DISEC Thoughts

Hey delegates,

So let’s take a moment to think about arms shipments to non-state actors as you guys research your position papers. It might be relevant, it might not be - poli sci majors can’t always promise relevance and general usefulness to society, unfortunately :(

One of the most basic definitions of the state comes from Max Weber as the holder of a “monopoly on the legitimate use of force” within its borders. From a pragmatic standpoint, whether you’re talking about a repressive dictatorship or a liberal democracy, it’s sometimes preferable for the state to maintain this monopoly as a means to ensure stability. Even when they’re the most awful regimes in the world, when the state loses its only bargaining chip (coercion) and non-state actors proliferate (think the FARC in Columbia, or even the LRA), armed to the teeth and entirely unaccountable in the ways they use military force – but while they now have the means to defend themselves, civilians don’t. The tenuous military situation is extremely conducive to arms proliferation (conflict zones = high demand for weapons) and high civilian casualties as ordinary people are caught in the crossfires.

This is why it’s extremely problematic when states ship weapons to non-state actors even when these non-state actors are “good people who ask nicely and promise not to use the arms for bad things” because small arms ALWAYS destabilize the situation. No ifs, buts or whens. Philosophically, however, delegates are going to have to grapple with this in the context of the Arab Spring: do we ship arms to unknown rebel groups fighting against dictators?

When considering the question of arms shipments in general, I think we need to deal with all the cards on the table. There are often ulterior motives (namely economic and political gain) that accompany arms shipments, yet there can be unforeseeable long-term consequences.

What’s in it for me? China: weapons broker of the world

“China is pouring investment into Africa in exchange for access to the continent’s natural resources. Its trade with the continent is set to top $50 billion.”

Trading arms – to anyone – is a hugely lucrative business, especially with natural resources in play. China plays a HUGE role in arms transfers as a major supplier to the Horn of Africa, supplying weapons to African governments in exchange for rights to natural resources needed to sustain the pace of their economic development with no other strings attached. To give you some idea of the scope of their nefarious doings, here are some of the conflict regions China’s shipped to:

• Sudan during the civil war
• Darfur (ongoing crisis)
• Rwanda
• Somalia (ongoing crisis)
• Côte d’Ivoire (civil war)
• Ethiopia and Eritrea (during war)
• East Congo
• And more…

From The Jamestown Foundation:

- “China delivered by value about 13 percent of all arms to Sub-Saharan Africa; this percentage increased to almost 18 percent between 2004 and 2007.”

Cross-border proliferation isn’t just a problem that occurs with illegal trafficking – sometimes states stand to profit hugely off of licit trades. In the case of the Arab Spring, they could even reap the benefits in the future by selectively backing groups early on to form political alliances (like Qatar) or later negotiate for resource dividends (just a thought for now).

For delegates, if you’re going to pursue a moratorium on arms shipments to conflict areas, it only works when everyone is likely to abide by them. Yet considering that arms shipments are almost always counterproductive (see below), most nations choose to break these moratoriums for these reasons, and for political ones as well.

Gun diplomacy: a whole new meaning? The United States supporting allies in Somalia

“The United States sent RPGs, machine guns, mortars, and -- in the words of one U.S. official -- "cash in a brown paper bag" to Somalia [in the spring of 2008]”

As a show of solidarity and more importantly, to ward off Islamist groups on the verge of taking the country, the United States government sent arms shipments to the fragile Transitional Federal Government in direct contravention of an arms embargo adopted by the United Nations Security Council. The problem, however, is that these weapons inevitably make it out onto the market and make their way into the hands of militant groups and sometimes outside of the country itself. When the intended recipients can’t absorb the influx of arms shipments, weapons are instead sold on the open market. Small arms follow deserters or captured soldiers from the TFG, or are sold by militia members who compose the army. To top it all off, we know that Somalia is now a failed state, and that all those arms shipments couldn’t ward it off.

For the reasons above, arms-saturated, conflict-prone regions such as Somalia tend to act as transit points once new weapons flow into the region, notably to the Horn of Africa. As delegates research their foreign policies, they should keep in mind the efficacy of weapons transfers in propping up fragile governments and especially what kind of message it sends when members of the UN and the Security Council undermine circumvent their own rules.

