Real-World International Security Issues

Hello delegates! Recent weeks have seen some interesting developments with regards to international security. First off, tensions around everyone's favorite DMZ have been taking off recently following border clashes, with North Korea shelling a South Korean island and the South responding in kind. The North is flexing its muscles right now with Kim Jong-Il setting up his son Kim Jong-Un as his successor, so keep an eye on the situation.

We can also take a look at some developments in the post-Soviet world. The frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, frequently the site of border skirmishes, has seen a greater buildup by Azerbaijani forces in recent months. Currently modernizing its military with oil revenue, Baku is more aggressively seeking a resolution to the status of the breakaway province - possibly one that involves retaking it by force.

Lastly, there is the issue of the Islamist insurgency in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan. The obscure nation, on the northern border of Afghanistan, has seen conflict on an increasing scale this year, with the government providing little to no information about the insurgency aside from body counts. Former Soviet Central Asia has managed to avoid the influence of Islamic extremism to date, but any sort of uprising in the volatile region is never good news.

This is all just food for thought to consider the many different forms international security and disarmament can take. Have fun with your own research on it!

The DISEC team.