We LOVE Position Papers

Hey SOCHUM delegates!

Even though the deadline has passed, we have not received many position papers from all of you. I'd just like to remind all of you that there's an award for Best Position Paper, so it's worth it to just spend some time writing a background paper on your country. We are still accepting position papers at this point, but please send it in as soon as possible, so we can consider all of your papers for the award!

Thanks!

More Papers Please?

Hi!
So because we Security Council peeps are so generous, kind, selfless, modest, [insert awesome adjective], we are doing things a little differently. Your delegate packages say that the papers were due yesterday at midnight. However, FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL ONLY (unless your specific dias staff has informed you otherwise), the paper deadline is set at Tuesday, February 14th (<3) at midnight. That means you have plenty of time to finish your paper and get a date unless you want your date to be your paper. That being said, we would really like it if you would please send in your papers ASAP to hsmun.sc@gmail.com. To those delegates who have already submitted papers, we thank you, you're awesome, minstrels will write songs about you in years to come. As previously mentioned, your paper needs to be submitted ON TIME in order to be eligible for awards. If your paper is submitted at 3am on the 15th, no biggie. So long as it is reasonable, we'll still accept it.

For something more along the lines of the Arab Spring, here is a nice nice visual timeline of the Arab Spring events that gives you a little gloss over of how widespread it actually is.

Conference is only a few weeks away!!! YAY!!!

Security Council Fun Fact: Taiwan used to have a permanent seat on the Security Council.

Until next time, live long and prosper!

Josh
SC Chair

BUT MY POSITION PAPER IS 19 MINUTES LATE.

After receiving some worried emails about late position papers, the Legal dais staff just wants to say that we will take a look at position papers that come in a bit later so long as they're not unreasonably late - i.e. try to get your paper in by tomorrow if you can. We have all been panicked delegates before, so we know how you all feel right now. If you feel really guilty about your procrastination, we usually respond well to excessive compliments. Good luck, happy last-minute writing, and email us if you have any questions!

Position papers, anyone?

Hey delegates,

So we'd just like to remind you all that we'd like to have all our position papers in by Valentine's Day.

For those of you still stuck on what to write about or who aren't sure what their country's stance is on an issue, maybe think about poking into your country's history, experiences with the UN and international measures in their own country and in the region, looking up voting records in DISEC, etc. And if you're worried about having smaller or more obscure countries, it's really useful to look at who your country's allies are and how THEY feel about an issue. Countries tend to vote in blocks - if your country has strong economic, social or cultural ties with another nation, it's likely that they cooperate on the international stage as well.

Hopefully you guys don't find this process too onerous. Position papers are a really great way to figure out your country's stance on issues before you come into committee sessions, and they're a good way to prep for the actual conference.

As always, happy last-minute-gotta-hand-in-a-position-paper researching!

P.S. In honour of Valentine's Day:

Credits:

http://irryangosling.tumblr.com/

Hello Legal Committee!

Hey delegates! First of all, we're still waiting on position papers. We have received one so far, but we feel confident that there are more of you in the Legal committee because we like to think that there are many real people who read our blog posts. We hope that you are all frantically writing them right now. If you have any questions on guidelines or content, check out this page. Remember that your position papers let us know how well you understand your nation's foreign policy so try to convey your nation's stance on both issues as articulately and correctly as possible. Position papers should be sent to hsmun.legal@gmail.com. Some concerns that delegates sometimes have about foreign policy are:

1. My country's foreign policy is very extreme/difficult to defend - this actually puts you in one of the best positions to start interesting debates in the committee! Your nation's foreign policy might force you to be less cooperative with other delegates, but as your dais staff we can recognize that you're just being consistent with your country's actions and ideology. Usually, the most controversial stances make for the funnest and most engaging committee debates - remember that your goal is to ultimately represent your state's foreign policy.
   
2. My country isn't too involved in this particular issue/my country hasn't defined a clear stance on this particular issue - this is also not necessarily a bad thing. Because your country isn't too invested in  one of the topics we're discussing, you have the most flexibility with creating effective draft resolutions that don't violate your foreign policy. Just make sure that you represent the values that your nation typically stands for - for instance, your country might not have had many encounters with terrorism but you might traditionally place a high value on protecting national sovereignty - in that case, you wouldn't advocate very much for universal jurisdiction in anti-terrorist operations. 