It’s the Cold War, stupid: the hidden legacy of arms shipments

Even though the UN has been making progress on destroying weapons stockpiles from the Cold War, other issues have overshadowed the fact that there are a ton of guns drifting around in Central and Southern Asian (a former weapons corridor) from the Cold War era. If you happen to represent one of these countries, this link might be really useful to you in your research. Afghanistan, Tajikstan and other Central Asian former Soviet republics have all suffered from the proliferation of arms in their region and its links with human and drug trafficking. Everyone knows the story of how arms given to the mujahideen during the Afghan Civil War were appropriated by its offshoots, al-Qaeda and the Taliban, in other conflicts, but the region has suffered much worse. Delegates should consider how to deal with existing arms and not just how to limit the proliferation of new ones.

Phew. I guess that’s it for now. Happy researching!

Countdown to HSMUN: 24 days

Position Papers

Hello delegates,

Just a few notes about the position papers:

1. Remember that there is an award for best position paper in every committee so don't pull your punches.

2. The dais and intervention staff will mainly be looking at the extent of research that was performed for the paper, the relation of that research to the topics that will be discussed, and finally, the relation of that research to the country's foreign policy.

3. Limit the length of your papers to around 2 -3 pages double spaced. Even though if your paper is longer than that it may not be discarded, you will be less likely to win an award than an individual who fulfilled the requirements in the page limit.

4. Try to make the paper as interesting as possible seeing as how the intervention staff will be reading many of these.

5. Remember that the stance you take in this position paper will be representative of the stance you take in committee. If your intervention staff sees that your paper is an inaccurate depiction of your country's foreign policy, they will bring it up with you so your committee debate is not jeopardized.

On behalf of the dais and intervention staff, good luck with your research and papers and God speed.

We look forward to seeing you in February.

Zohaib

UNEP Needs Exciting Papers!!

Well, you must all be starting your position papers now, since most of you are done your exams! It may seem like a daunting task, but it is really simple if you have a thorough understanding of your country’s foreign policy (yes, we are going to keep hounding on that… your country’s foreign policy is the central component to your debate!). These papers are extremely beneficial in preparing you for the conference, because they force you to apply your country’s foreign policy to our two topics in writing, which will give you a solid understanding of your country’s position
as well as provide a written document that you can refer back to during debate. The best part? There’s awards for the most outstanding papers! So, how do you write one?

1. Position papers should be 1-2 pages long. Once you get going, this is not a lot!!

2. The position paper simply outlines your country’s position on each of our two topics. By now, you should already be familiar with the topics and you should have a good grasp on your country’s foreign policy. If not, refer back to the older blog posts for some ideas to get you started.

3. Specific questions to answer in your paper can be found here: http://www.ualberta.ca/~hsmun/positionpapers.html. Even though this is the “work” portion of the conference, we suggest that you put considerable effort into your paper. When you have a super-solid understanding of your country’s position on each topic, you are better able to present your argument as well as defend it, which makes the conference so much more fun and enriching for everyone. Make HSMUN 2012 the memorable, exciting experience that it’s supposed to be… dive right into your country’s foreign policy and become its delegation!

Now, you have 2 weeks, as they are due on February 11, 2012.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at hsmun.unep@gmail.com. Or, better yet, comment right on the blog so that everyone can see, because chances are that other delegates will have the same questions!

Good luck with your papers!

UNEP Dais

IT'S OVER 9000...

minutes until the conference begins! Hope you guys are all getting excited for it (hope all of your exams went well and you rocked them).

This post will mostly be an extension and elaboration on some specific areas of sovereignty. If you guys are looking for a little more ammunition to use in your debates during MUN it will definitely be useful to examine your country's position on the use of intervention. What intervention is, is having an external entity (usually other countries) entering an area with the aims of ending some internal conflict within this area. For the Arab Springs, a great example of this was the intervention of Libya to pressure the leader to step down.

When examining this topic, investigate your country's stance on either participating or accepting interventionist measures as this will greatly influence your arguments should you choose to go this route. This idea (the Responsibility to Protect [or R2P]) has been included in the United Nations in principle, meaning that it has been agreed on by members that it is an important thing to consider but is not binding. Some areas have made it a binding rule, most notably in the AU.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Intervention will not work in all the states in the Arab Springs. In some areas, there may not be violent action or revolution, reducing the need for an intervention. The reason for including intervention in the blog is to give you delegates more options with which to structure debate and your position papers.

I hope this has been full of helpful information. As attache, I am excited to see where your research has lead you and how you argue your country's position.

Carpe Diem all!

"A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen". ~Winston Churchil

Robert's Rules of Order

Hello Historical Delegates:

Just some more things for helping you figure out your way around our new committee's format.

