Pan-Atlantic Student Summit — Prague — Simulation

As part of the Prague Atlantic Student Summit, student delegations participated in a simulation of a NATO ministerial. The model was designed to allow students to experience the challenges and excitement of representing their country within the Alliance. For that reason, all delegations participated as though their country was already a NATO member. The result was “NATO at 37,” a unique experiment in which Austria sat next to Azerbaijan at the NAC table, and Russia was between Romania and Slovakia.

Before arriving in Prague, each student delegation chose a foreign minister, a defense minister, and a permanent representative to NATO. Delegations also visited their own national foreign ministry and research institutes to interview diplomats and gather information about their country’s policies toward NATO. In at least one case, the student delegation met with the Foreign Minister and received advice directly from him! All student delegations were charged with preparing a national position paper that, in advance of PASS, spelled out their objectives and potential strategies.

In addition to the national delegations, several students were recruited to serve on the NATO International Staff. Marianne Lunde (Norway) served as NATO Secretary General and Eric Thornton (United States) was SACEUR, and were assisted by a group of International Staff colleagues. Other students volunteered to play the role of journalists, interviewing the national “diplomats” and publishing the newsletter, PASSport to NATO.

At the PASS ministerial, the North Atlantic Council was charged with negotiating a communiqué outlining the Alliance’s position regarding the campaign against terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Along with the NAC, the Defense Planning Committee, the Nuclear Planning Group, and the Political Committee met and negotiated specific elements of the communiqué. Midway through the simulation, a crisis erupted, with the report of a terrorist attack involving anthrax in the fictional country of Stanistan, forcing the NAC to divert its energies to this emergency. On the final morning, the NAC resumed work on the communiqué. Despite the valiant efforts and hard work of all involved, the 37 members of NATO had not reached agreement on the entire communiqué when the simulation to ended.

The PASS simulation was greatly enhanced by the advice and participation of six faculty members: Bram Boxhoorn (Netherlands); Ann-Sophie Dahl (Sweden); Troels Frøling (Denmark); Robert Hutchings (United States); Michael Nwanze (United States); and Ronald Verdicchio (United States). In addition, the simulation benefited enormously from the involvement of Stefanie Babst and Diane Zeleny of the NATO Office of Information and Press, who provided expert technical advice.

Please see the PASS Newsletter, Student Summit Charts Course for the New NATO, for more information.

For more information, please contact Carmen K. Iezzi at 202-778-4954.