"We are going to New York, come hell or high water, " says professor Robert McNamara as he prepares his sixteen students to go to a Model United Nations conference on the East Coast from April 15-20.
The trip is a unique one for Sonoma State University students this time since the idealism of world government is clashing with international political strategies, says McNamara whose delegation is representing the Kingdom of Nepal.
The Model UN course allows students to learn to debate international issues ranging from disarmament of Iraq, weapons of mass destruction and human rights to terrorism and shrinking supplies of fresh water.
"A good amount of time in class is spent discussing international relations and the history and theory of international organizations, especially as it relates to world politics today," says McNamara. It is the fourth year an SSU delegation will attend the national MUN conference.
McNamara says the speech in front of the UN Security Council by Secretary of State Colin Powell was taken more seriously by the class in light of the forthcoming conference.
One of the highlights of the trip is a chance to meet with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to debate in the United Nations building.
"There are some really sharp students at this conference, which make the actual debates incredibly interesting," says McNamara.
The SSU delegation will have a chance to see how current events have serious effects on the country they represent.
"Nepal is a third-world country which requires international aid and has a variety of social and economic issues to contend with," McNamara says.
"Third world countries are getting alot of attention now because their votes are being courted, but their voting is tied in with the kind of aid they receive from the United States," he says.
"The students are going to have to step out of their national identity and look at Nepal's perspective in the international arena."
In previous years, SSU's Model UN has represented Malaysia, Thailand and Peru.