First, we'll be following regular rules of procedure for HSMUN, so if you have experience with HSMUN, it will be very similar to other committees. The only catch is that we are unlikely to have a Primary Speaker's List, as there is only one topic!

Second, we will be providing an award for the best dressed delegate. Best dressed you say? Best dressed we say! You are not by any means required to dress up, but it will make the committee a lot more fun if you do. Come in time period or nationally appropriate clothing, and you may very well be rewarded.

Third, we are probably going to be spending a lot of time looking at maps. To help you with that, we'll be providing a large map of the Palestinian Protectorate with as much detail as we can get and have it in the room at all times. We'll also have a few transparencies available so that you can draw on them as you need to when you're negotiating different plans and deals. Bring some non-permanent markers, the more colours the better.

I hope you guys are looking forward to this as much as we are! We've got some surprises planned for you during the conference.

One of the best parts of historical committees? News clips with dated accents!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-panorama-middle-east-archives-divisions/9420.html

PS. Don't forget your position papers.

Cheers,

Robert

Im gonna just put this here...

Just thought you might need some humor in your day...



and this...




oh oh and this one..


have a great day!!

HOW TO REPRESENT in the Legal Committee

Since you all are going to be in the best HSMUN committee, you must a) have a thorough understanding of the two issues we're discussing and b) know how to represent your nation accurately during debates and caucuses. We'll try to keep you updated on the two topics in the month leading up to the conference, but for now, here are some tips to help you stick to your country's foreign policy:

1. What encounters has your nation had with the issue in the past? For instance, are you a nation that is home to alleged terrorists? Are you a nation that has pursued terrorists in the past? When it comes to the issue of immunity of UN personnel, are you typically a nation that receives the help of UN personnel or is it your own citizens that often serve as UN personnel? Exploring these questions can help you determine what your nation's interests are.

2. Has your nation taken any action in the past in relation to the two topics? This action doesn't have to be UN related - for instance, if your nation is part of a an organization like ASEAN, NATO, or the Arab League, to name a few examples, you may have outlined a framework for dealing with these issues that will give you an idea of where your nation stands and the types of solutions that your nation would advocate. Similarly, many nations have already outlined their stances on their own foreign policy sites - try checking these sources out to see if you can get more direction in terms of how to best represent your nation.

3. Who are your allies? Are relations more tense with certain countries? Keep in mind that foreign relations aren't absolute - you might be on the same page as a certain country when it comes to a certain issue but on opposing sides of the debate when it comes to another. Sorting this out before the conference comes along will help you determine how to proceed during HSMUN.

Remember to have fun and represent your nation as best as you can! We fully welcome good accents and good costumes.

We heard you guys have midterms right now or something, so good luck with those! 

We SO CHUMmy in SOCHUM

Yeah, pardon my lame joke.

On the other hand, there's only a month left until HSMUN 2012! Aren't you all so excited for it?

Oh right.. Most of you are probably panicking over high school midterms right now, without even realizing it. But, as I hope all of you SOCHUM delegates will read this post eventually, I thought I'd put in a friendly reminder.

Position papers are due on February 11, 2012.

Position papers are a great way to obtain more information about your country and their stance, while familiarizing yourself with our pertinent topics. It also helps you to brainstorm some possible solutions, which will be crucial for our discussion.

In terms of the topics, I've already some general questions for you to consider. However, your thoughts should not be limited to only those questions. What more can your country offer? Or would your country rather not be a part of, as an example, any international regulation on women's rights?

It's important to remember that during the entire conference, you're representing your country, not your own personal beliefs. While we love earnest, though-provoking discussions, you still must follow the ideals of your country, however limiting they may be. So, when writing your position papers or making notes to yourself, always remember to view information and arguments in the eyes of your country!

Hope this gives you some more things to consider!

Who's Who??

Hey Everyone

So while everyone is writing their background papers and doing some last minute research, try to keep your country's foreign policy in the back of your heads.. as this is very important for your paper and in your debate...

you may be asking.. "oh anonymous who blogger, what does foreign policy mean?"

well HSMUN 2012 DELEGATE, ones foreign policy simply means (as defined by dictionary.com)

foreign policy:
noun
a policy pursued by a nation in its dealings with other nations, designed to achieve national objectives.

in plain english, this means " a policy that a nations makes and follows according to how it deals with other nations... and the reason they would have such policy is so the can achieve their national objectives..."

kapeech??

if you guys have any questions.. please email us !!!

