At their heart, simulations are political games. Like all games, there are strategies and behaviors which will help you achieve your goals with greater ease. In this particular case, your goal will be to defend your country’s interests. The strategies that will allow you to do this can be divided into three parts: diplomatic posture, judicious use of the instruments at your disposal, and collective action.

Diplomatic Posture

One important aspect is calm. Delegates who rave and rant can be fun to watch (for about two minutes) but are rarely effective. If you are able to remain calm and focused on defending your country’s position, you’ll have a major advantage.

Never let another delegate tell you that he knows your foreign policy better than you do. If they do so, politely remind him that you have instructions from your government; whether you are doing a good job following them is for your Ministry, and not the other delegates, to decide. On the other hand, do not ever presume to know another delegate’s foreign policy better than he or she does. Your job is to defend your country's interests, not to evaluate the quality of the other countries’ diplomats.

As a diplomat, you should be cordial, firm, and (seemingly) in control. Thus, try to maintain a friendly relationship with other delegations, no matter how hard it is. Finally, avoid at all costs giving the impression that you are unsure of yourself, or that you believe that your country’s position could be in any way wrong. If, for some reason, you find yourself in doubt about a substantive point, be ambiguous until you can make a decision! If you're really stuck, ask someone you trust, inside or outside the committee.

Using the Instruments at Hand

The very best way to have your interests ignored over the course of a simulation and end up with a Draft Resolution you do not like is to treat the simulation like an academic debate. It is a political negotiation, which is very different: the strength of your arguments will still be important, but so will your ability to navigate the egos and rules that too often dominate a discussion. That being said, there are three places where negotiations happen; do not neglect any of them. They are the debate itself, the behind-the-scenes negotiations, and the resolution-writing.

Regarding the debate itself, remember that it is more important that your speeches be effective than they are beautiful. Think of speaking time as a non-renewable resource (like oil): it is extremely valuable, and you have a limited quantity of it. Use it fully, wisely, and effectively. Even if you have no substantive points to make during a speech, restate what you have said before or comment on the debate.

Also, do not necessarily believe everything that other delegates say; they may be bluffing, lying, or simply misinformed. This does not, however, mean you should openly say you do not believe them.

Collective Action

Not even the best delegates can get great results alone. Inevitably, you will have to begin working in a coalition. You should work hard to build up blocs and alliances in the committee. This does not mean you have to make them vote with you on every procedural motion (although that would be nice); ask their opinions, keep them informed, negotiate with them, and understand the importance of, whenever possible, keeping a common position. There is strength in numbers.

Voting

Voting is not usually part of the negotiation, but its result. Most countries, in the spirit of multilateralism (and good politics) do not want to vote against a resolution. They will do everything they can to make the resolution amenable to their needs, and if they cannot, will abstain, unless it is absolutely contrary to their interests. Think long and hard before taking the drastic step of voting "against".

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