Hello delegates!
A fundamental part of being a representative at the United Nations (and, thus, at a MUN Conference) is an awareness of global events. Given that the theme of OxfordMUN 2025 is ‘The Spirit of Inquiry’, we think it is important to stay inquisitive about international news. Therefore, we will be publishing monthly ‘International Updates’ using global news headlines from the BBC. For March, we have three articles discussed below with some links and related questions to allow you to inquire about what is going on worldwide.
Many news stories recently have been related to US President Donald Trump’s new administration. A significant one for international affairs was the implied threat to Greenland’s sovereignty during Vice-President J. D. Vance’s visit to the country last week.
At a US military base in the north of Greenland, Vance claimed that the territory is threatened by China and that it should come under the leadership of the USA as Denmark lacks the resources to protect it. This came after Trump had said: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.”
This is a contentious proposition. What do you think would be the repercussions for international diplomacy if such a plan was enacted?
See the article here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3y3vdvdggo.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar last Friday, with the death toll being estimated at around 2000 people — the US Geological Survey has even quoted a possible death toll of over 10,000.
Reportage on the earthquake has been difficult, as the Burmese military is not allowing foreign journalists to enter the country; the BBC’s information has come from journalists in neighbouring Thailand.
What roles should international organisations play in humanitarian crises or natural disasters such as this one?
One of many articles on the earthquake can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cn4wzyv21jvo.
In France, right-wing political leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for the French presidential office for five years after a court has ruled her guilty of embezzling over £3.1 million of EU money to fund her National Rally party.
See a range of different newspaper accounts of the story in this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq674yg0jmro. Take a second to compare them. Do they focus on different aspects? Do they have different tones? What does this tell us about the potential agendas of the authors and newspapers?
For some more information on reactions in France to the ruling, see this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99pvmxg0e3o.
Take a look at your own local news outlets and compare them to the articles linked here: what stories have your publications been focusing on? Do they report on these stories differently? Why do you think this might be?
Happy inquiring!