Beaceeee

NEARLY A MONTH AWAY!!

HEY GUYS!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE HSMUN IS A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AWAY?! THATS NUTSSSS!!!!

So as we start to hit the final month before the conference, it's time to gear up that research!!

One question that often comes up is the conflict between a nations' own health care system or disease control (for example the CDC in the USA). As delegates it is imperative to figure out what exactly your nations' policy is on something like disease control. While most nations do have similar methods in place such as isolation, quarantine, etc. there are some ambiguities and often these small ambiguities are what can cause the most problems when discussing a resolution. This is why it is imperative that you make sure you find out what your nation's policy on disease prevention is!

Additionally, mental health is recognized as an important issue in many countries yet it remains a taboo subject in others! For those nations which have largely avoid the issue of mental health, it is going to be important that you find a way to maintain your countries stance on mental health while still deliberating!

Again, if you guys have any questions, make sure to email us at hsmun.who@gmail.com !

PEACEEEE

UNEP - Usually Not Entertaining Posts (just kidding!)

Hello Delegates!

The conference is fast approaching and excitement is (hopefully) growing! Well, ours is anyway.

We'll start with some (organic) food for thought. Organic food is going to be a hard one to research in the sense that most nations aren't going to have a clear and definite stance on standardization of the organic food label. So, don't worry if you can't find how your nation feels on the issue - it's one of those issues where it's tough to find a wrong answer. At the same time, it's worth breaking the issue down and thinking about how pieces of it relate to your country's policy.

When we talk about standardizing food labels on an international level, this involves a lot of new rules and regulations that come into effect. The goal is essentially to set guidelines as to what can be called organic, making sure that Canada's version of organic is the same as China's. Right away, there are a few nations that could have problems with this - nations either with low health/environmental/agricultural standards, who would need to invest a lot of money to match the quality of international competitors, or nations who prefer to keep legislation in the hands of their own government, not the international community. So, that said, there are political and economic issues involved. Finally, the standardization process is potentially quite expensive, especially if it requires changing or completely restructuring the existing system. This might also be a deterrent for some nations.

Check out this link for more useful information:

http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/hottopics/should_i_choose_organic_foods.html

Good luck with your exams!

UNEP Dais

UN Personnel: Above the law?

According to some sources, having access to diplomatic immunity, at least as a high-ranking official, can guarantee you protection in pretty much any situation. While the UN always urges its personnel to abide by the laws of foreign nations, it still lacks the framework to ensure the accountability of its personnel. Like any policy, the immunity afforded to UN personnel exists for a reason: UN personnel can potentially be exposed to arbitrary persecution due to the highly political and dangerous nature of their work. In addition, in the event that they are implicated in a crime, they have no guarantee of a free or fair trial under certain judicial systems.

This case explores the complexity of diplomatic immunity, both in terms of its effect on the accused diplomat as well as its implications on the relationship between the two countries involved. While the accused was not a UN official, he has access to the same diplomatic immunity as many high-ranking UN officials. As you read the article, ask yourself to what extent we can trust a given judicial system to be impartial as well as whether or not the application of immunity can augment tension between nations.

We hope this helps! Happy researching. Remember to read/watch/listen to the news! 

Controlling Arms: more than the mere usage of muscles and nerves!

BANANAS!

So about arms control. Usually, this is something that we would leave to our fine friends in DISEC. But it is relevant to our problems!

What happened in Libya? What might happen in Syria? Our survey says.... CIVIL WAR DING DING DING DING DING! In the Arab Spring cases where the situation has or could deteriorate into full blown conflict, you need to include measures in your resolutions to address the circulation of weapons (even in Syria, there are still armed opposition groups though civil was has not yet occurred). You have a bunch of people with guns and a volatile political situation... that's like having a whole bunch of water balloons on a hot day... someone is gonna start throwin em!!!

Remember though, don't specifically refer to Libya or Syria. Perhaps something like, "In cases where armed conflict is likely or has occurred blah blah blah," would suffice.

READ THE NEWS!!!

"Democracy simply means the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people." -- Oscar Wilde

Your friendly neighbourhood not-Spiderman,

Josh

Security Council 101: A Quick Overview

Hi!

Today we will cover some general things about the topic and your actions in the committee. You know what we'll be talking about but now we will got over how to go about it.

