Berlin Bound! 2022

One of the highlights of the WorldMUN compact course was the trip to Berlin. The thoroughly planned and long-awaited trip proved to be a perfect cocktail of culture and policy, with ample opportunities to meander through Berlin as we made our way from one appointment to the next.

As our WorldMUN delegation was split across several countries, we arrived in Berlin with a full itinerary. The first stop on our list was the Embassy of the Republic of Afghanistan. We received a very enthusiastic welcome from his Excellency, the Ambassador, and his aides. Despite this warm reception, each participant in the room was acutely aware of the precarious situation the Embassy found itself in. The first part of this engagement proved to be an enriching and yet sobering discussion on the realities in Afghanistan, with glimpses into Afghan society. Various aspects of the crisis in Afghanistan that are often ignored in Western dialogue were laid bare before us. The candid nature of our hosts enabled us to see things in a very different light. The dialogue was by no means one-sided, as we were afforded plenty of opportunities to chime in with questions of our own. Toward the end we had a short break and were offered a plethora of traditional Afghan sweets and copious amounts of tea!

At our second stop, we received another warm welcome from the consul of the Spanish Embassy. The discussion was dynamic and thought-provoking. From a policy perspective, it was worlds away from what we had heard just a short while ago in the Afghan Embassy. Spain's position in the EU as a pioneer of feminist foreign policy as well as its investments in innovation were some aspects the Counselor chose to highlight. The salient topic of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inherent to the EU's security and values and therefore Spain's, was inevitably touched upon.

The first day ended with dinner and a well-deserved and much needed night of sleep.

The next morning after breakfast we joined an insightful Q&A session with Patrick Rosenow on the functions (and limitations) of the United Nations. Much of the second day was spent at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt). The appointments just seemed to keep coming as we met with the various portfolio holders for Afghanistan, Spain, Mexico, and China. If the first day had been from the perspective of Afghanistan and Spain respectively, today topics were viewed primarily through the German lens. This switch in perspective proved instructive as well as insightful to our delegation.

Before we boarded the train back to Jena, we explored the Ethnological Collection and Museum of Asian and African Art at the Humboldt Forum.

Overall, the delegation left Berlin with a definite uptick in morale and a sense of accomplishment. There is no doubt in our minds that this trip improved our showing at WorldMUN Japan 2022.