Unità alla Nonna: The Unification of Italy, 1848-1871
A bowl of cacio e pepe, the lights of the Colosseum just after dusk, the pearlescent sands of the Amalfi Coast: in a word, Italy. But when our committee convenes in 1848, Italy as we know it does not exist. As it stands, the Italian peninsula is partitioned into a patchwork of kingdoms and republics, each with a unique national identity and history. Since 467 C.E. (the Goths’ victory over the Romans), the peninsula has been fertile ground for conquests, occupations, satellite governments, and power-jockeying. Indeed, the Italian peninsula has not been united for nearly 1400 years. Some say that now is the time for that to change. In this crisis committee, delegates will convene as pro-unification intellectuals, aristocrats, royals, and politicians from the various Italian independent kingdoms and nations. Their task will be to broker a unified Italy: convincing the public of and building the framework for a singular nation, all while satisfying the competing ambitions of their respective home governments (or papacies!). The delegates’ tenuous alliances will be tested as they navigate looming threats from the ever-relentless France and Austria in hopes of preserving their fragile, nascent union. Coraggio!
Yasha Kharrati
chair
Yasha is a fourth year who also hails originally from San Diego, California. He is majoring in Public Policy and is looking forward to a career in the law after graduation. This is his third time chairing, closing out a CHOMUN career that includes British Reconstruction and Mexican Constitution writing. Outside of MUN, he enjoys exploring Chicago’s many vibrant neighborhoods, parks, and attractions. He also loves hiking, biking, playing board games, and looking at maps, and serves as secretary of the school’s Democratic organization.
If you have any questions, please reach out to him at kharrati@uchicago.edu.
Quinn Rodriguez
crisis director
Quinn Rodriguez is a fourth year majoring in Art History and Romance Languages and Literatures. She’s from beautiful and warm San Diego, California. This is Quinn’s third year staffing ChoMUN. Last year she served as a Crisis Director for the Big Ben and Bigger Problems: Attlee’s Cabinet, 1945 committee. The year before that, she worked as an AC on the Dawn of a New Day: Benin, 1986 committee. Quinn has been taking Italian since her junior year of high school, and she is exceptionally excited to put it to good use this year as a Crisis Director! Outside of MUN, Quinn enjoys swimming, crocheting, and making and eating desserts. Quinn is also quite into TV shows that ended in 2019, so feel free to send an email her way at qkrodriguez@uchicago.edu if you’re dying to talk about Game of Thrones or Veep… MUN-related questions are fine, too.
alec abramsom
crisis director
Alec is a fourth-year majoring in English Literature and minoring in Italian (a decision made principally to research for this committee). He grew up beside the San Francisco International Airport, each day inhaling both jet fuel and the far more pleasant fumes from the nearby chocolate factory (his parents declined to name him Charlie). He joined ChoMUN in his first year as an Assistant Chair on a USPS committee; ascended the ranks as a Crisis Director for Benin’s Dawn of a New Day the following year; then precariously fell back down the ladder as a small-but-mighty Experienced Assistant Chair for UK Prime Minister Attlee’s Cabinet. If it’s not Wednesday at 7 PM (the appointed ChoMUN meeting time), Alec is probably busy making passable lattes and schmoozing with customers at the campus coffee shop.
If you’ve got any particular questions or would just like to say hi before our committee, don’t hesitate to email Alec at abramsona@uchicago.edu.