Dear participants of GöMUN 2018,

The title of this year’s conference, “Apocalypse Now?” fits the headlines full of looming trade wars, a raging climate crisis, booming defense industries and the Syrian war now in its seventh year. Right-wing populism is resurging and autocrats are consolidating power world-wide. Faced with these developments, some already predict the end of the liberal world order. Is Karl Marx right then? In a comment on Hegel, the German philosopher stated that history tended to repeat itself “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce”. Mankind has caused, and suffered through, repeated genocides, pandemics, mass extinctions, and financial crashes – are we doomed to historic recurrence?

The United Nations (UN) was founded as a bulwark against these tides of time. Born out of the experience of two world wars and a failed attempt at creating a League of Nations, the UN Charter’s preamble reads: “we the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind” and to “establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained”.

The cause is noble, the reality of it hard. You, as diplomats for a semester, are experiencing first-hand how strenuous negotiations can be. Compromises are hard won. In the process, your knowledge will expand, as will you rhetorical skills – and test your patience.

With your pro-UN engagement you resist a trend. At a time when we desperately need the world organization, it is weakened deliberately. Peacekeeping funds are cut and Coalitions of the Willing bypass the Security Council (UNSC) in clear breach of international law, for instance the airstrikes in response to the chemical attack in Syria. Ad-hoc Coalitions of the Willing are promised to be shortcuts when UNSC negotiations are stalled. But they always prove to be the wrong track. The conflicts get drawn out, the fronts hardened and ultimately, you end up where you started – at the UN. For all its flaws, the United Nations remains our main instrument, source of unparalleled legitimacy, forum for debate and conflict resolution. Its specialized agencies do tremendous work. We need to strengthen the UN, not weaken it. It’s our only bulwark against anarchy in the international system. However, the organization is only as strong and capable as its members allow it to be. History is not doomed to repeat itself – if we can help it. History is made! Thus the UN needs advocates like you. Your engagement breathes life into the UN Charter. Keep it up!

I wish you a successful conference with exciting discussions, fruitful negotiations and, of course, tons of fun.

Sincerely,

Jürgen Trittin