Boston University International Affairs Association

I. Marketing Director Elections
We’d like to open nominations for the position of Marketing Director for Spring 2010! Vieshnavi will be going to Geneva in the Spring, so the new Marketing Director will be able to shadow her for the remainder of the semester to learn the ropes.  If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself), please send an e-mail to iaa@bu.edu by Tuesday, December 1st, at 5:00 PM. Two nominations have to be received before a candidate can be notified.

II. BarMUN III Brainstorm
The BarMUN III Secretariat would like to invite you to participate in BarMUN Brainstorming Sessions to
help BarMUN get off to a great start.  The brainstorming sessions will take place on: Wednesday, December 2 at 8:30 pm after the weekly meeting, and Sunday, December 6 at 1:00pm.

Proposals should include possible committees, number of committees, interconnecting themes, your general vision for events across the weekend, and any other neat things you want to share with us. Our substantive programme has historically placed focus on non-governmental organizations and non-conventional crises. Please send proposals by Tuesday at 5pm to sg@barmun.org.  Don’t want to submit a proposal but still want to contribute? Come and give feedback for the proposals to help make them the best possible, the more constructive opinions the better. Can’t wait to hear your ideas!

III. BUIAA Dinner and End of the Semester Social
The International Affairs Association would like to invite you all to dinner!  On Friday, December 11th, come join us at theCheesecake Factory in the Prudential Center.  The club will be partially subsidizing our meal as a holiday gift.  So whether you’re part of BosMUN, BarMUN, the IR Review, or the Travel Team, come out and meet as many people as you can!  Please RSVP to this email if you intend on attending. Also, we will be having an End of the Semester get- together on Saturday, December 5th.  Look for event details on Facebook!

IV. BosMUN Training Session
The first BosMUN training session will begin at 2pm on December 5 in PHO 205. This session is mandatory for all new staff and people in new positions, though senior staff are also welcome to join us to refresh their ParliPro and to get to know other staff! If you have any questions, please hit up the USGs at committees@bosmun.org!

Join us this Wednesday at 7:30 pm in SMG 304 to discuss NATO strategy in Afghanistan.

The situation in the Graveyard of Empires is deteriorating, 2009 being the deadliest year for NATO forces since the war began. This statistic, President Karzai’s corrupt Kabul government and an emboldened Taliban are all forcing NATO leaders and policy analysts to rethink the alliance’s strategy. Some favor a counterinsurgency method that requires hundreds of thousands of troops to fight the Taliban, hold territory and protect the civilian population. Others favor a counterterrorism method that focuses fewer troops on hunting isolated Al Qaeda fighters. Still others propose negotiating with the Taliban in hopes of alienating Al Qaeda. The debate continues to rage in North America and Europe, with rising death-tolls, billion-dollar costs and general war fatigue in the back of everyone’s mind.

US President Obama has ordered a review of US tactics in the country, and it is not entirely clear in which direction he will head. His top general Stanley McChrystal is calling for 40,000 more troops, but American ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry opposes this request. Other countries seem to side with Eikenberry. UK Prime Minister Brown has recently called for a NATO summit to discuss transferring security responsibility to the Afghan government.  Canada, Finland and the Netherlands have set withdrawal dates and already pulled some soldiers. Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden and most other International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) members have said they will not commit more troops. Turkey has actually pledged additional manpower, but only noncombat personnel.

Which strategy or amalgamation of strategies will allow forces to succeed in Afghanistan? Is success even possible, or should NATO just cut its losses? Does “success” mean a functioning democracy or merely the absence of an Al Qaeda stronghold? If more troops are indeed necessary, should President Obama convince other NATO states to contribute more forces? Can the UN play a role? Help us answer these questions on Wednesday at 7:30 pm in SMG 304.

For more information, check out:

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14857213

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14877970

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8361634.stm

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j9_7k8qJTNQhlZw3eFUA8mNiiWwAD9BU77802