[MUNUC 35] Icelandic Constitutional Convention, 2011 ICELAND

In the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Icelandic people are looking for a new path forward. That path comes in the form of the 2011 Icelandic Constitutional Convention, an attempt to return power to the people of Iceland in order to solve the vast array of political, social, and economic issues facing the country.

As a delegate on this committee, you will assume one of the seats of the convention, joining a diverse and eclectic group of average Icelandic citizens united only by their interest in remaking their country to reflect the political and policy ideals of the 21st century. Your task for the first half of the weekend will be to grapple with a variety of economic, political, and social questions while working collaboratively to draft a new constitution. In addition, the constitutional convention will intersect with the growing potential of the internet as a mechanism for facilitating social engagement and larger democratic involvement within the Icelandic and global community – be prepared to consider how digital and social media can aid in the drafting process.

However, while you are busy writing and editing this new constitution, the larger legal and political community will also be hard at work, reconciling questions of legal and constitutional legitimacy, popular sovereignty, and democratic norms. The second half of the committee will shift into a crisis structure as you navigate a variety of political dynamics to convince the people of Iceland (and the larger global community) of the merits of your constitution. It will take a great degree of political guile, social capital and delicate maneuvering to convince the electorate to support the document in a referendum vote and for the legislature to ratify the constitution and adopt it into law. In short, the fate of the very first crowd-sourced, internet-informed, publicly drafted constitution will be entirely in your hands – handle it wisely.

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