Reflecting on the Spring Crisis Simulation as Team Türkiye

By Cora Kirby

The Patterson Spring 2025 Crisis Simulation was an impactful and enlightening experience. As
team leader of the Republic of Türkiye, I was tasked with coordinating and managing the
country’s strategy in facilitating and mediating negotiations. Our team had the honor of “hosting”
the meetings surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict in our capital city of Ankara. We had a
complex role in the simulation since the country has relationships with both sides of the conflict.
Türkiye was tasked with maintaining diplomatic relations with all parties involved, but we also
wanted to be a key actor in ceasefire negotiations. As the gateway between the East and the
West, managing our relations with all parties was easier said than done.

Leading up to the first day of the simulation, our team had focused the majority of preparation
on coming up with a Grand Strategy. Looking back on the week, our delegation could’ve been
more aggressive and specific during adjudication rounds leading up the actual negotiations.
Once it came time to actually have those bilateral and multilateral conversations we struggled to
assert our position as a dominant player. Figuring out Türkiye’s interests in the region as a
NATO member, and also navigating its aspirations to join both the EU and BRICS proved
challenging.

On Friday we focused much of our energy and time on gaining the trust of the EU, China, and
Ukraine. Our team tried to brainstorm ways to strong-arm Russia into agreeing to a ceasefire,
but we also wanted to be wary of the U.S. considering the new administration’s unclear foreign
policy objectives. In hindsight, we should’ve given the U.S. and Russia more attention. By the
end of Friday we heard about the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine’s ceasefire deal with the UN and
had to regroup.

Going into Saturday we were concerned about the ceasefire deal falling through, but wanted to
get in on the talks any way we could. Our tactic was to meet multilaterally with the U.S., Russia,
and Ukraine, and to convince them that they needed Türkiye to be the enforcers and
peacekeepers of the ceasefire deal, as well as play a role in reconstruction efforts. We were
successful in getting a multilateral memorandum signed, but immediately after that a “bomb”
went off and quite literally blew up any chance of peace. After the attack in our country, we had
to shift our focus to the investigation and holding the perpetrators accountable. It was
disheartening to find out that Ukraine actually carried out the attack, and to know that peace
was growing more and more distant by the minute.

Reflecting on my overall experience as the team leader of Türkiye, I came into the simulation
with a lot of uncertainty and a lack of confidence in myself. Being in a leadership position in a
scenario like this was not easy and I felt like I truly didn’t deserve to be there. I am incredibly
grateful for my brilliant and patient team members—Lexi Dean, Emma Gray, Claire McDaniels,

Emily Heffner, and Mohamed Ratbi—for their unwavering support and unique contributions.
Each of them brought something special to the group, making the experience even more
meaningful and rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I look forward to having more
experiences like this while at Patterson, and further developing my skills in diplomacy,
teamwork, and leadership. This crisis simulation highlighted the fragility of today’s world and
reinforced the crucial role our generation will play in securing a peaceful future for years to
come.