degree new sanctions should be placed on Iran.

BarMUN II is this weekend, October 1-4, 2009, but it’s still not too late to sign up to be a crisis staff member! Check out the BarMUN conference website for exciting information about committees or submit the application form to become a crisis staffer today!

Also, don’t forget about the opportunity to participate as a delegate in other schools’ conferences:

• Applications for Columbia University’s conference, CMUNNY are now open; please apply if you’re interested in going, or email the IAA account at iaa@bu.edu if you filled out a “senior application” earlier this year.

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‘The unrelenting global troubles confronting Barack Obama are about to converge on him all at once, providing a stern test of leadership for a first-year president who has pledged to “change the world.’”

-Ben Feller, Associated Press

President Obama will finally take a break from healthcare this week to look at Israel and Palestine, global warming the world economy, nuclear non-proliferation and everything in between.  Who says Presidents don’t know how to have fun?  His speeches before the UN on tuesday, wednesday and thursday could mark the beginning of a hopetastic new era in US Foreign policy, or they could be standard diplomatic boilerplate. Join us on Wednesday, September 23 at 7:30 pm in SMG 304 to discuss Obama’s speeches to the United Nations

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Weekly Topics will be posted on Monday Night!

First Weekly Meeting
The first topic of the semester will be an open discussion on the Scottish government’s release of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, which has been a topic of hot debate these past month. The only person convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, al-Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds: medical evidence showed he would die within 3 months from terminal cancer. On December 21, 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 was destoyed by a terrorist bomb killing all 243 passengers, the 16 crew members including 11 Scottish citizens. In 2001, al-Mehgrahi was convicted for the bombing and received a life sentence. He was welcomed home in Libya as a hero–sparking angry sentiments in the western world.

What do you think?
Should al-Megrahi have been released? Is this a violation of justice? Should the victims’ families have had a say in this? What about the Libyan’s reaction to his release? Join us for an exciting discussion at 7:30 pm at SMG 304 on Wednesday, September 16th to discuss your reaction and reactions of leaders around the world.

Background on Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was a transatlantic flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s JFK Airport on Wednesday, 21 December 1988.  The aircraft, a Boeing 747, was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members.  Eleven people in Lockerbie, southern Scotland, were killed as large sections of the plane fell in and around the town, bringing total fatalities to 270.
To read more about Pan Am 103, click here to visit the Wikipedia page.