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[The Onion] 21st Century Tools for 21st Century Diplomacy

Updated: May 12

Wishful thinking is dead. Embrace a new reality of short attention spans and the rapid consumption of information. 


Two days into EuroMUN and a new form of governance is emerging. Trends across all 12 committees have not gone unnoticed;  all means of improving productivity, conversation, and participation. Meet the tools and habits some delegates have been using to get the most out of their MUN experience.


X (formally known as Twitter) press Yourself

The harnessing of social media has proven beneficial for all areas of conversation, more specifically, the gathering and organization of information. Delving into the depths of instagram posts or grifting off points made in a 2018 Twitter thread are not only causes for engagement, but providers of more fruitful conversation. Who knows, if you scroll far enough, you might find the answers you’re looking for. 


On a more serious note, MUN may not be the time for maintaining ‘international peace and security.’ Searching for your next diplomatic deployment or holiday destination may prove a more rewarding endeavor. 


Another advantage of social media is the infinite contacts that know just as much (or even more)  than you’d care to admit. Messaging that high school friend about establishing a global language or your mother about __. New insights and opinions are always appreciated. You’ll be afforded the opportunity to present foreign arguments as your own.


The alternate: letting your screen go black or (in cases of dire need) closing your laptop completely. Information overload is just as damaging as a deficit. Being able to participate in a discussion despite no information being readily available shows an expert level of skill and preparation. Impressing all your fellow delegates and earning the likes of the chairs. 


Enter Text Here: On Memes

The second tool (and most reinforced) is meme generating. It’s highly important to find the humor in current circumstances; especially since, according to the rules and decorum: you can’t. The demanding part about working on meme proposals is that you have to simultaneously listen and know enough about dynamics of the room while also scrolling through and deciding on which template to use. Definitely not something for the faint of heart. 


The meme templates themselves also offer a lot of visual information and potential guidance to your conversations. Colors, shapes, and letters? Business 101 only scratches the surface, following the link in the WhatsApp group to the meme-board will give you the full immersive experience. 


As an AI language model…

Finally, the implementation of AI is crucial in furthering your personal development and debate style. The conversations against AI are reflective of the past. In our digital age, not knowing how to properly navigate and incorporate AI into work proves costly. What better way to learn the ropes than to repeatedly generate opening speeches  in an attempt to make them sound more intellectual. 


Inputting prompts into different chatbots is only a way of fast tracking the response time of your synapses. In other words: you would’ve come up with it eventually, time pressures prove debilitating.


For those committed to a more conventional approach to MUN, reject tradition and embrace modernity. Fellow peers are taking advantage of their positions of power, don’t idle. Your job depends on it.




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