Ms. Lauren Bradley, Chair
lauren@northwestern.edu


Dear Paris Peace Delegates,

My name is Lauren Bradley, and I am a junior double majoring in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics. This is my first experience chairing for NUMUN, but with such an interesting and exciting committee I look forward to a great weekend.

As you know, the Paris Peace Conference is a historical simulation reproducing the creation of the Versailles Treaty following World War I. The months encompassing the original conference in large part set the balance of power in the world today. It also is a large factor in the existence of many modern conflicts. Our goal as a committee is to go back to that time, albeit with the clarity of hindsight, and try to recreate the world with that insight. While the task may sound formidable, I am confident in your abilities. As part of the preparation, I recommend you obtain a copy of Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan. If your local library does not have a copy, feel free to purchase one. We will buy the bookoff of you at the end of the conference, provided it is in good condition and you give us the original receipt.

Due to the unconventional format of the Peace Conference, we will be operating in a fashion different from that of a General Assembly or any other Select Committee. Each committee session will have a specific goal, namely the creation of policy on a specific area of the world. These regional issues are well laid out in Paris 1919. At the end of each committee session, the decision (or indecisions) of the body will stand as the policy of the conference. There will be no discussing of a session's topic after the session recesses. This format will force the body to be quick and decisive over the issues. The first committee session will decide how the sessions will operate, establishing a voting system, order of speech, and similar procedural matters.

I will lay out the schedule for each session on our website with a brief synopsis of each topic. I cannot stress enough how important it will be to have done background research both on your character and every topic we will consider. You will find this committee to be interesting, exciting, and relatively ad hoc.

I look forward to the Paris Peace Conference, and I am sure we will have a successful weekend.

Sincerely,
Lauren Bradley

Northwestern '07
MMSS/ECON