This committee will be run as a double delegation committee.

Topic Summary

Intelligence is a complex and contested, yet vital organ of international diplomacy and security. This committee will seek to explore how intelligence sharing and collection methods can serve to be useful for collaboration, yet can enter into ambiguous and potentially dangerous territory concerning how intelligence is collected. One of the primary challenges in intelligence cooperation is navigating the diverse legal frameworks of different nations. While one country may permit certain surveillance or information-gathering practices, another may deem them unlawful or unethical. This dissonance can create ambiguity and distrust among collaborating nations. Moreover, the question of trustworthiness comes into consideration when considering foreign sources of intelligence. While information provided by allies may be invaluable in addressing shared threats, concerns about reliability and hidden agendas can undermine confidence in the intelligence being shared. Furthermore, the ethical implications of acquiring intelligence through means that violate domestic or international laws raise significant moral and legal dilemmas. Nations may find themselves in a paradoxical situation where they benefit from actionable intelligence obtained through questionable methods while simultaneously condemning those methods to uphold their own legal frameworks and values.

Ultimately, the committee's goal should be to strike a delicate balance between leveraging intelligence for collective security and upholding the principles of legality, morality, and sovereignty. By navigating these challenges with diligence and integrity, nations can better collaborate to address evolving threats while respecting the rights and dignity of all parties involved. The committee will hope to answer questions such as “How can we trust foreign sources of intelligence?” or to what extent can nations absorb, yet condemn, the acquisition of intelligence which breaches their own legal intelligence frameworks. 

Director Letter

 Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the Harvard National Modern United Nations Legal Committee! My name is Alice Ferguson, and I am thrilled to serve as your Director for the conference. 

I am a senior at Harvard living in Eliot House and I study history and government, with a focus in national security and intelligence. I am currently writing my senior thesis in intelligence diplomacy and wanted to bring, what I consider, an underrecognized topic into the context of complex global legal challenges. At Harvard I participate in the Harvard College Consulting Group, work at the on-campus bar and compete on the Model UN circuit as a member of the Intercollegiate Model United Nations team. Apart from my academic studies, I enjoy art history, particularly Italian Renaissance art and have spent the previous summer researching Italian cultural life through the lens of the Cold War.  I also love hot yoga and I am a huge coffee enthusiast. 

As we engage with this committee, I look forward to seeing how you approach intelligence as a valuable and strategic tool for international collaboration. I encourage you to look to past and present examples to ground your ideas in familiar, yet creative ways.  I also encourage you to bring to the committee an unwavering commitment in fostering fruitful dialogue between one another and to build a welcoming committee environment.

Model UN has served as an invaluable learning and social opportunity throughout my college career. I truly believe what you put into a committee is what you get out. Whether this is your first conference or one of your last, I hope to make this committee as enriching as possible. I look forward to meeting you all and please, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Sincerely,

Alice Ferguson

Director, Legal Committee