In the wee hours of Thursday, Jan 28, the IRC’s Conferences Team traveled to Montreal, Canada for the McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN 2010). After a weekend of intense debate (and after losing their voices screaming the Fight Song after watching the Duke game during a lunch break!) the Hoyas emerged victorious yet again, claiming the Best Large Delegation award.

Bearing the blue UN peacekeepers’ helmet as a token of their victory, the team of 45 returned to the Hilltop after an arduous 14-hour busride.

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On Tuesday, January 26, the IRC held the semester’s first General Membership Meeting. In addition to the regular announcements, former US Solicitor General Paul Clement, a Georgetown graduate and former GIRC/GIRA chair/CEO spoke on his experiences in the IRC and the US government.

As the representative of the US federal government before the Supreme Court in the Bush administration, Clement emphasized how he held on to his love for international relations, even as his career path drifted elsewhere. He pointed out that the post-9/11 Supreme Court has had a much greater international focus, a trend that fit his SFS background.

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On Jan 23, about 45 IRC members met in White-Gravenor for AGMUNC II – the second All-Georgetown Model UN training conference. Grant Gibson and alumnus Matt Hipple led a joint crisis between Colombia, Venezuela, and the Organization of American States, in a fast-paced, hectic diplomatic frenzy.

Members of all skill levels, from those who had never participated in MUN before all the way up to senior delegates, had a blast as a minor disagreement on surveillance planes and confusion over a business contract evolved into a South American brawl of epic proportions.

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Here is an open letter from the African Society of Georgetown’s board to all Georgetown clubs, encouraging support in the aftermath of tragic events that took place in Haiti.

Happy New Year and welcome back to campus. This letter is sent out in the worst of times, with the deadly 7.0 magnitude earthquake and its 24 aftershocks that hit near Port-au-Prince on the island of Haiti on Tuesday. Reports coming out of the region have communicated a high sense of urgency and chaos on the island as it is believed that 3 million people have been affected in the city of 4 million and the death toll is somewhere between 45,000 and 50,000 according to the Red Cross. Other reports have the death toll as high as 100,000. Though we reside far away here in DC, with such a high scale of human suffering, we cannot stand idle at this time.

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On Monday, December 14, GIRA Inc. CEO and former IRC Chair Jasdeep Singh had the honor of delivering welcoming remarks and introducing the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Gaston Hall here at Georgetown University.

Addressed as just “Jas” by Secretary Clinton, Jasdeep’s welcoming remarks focused on the importance of addressing human rights issues faced by the world today, and how his involvement with various clubs on campus such as our own have offered an outlet for such discussions.

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On Monday, December 7, the IRC, alongside Women in Politics, sponsored a panel discussion on the status of women in Africa. The panelists, including Georgetown Law Professor Brian Kritz (SFS ‘94, L ‘97) and two fellows from the Georgetown Law Center’s Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) program, discussed the issues of female genital mutilation, rape, and other forms of sexual violence in Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, and Rwanda. The LAWA fellows, both of whom have worked as human rights professionals in Africa, acknowledged the challenges confronted by women’s rights advocates in Cameroon, Kenya, and Liberia. Professor Kritz, who helped develop Rwanda’s criminal statutes for rape and sexual violence in the aftermath of the genocide, discussed the legal challenges limiting women’s human rights work.

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On Saturday, December 5, the IRC sponsored a workshop and concert with the WhiteFlag Project, a band of Israeli and Palestinian street fusion musicians from Gaza and Tel Aviv. The event was co-sponsored by the Office of the President, the Berkley Center, CCAS, Program on Conflict Resolution, Diversity Action Council, GUSA, Georgetown Israel Alliance, and Students for Justice in Palestine.

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We are pleased to announce the appointment of the Secretariat of the Thirty-Eighth Annual National Collegiate Security Conference! This year’s applicant pool was incredibly qualified on the whole, making our decisions extremely difficult but boding well for the future of our organization. We are confident that this group will work to ensure the continued success of NCSC. Congratulations to those who were appointed, and we look forward to welcoming other talented members to NCSC XXXVIII General Staff early next semester!

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After the Winter Wonderland Greek Embassy Reception on Friday night, a number of IRC members encountered United States Vice President Joe Biden in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel. During the conversation with Mr. Biden, the IRC members informed him they were a part of Georgetown’s International Relations Club. Mr. Biden’s response?: “I’m a part of the International Relations Club too.” Here’s to our newest honorary member, Vice President Joe Biden! See below for more pictures!

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On Friday, December 4, the IRC paired up with the European Club to host the Winter Wonderland Embassy Reception at the Greek Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue (fondly known as Embassy Row). All proceeds from the reception, which totaled around $700, will go to the Save the Children foundation.

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