Full disclosure: I was in my high school's Model United Nations club for two years, representing the countries of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sudan.
There's something innately human about wanting to play pretend. It's one reason why people read, watch movies, and play videogames. At its core, that's what Model U.N. is: pretend. When you get a group of several hundred, highly passionate high school students (dare I say geeks?), blood boils, friendships are broken, and sanctions are imposed. But gosh darn it...it's fun.
On Friday's Where We Live, we talked about youth civic engagement and Model U.N. Perhaps nothing sums up the Model U.N. experience than the Wes Anderson-esque music video for "16 Military Wives" by The Decemberists. What country would you want to represent in a Model U.N. simulation today?