You know its about the Arab Spring. Here is a logistical complication for you to digest: the Arab Spring is still going on and is happening in multiple countries! Therefore, your resolutions will have to be as general as possible. So far, I've been bombarding you with specific news articles and cases (though also some general stuff regarding the UN Charter and theoretical concepts). It is highly important to keep the specifics in mind and to know what is happening where. However, your resolutions cannot focus on individual cases. Remember the general issues we've covered in the blogs: treatment of disposed dictators, role of international community, role of domestic authorities, criminal jurisdictions. We will cover more in the weeks ahead. For now, general fluffy stuff.

For researching your position, the best place to start is your country's general foreign policy. Who are your allies/enemies? In what ways is your country involved in the Middle East? What economic, political, and social interests do you have in the region? Are you an aggressor state or a neutral state? From there, look into your country's involvement in the Arab Spring (i.e. who supports who, is it even a concern for your country). If you have any questions about HSMUN, the Security Council, the topic, research, or anything that is unclear to you, feel free to email us at hsmun.sc@gmail.com and we will answer your question as quickly as possible.

We've been a bit behind on our blogging and we apologize. Fear not! There will be plenty more for you to read in the following weeks! Later this week, we will continue our examination of problem areas of peaceful resolution by examining weapons... BOOM! Until then, have your dose of Arab Spring news!

"A mere forty years ago, beach volleyball was just beginning. No bureaucrat would have invented it, and that's what freedom is all about." -- Newt Gingrich speaking at the 1996 Republican Party Convention

Cheers,

Josh

It Was An "Accident"....

On the Issue of Accidents....

there is plenty of research to be found on the issue of specific military tactics used.. resulting in a (disturbingly) high percentage of accidental civilian deaths.

Without giving too much away (& thus removing the excitement & self-satisfaction that arises from the DISEC Quest For Answers), I will say that reports have been released (regarding the status of civilian deaths) by Amnesty International, NATO as well as articles from Time Magazine, Reuters, BBC, & The Guardian. That should hopefully help to direct/narrow down your search engine terms.

We encourage you to give us some feedback! If you've found it to be so, please click the Interesting or Helpful dialogue buttons located at the bottom of our DISEC blog posts!

Save A Panda. Click The Dialogue Button.

A Guide to Historical Etiquette

Hey everyone:

Hope you had a good holiday break, and are excited to be back at school. Here's some information for delegates of the Historical Committee on what they can expect of the historical simulation:

A Guide to Historical Committee Etiquette

Quick Rules:

1. No prochronism
2. Be in the box until we leave the box
3. You are allowed to change history, but follow a logical policy for your country
4. Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning

Rule One: No Prochronism

For those unfamiliar with the term (I had to use Wikipedia, don't worry), it is similar to an anachronism, but in the opposite direction. Anachronisms are things from the past still being used in the present in a no longer appropriate context. Prochonrisms are things from the future that should not yet exist. As such, any information you have from after 1947 is inappropriate to bring into the committee. This applies both to the material you can bring in, but also applies to your outlook. Try as much as possible to remember that you do not know what will happen after Israel is created. Consequences you know would be disastrous or miraculous because of how they actually turned out in the years up to 2012 that seem impossible or unfair in 1947 are still impossible or unfair!

Rule Two: Think in the Box

Remember all your teachers who told you to think outside the box? Yeah, they're wrong. I'm telling you to think in the Box while in committee. There will be times we are “Out of Box” and “In the Box”. I will make these times explicitly clear, I might have a gong or a bell or something. Typically Out of Box times will be the first and last 15 minutes of session, and barring something happening unexpectedly, the rest will be spent In the Box. During Out of Box time you'll be free to ask about things that are happening as a student of 2012, give feedback on how the format is going, seek explanations for things you find confusing, I'll ask you how the changes you're making might affect the course of history, and whatever else we need to do. When we go In the Box, you'll be assuming the role of diplomats in 1947, and forget everything you know after that. You go in character. While this is usually the case for MUN, it requires special mention because it is a different experience going back in time. Use the correct pronouns (some country names are not the same as you're used to).

Rule Three: Paradox Free Time Travel

Do not in any way feel bound by the solutions of yesteryear. Your committee is NOT an historical enactment. It is an historical SIMULATION. Follow your country's policy in principle. If you support Israel's creation, you'll still have to work for it. If you don't, don't feel disheartened, you may yet have your day. If your country had a specific policy in mind, propose it, but don't expect it to be shot down if it was in 1948, or be accepted if it is the borders as they stood after the segregation of Palestine. You are in control of the future. Use your powers wisely!

