Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL)

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 165 double delegations

SPECPOL covers a diverse set of issues that includes responding to the effects of decolonization, ensuring the peaceful use of space, and reviewing all UN-run peacekeeping missions. Topic A will be about preventing the exploitation of natural space resources, a burgeoning industry due to the increasing volume of space missions. Delegates will consider how many of these resources are extracted, by who, and for who. Topic B will be digitizing and innovating peacekeeping efforts. Delegates will be tasked with considering ways to innovate peacekeeping that improve communications and cooperation, help peacekeepers make better decisions, and protect citizens.

Chairs: Moira christ & Madeline erickson

Contact the Dais

TOPICS

Topic A: Preventing Exploitation of Natural Space Resources

Topic B: Digitizing and Innovating Peacekeeping Efforts

topic abstract
BACKGROUND GUIDE

lEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Grapple with the current state of outer-space geopolitics and how outer-space resources can be used and exploited.

  • Understand the role the United Nations system can play in promoting international peace and dialogue.

  • Acknowledge the advantages and shortcomings of the current United Nations peacekeeping system, and how it balances peacekeeping and protecting civilians.

about the chairs

Moira Christ is an undergraduate in the Class of 2026 studying International Politics, German, and African Studies, and is also pursuing a Master of Science in Foreign Service with a concentration in Global Politics and Security as a member of the Class of 2027. She is unbelievably excited to meet you all and chair SPECPOL. Moira has been involved with Georgetown MUN since stepping foot on campus, chairing and staffing at both NAIMUN and NAIMUN’s sister conference NCSC each year (always in GAs!). Outside of MUN, Moira studied abroad in Singapore during her junior spring and spent a gap year in Germany through the U.S. Department of State’s CBYX program. Moira interned for the U.S. Department of State in the summer of 2023 and interned on Capitol Hill on the Senate side in the summer of 2024. This will be her last MUN conference ever, so she can’t wait to make it the best one yet!

Madeline Erickson is a member of Georgetown's class of 2026, where she studies in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics with a concentration in International Law, Institutions, and Ethics, as well as minors in Spanish and Art History. She is originally from Bismarck, North Dakota. Madeline became involved with Georgetown MUN during her sophomore year, staffing Georgetown’s collegiate conference NCSC. Since then she has continued to staff both NAIMUN and NCSC and has loved every minute of it. She is excited to continue her time with MUN by chairing the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Outside of MUN, Madeline works for Georgetown University Campus Recreation as a Customer Service Representative and Swim lessons Instructor. In her free time, she enjoys exploring DC museums,  and taking long walks with her dog, Indigo. Madeline is thrilled to be chairing this committee and can’t wait for an unforgettable weekend!

Committee Speaker

Lise Morjé Howard is a tenured Professor at Georgetown University, with joint appointments in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She teaches and researches war, peace, and security, with a focus on international relations, peacekeeping, war termination, the Russia–Ukraine war, and U.S. foreign policy. She earned her A.B. in Soviet Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also studied Philology at Leningrad State University and Soviet Constitutional Law at St. Petersburg State University, and has held yearlong residential fellowships at Stanford University, Harvard University, and the United States Institute of Peace.

Dr. Howard has conducted fieldwork in conflict zones in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Eurasia. Her scholarship has appeared in leading journals and university presses, and her books UN Peacekeeping in Civil Wars (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and Power in Peacekeeping (Cambridge University Press, 2019) both received major international book awards. Her essays and commentary have appeared in major media outlets, and she has contributed to documentary and public-facing projects on UN peacekeeping. She is fluent in French and Russian, has served in leadership roles at Georgetown and professional associations, and currently serves as Past President of the Academic Council on the UN System.