The Major Simulation project seemed to dominate this week, not only over other parts of World Politics but over all of Leonard 7 and certainly in my case the entire week. This simulation was certainly more complex than the previous simulation and I felt like it demanded much more research and much more general knowledge than the previous one. In relation to that, this project made me wish that I had more of a background in economics. I felt that while research was useful I would have been able to do a better job if I knew more about global economics. I think that I learned a lot more during the project about international economic relations and about my individual country, Ukraine.
Furthermore, I agree with Rachel that it seemed like consensus would be difficult because of the different positions represented. While the jury is still out on that point it appears to me that this will be the case. However, I think that adds another layer to the simulation because, while it is not entirely accurate, the simulation does reflect certain realities when it comes to international cooperation. Our difficulty coming to a consensus is only a fraction of that which it is in the real world because we are dealing with specific outlined issues and we only represent a few nations, among which the United States is absent. We are dealing with developing nations, international organizations, and the European Union. Tension has been developing between the Ukraine, Doctors Without Borders, the EU, and McDonalds who wish to eliminate corruption and Uganda and the Dominican Republic who deny corruption exists. While this makes consensus difficult it does not make it impossible especially because we have other issues to discuss.
In the real world, however, the WTO must balance the needs of all nations throughout the world including the United States. So in many ways this simulation is a microcosm of what happens in the real world concerning varying opinions and a lack of consensus. This is further evidenced in the United Nations. While I believe the UN is a useful tool in international diplomacy, it is also difficult for it to reach consensus on anything because of the different perspective that each nation brings to the table. I think the simulation gives an accurate picture of how difficult it is to reach international consensus even under the best possible circumstances, which rarely happen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree that economics would be very useful to make an effective argument in this simulation. In a way, I think that is the problem with the simulations. I think they are designed to really make you think critically and do a great deal of research to make a credible argument; however, they seem unrelated to what we discuss in class. I guess I feel like it would have been helpful to have discussed some basic economics or some background on the various groups in class so that we didn't feel like we were going into this blind. The simuulations are interesting and challenging but they feel a little disconnected from the class.
Post a Comment