Rule Four: Be Prepared to Re-Examine Your Reasoning

I generally consider this good policy. It is especially important for how you decide to treat this committee. History might change drastically in this committee. Be prepared to think about the world differently.

I'll be posting a more in-depth guide to the procedural changes we'll be making to the committee, if any, when I consult with the people actually running it.

Cheers,

Robert

Chair

Contemplative Issues

Greetings SOCHUM delegates

In less than two months, you shall be embarking on a three day journey to deal with two pertinent world issues.

Here are tips to keep you on the straight path:

A) Decide which topic your nation-state feels more strongly about and therefore, which issue you would like to discuss first, before coming to the first day of committee because it is then that we will do the vote.

B) Remember to not just know about this issue, but you country's stand on the issue. If you speak much, but are saying points which disagree with the nations foreign policy, it will count against you and you shall be intervened.

C) On the first day of committee you shall be given a delegate handbook. This book has useful advice on committee proceedings as well as how to write a working paper.

D) Really think about this issues which are presented with these topics. Contemplate how you feel about these issues, but remember that at the end of the day, you are not discussing what you feel but what your country feels.
How far can one go to stop terrorism? For example, is what Batman does to save Gotham in the film The Dark Knight justified? Why or why not? Which country would agree or disagree? Is Utilitarianism a viable ideology?
And for women's rights, what exactly defines oppression? If a government forces women to wear a certain garment or not wear certain garment does this constitute oppression? What about the idea that anorexia and bulimia are virtually non-existent in non-western states? Can this be factored into the discussion of women's rights?
These are all questions which must be discussed not only with yourself, but with other nations as well.

E) Lastly, remember that even though countries are bound to disagree, remember to still work together. Do not disagree with another nation-state simply for personal reasons or because you believe you will win a prize.
There is an old African proverb: He who travels alone travels the fastest but he who travels with others gets where he wants to go.

Good luck with your committee sessions delegates. You will need it.

Here are some links to help you:

1) http://www.cda-cdai.ca/cdai/uploads/cdai/2009/04/carvin02.pdf
2) http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
3) http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
4) http://www.globalissues.org/article/166/womens-rights
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism

Zohaib Siddiqi, SOCHUM Chair

Happy New Year!

Since 2011 is officially over, the Legal committee has begun reflecting over the events of this past year and has been contemplating such topics as the scope and application of universal jurisdiction in carrying out anti-terrorist operations. 10 years after the 9/11 attacks, we can still find cases of nations using the pursuit of terrorists as a justification for acting beyond the limits of their own borders; we can look, for instance, at the US's presence in Pakistan and the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. 

For a source of recent news, you can look at this page from Foreign Policy magazine which has weekly updates on what they refer to as the "legal War on Terror." While not all the articles relate directly to the question of universal jurisdiction, some of them, like these two, discuss events that are very relevant to our topic. Checking this page regularly in the weeks leading up to the conference as well as looking at past posts on the page can give you a good idea of the controversy surrounding the topic. 

Some nations may use the deaths of terrorists to claim that allowing for universal jurisdiction is an effective method. Others, however, might say that the War on Terror has created collateral damage that outweighs its perceived benefits: this article examines the potential political impact the War on Terror might have had on Pakistan, a nation which claims officially that it is an ally of the United States in carrying out anti-terrorist operations, while this report looks at possible consequences of the War on Terror in a humanitarian light.

Enjoy the rest of your breaks, delegates! We would wish you good luck, but we know you don't really need it, right? :)

UNEP - Understanding Negative Environmental Pressures

Hello Delegates!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! Although the ground is still green (by green, I mean yellowish-brown), for better or for worse. Judging from my own experience in the last week, the only relevant resource extraction was shovelling turkey onto my plate. But now that that's over and we're down to leftovers, we can get back to the environment!

For starters, here are some general definitions that will come in handy:

Resource Extraction is a blanket term that refers not only to the collection of natural resources, but also to the location and distribution of the same. So when you're considering accountability, you're looking not only at the processes required to acquire resources, such as mining and logging, but also associated actions both before and after the acquisition process.

There are a lot of issues surrounding resource extraction, and it is important to keep the focus on environmental accountability. When talking about accountability, it is important to think in very concrete and specific terms. It's easy to point fingers and say that some nation or government is to blame, but it's a lot harder to objectively monitor environmental impacts and hold nations accountable. Food for thought (organic, of course).

Cheers,

UNEP Staff