Overview
The International Communication and Negotiation Simulations (ICONS) Project offers opportunities for college and university students to participate in computer-assisted international relations simulations conducted over the Internet.

Pioneered at the University of Maryland, ICONS began in the early 1980s as a tool for helping students gain a better grasp of the complexity of international issues. It was designed to enhance student learning by encouraging the development of critical thinking skills, better understanding of the connections among contemporary international issues, and an appreciation of cultural differences in approaches to international problem-solving. ICONS’ innovative approach in using technology to support active and interactive learning in international relations presents students with the opportunity to understand and actively experience the ways that foreign policy is created and implemented by nations within the international system. In short, ICONS provides a laboratory where students can test theories about how nations create foreign policy, resolve conflicts, practice international negotiation skills, and work collaboratively.

ICONS’ interactive simulations allow students to engage in cross-cultural communication and virtual negotiations with students at universities all over the world. Working together in "country-teams," students collaborate on researching problems and developing policies on issues of international importance, such as international debt, nuclear proliferation, human rights, trade, narcotics trafficking and the environment. Negotiations occur both within teams, as students try to reach consensus on their country’s foreign policy strategies, and across teams, as students conduct international negotiations with the other country-teams. Although participants are encouraged to be creative in developing solutions to international problems, they are bound by the interests and constraints of their particular countries. The simulation process is open-ended in that there are no pre-determined outcomes.

Participation in an ICONS simulation allows students to:

• Use computers for multinational communication.
• Create and test negotiation strategies;
• Improve communication skills;
• Understand the interdependence of international issues;
• Appreciate cultural differences and approaches to world problems;
• Work in teams to solve problems.

How a Simulation Works
An ICONS simulation involves classes of students at various colleges and universities around the world. Country-teams are linked via the Internet to a University of Maryland host computer.

A scenario, which launches the exercise, outlines the state of the world based on present-day facts, and sets the stage for the interactions both within and among country-teams. The simulation includes both the asynchronous exchange of diplomatic communications and computer-assisted real-time conferences. Conferences are scheduled to focus on each of the issues in the simulation. They follow a detailed agenda and are chaired by ICONS staff.

Before the simulation begins, students conduct extensive research on their assigned country and the issues. They produce a position paper which specifies country goals and strategies, and lays the foundation for their negotiation in the simulation. After the simulation, the instructor should engage the students in debriefing exercises and assignments to apply the simulation experience to the real world.

International System Simulations
The International System simulation lasts five weeks, and is set in the contemporary world. During recent runs of the simulation, the scenarios have focused on problem areas in contemporary international relations, including:

• Peacekeeping and peacemaking
• Human rights
• World health, including nutrition, population, and AIDS
• The impact of environmental issues on the global agenda
• Debt and development issues
• Narcotics trafficking
• International trade

This simulation is appropriate for general international relations classes, foreign policy classes, and comparative politics classes, and is offered twice a year.

Fee: $600 per team. This includes computer costs at the University of Maryland, simulation materials (including a scenario), simulation administration, and technical support.

Regional Simulations
ICONS' regional simulations allow a more in-depth exploration of issues in various regions of the world.

Managing International Security: The New Europe is a regularly scheduled case-based offering. This three-week, case-based simulation casts students as negotiators for European states (east, central, west) involved in the on-going effort of redefining the regional security agenda. The scenario focuses on the need to define institutional channels appropriate to both traditional security issues (nuclear proliferation, arms control, territorial integrity) and the "new" security challenges (ethnic conflict, natural resource competition, demographic instability). This simulation is most appropriate for courses on European politics, international negotiation, and international security, and is offered twice a year.

International Relations of the Americas focuses on pivotal issues at a critical juncture for cooperation between the North American nation-states. Students engage in negotiations on issues such as economic integration, environmental degradation and narco-trafficking. The underlying theme of the simulation is balancing the push for a creation of a hemispheric bloc and the pull for bilateral agreements between individual states and sub-regional integration. This simulation is most appropriate for courses on Latin American politics and is offered once a year.

International Relations of Africa brings together diplomats from a collection of Sub Saharan African states. Students engage in dialogue centered on three issues of importance to the future of the region: the prevention and resolution of ethnic conflict, economic growth and integration, and public health (nutrition, HIV, AIDS and other infectious diseases and contamination). The central question that students must try to answer is whether Africa will continue its current pattern of reliance on external actors (state and non-state) or whether it will try to forge a regional alternative. This simulation is most appropriate for courses on African politics and is offered once a year.

For More Information
Please consult the ICONS User Manual, which addresses all aspects of participation in an ICONS simulation. Various chapters deal with a number of issues critical to effective participation, and offer specific guidelines on such matters as organizing students into country-teams, developing position papers, setting up communication procedures, evaluation, and using the ICONS software.

For more information about Project ICONS or specific simulations, please contact ICONS, at (301) 405-4172 or by e-mail at icons@gvpt.umd.edu.