Republican legislator equates Model U.N. with ‘indoctrination’

Idaho Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, has raised the alarm over Model U.N. programs in our public schools, posting to Twitter and Facebook a photo of a flyer recruiting students to join the Model U.N., “This was sent to me displayed at a high school in Mt View school distric (sic) 244. It’s not just the colleges and universities that are allowing indoctrination. Why are we doing this to our kids?”

There’s some question about whether the photo is even actually from the Mountain View School District, which is in Grangeville. A message left with a district official was not returned by press time.

Still, when a couple of people challenged Nichols on social media about her opposition to Model U.N., she doubled down on her distaste for the United Nations, sharing an image of a list alleging to be practices that the United Nations wants to ban, including paved roads, ski resorts, golf courses, agricultural equipment, plowing of fields, building of fences, private property, single family homes and more, citing a list from “the UN Biodiversity Assessment Report which is the blueprint for UN Agenda 21 (2030 Agenda).”

Nichols, in a tweet to a constituent, writes, “do you agree with these industries being eliminated from our county or state?”

Nichols did not respond to a voicemail or an email for comment.

But Agenda 21 suspicions and claims of indoctrination reek of conspiracy theories about black helicopters and Jade Helm government takeovers.

Bill Smith, director of the Martin Institute and program of international studies at University of Idaho, teaches a United Nations class and Model U.N. class as part of the international studies program. He’s been involved with university-level Model U.N. for 20 years as an adviser.

He said he teaches about the United Nations, “warts and all,” highlighting not only the U.N.’s shortcomings, but also its positive attributes (promotion of democracy, capitalism, free trade, human rights, peace and fair elections).

Smith said fears over the U.N. “taking over the world” are simply unwarranted.

“Sovereignty, it’s embedded in the U.N. charter,” he said. “Domestic jurisdiction supersedes the U.N. … (Within the U.N.), all countries stand up for their own sovereignty all the time.”

He said that Agenda 21, which is real and has a scary name, and the newer 2030 Agenda are nonbinding guidelines for sustainable growth and development worldwide, but it’s not a mandate that if a country belongs to the U.N., the country has to follow those guidelines as part of some sort of new world order.

“There’s less to worry about than some people fear,” Smith said. “Agenda 21 is nonbinding. You can’t be made to do something. Even if you sign on to something whole hog (in the U.N.), the power to actually take action on it lies with (each country’s) legislative branch.”

Smith said Model U.N., meanwhile, is more about the issues and the countries you’re studying than it is about the U.N., and in that sense, it is more akin to debate than anything else.

Chase Johnson, a research associate at the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University, teaches and coaches Model U.N. at BSU.

He describes Model U.N. as, “basically Dungeons and Dragons for diplomacy nerds. Live-action public policy role-play.”

He said any concerns about “indoctrination” are unwarranted. He echoed Smith in saying that Model U.N. doesn’t “evangelize” for the United Nations.

“It’s not about political ideology,” Johnson said. “It’s about seeing global political questions from outside the U.S. perspective and from the perspective of another country.”

He said the program is “incredibly valuable,” not just for political science students but for all students. He said it teaches synthesizing arguments in writing and in speech, working on a team for a common good and dealing with conflict within a committee.

“I always tell students, ‘You’re not fighting with each other; you’re fighting with a problem,’” he said.

When it comes to Model U.N. in public schools, I have to question what problem Nichols thinks she’s fighting here.

Scott McIntosh

Opinion Contributor,

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6202

Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman opinion editor. A graduate of Syracuse University, he joined the Statesman in August 2019. He previously was editor of the Idaho Press and the Argus Observer and was the owner and editor of the Kuna Melba News. He has been honored for his editorials and columns as well as his education, business and local government watchdog reporting by the Idaho Press Club and the National Newspaper Association. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Idaho Way. Support my work with a digital subscription