While I have your attention, you should read this article about crimes committed by UN personnel in Congo. As you read the article, you'll notice that there are references to some internal measures taken by the UN to limit the possibility of these crimes occurring, like a strict curfew for personnel while mentioning that Congo doesn't have the authority to prosecute UN personnel. Do you think that the internal measures taken by the UN have been enough to deter crime? If not, is that because the measures aren't stringent enough or is it because we're giving individual nations too little authority in preventing and prosecuting crimes committed by UN personnel? The irony is that the UN personnel were sent to Congo to protect citizens but have, it seems, only created a more dangerous environment, which demonstrates how flawed the UN's current system of diplomatic immunity can be. 

Hopefully that helps, delegates! We are eagerly awaiting your position papers :)  

Unarguably Not Environmentally Pessimist

Hello, my dear UNEP delegates. So, let’s start this blog with a very important issue: we have not received any position papers yet! Not even one! This kind of concerns us, considering they are due tomorrow! So this is just a friendly reminder to please get those in, by Sunday at the absolute latest!

Well, this time in 2 weeks, we will be halfway through the conference. Do you feel prepared? What techniques does your country use for resource extraction? Are they trying to go green, or are they extremely damaging to the environment? Do they care? Do they think that the government or the private sector should be held accountable? If your country is not focusing on the environment, what exactly are they focusing on? What about organic food? Does your country have any standards in place regarding what constitutes “organic”? Do they want standards? Would standardization of the organic food label benefit your country? Regarding organic food or food production in general, what impact does your country have on the environment? Again, do they care? By now, you should not only know the answers to all of these questions, but you should be prepared to defend them should these issues come up in debate. Let’s hope that all you guys are so prepared, you’ll think of even more factors to debate on! We all want an interesting and exciting time, so make sure you know your foreign policy inside and out!

Now, I know we’ve been talking about foreign policy a lot, and how it’s super important, because it is the foundation upon which you will debate. But, if you’re still a little bit unsure, it’s not the end of the world! Don’t hesitate to e-mail us, or post on the blog if you have any questions or concerns. And remember, we have an intervention attaché who is our expert on every country’s foreign policy, and she will be there to guide you throughout the conference.

Again, feel free to comment on the blog! Ask us any questions you may have in the less-than-2 weeks leading up to the conference, or just tell us how you’re feeling! Excited? Pumped? Thrilled? We sure hope you know the answer to that one! :)

Until next time,

UNEP Dais

Those Three Little Words...

Small arms proliferation.. aren't those the three little words that everyone here in DISEC is thinking about this February...

This Valentine's Day, I'm going to give you a little something from the bottom of my heart...

Over the course of the past five months, there have been plenty of materials for you to work with ... starting with the HOME BASE itself .. The United Nations.

Check out....

arms embargo/natural resource trading monitoring

illicit arms flow control

the proposed disarmament agenda for 2012 (I HEART GA I: DISEC).

the 2012 arms trade treaty meeting/previous resolutions (DOHA/WTO)

relation to drug trafficking

Within these articles, there are certain clues as to what your nation's stance, (or the stance of the neighboring states that surround your nation/Allies), is on the topic of arms trade and small arms proliferation.

Lastly, I sincerely wish you well with your position paper drafting! Any submissions (hsmun.disec@gmail.com) after February 14 will not be considered for a DISEC Delegate Position Paper Award. Submissions must be factually correct, in alignment with your nation's foreign policy on both of the topics, insightful, and informative. If you are a clear and succinct writer, this can be covered in roughly one to two pages.

Have a great weekend & a happy Valentine's Day :)

xoxo,

DISEC

Position Papers!

Just a quick reminder that position papers are due this Saturday at midnight. If yours is informative, factually correct, and maybe even entertaining, we will be extremely pleased with you before the conference even starts AND we might give you an award for the best position paper! The papers should be 1-2 pages long and should cover both topics.

You should also take a look at this article discussing how the nature of terrorism (including state-sponsored terrorism) poses difficulties in prosecuting the crime on both a national and international level. The writer brings up the interesting point that the international framework in place to deal with terrorism right now doesn't take into account that, in some cases, the crime was sponsored by the state that has custody of the suspect, using an example from 1988 involving alleged state-sponsored terrorism on Libya's part. If you see this as an issue that could impact your nation, think about the extent to which international bodies should be involved in prosecuting terrorists and the effect this has on the sovereignty of individual states.

That's all for now! Good luck with your papers :)

News Issue 2!

Daily Delegate Issue 2

The Power of Veto

No... not the Big Brother veto. A really interesting development is occurring within Security Council. Russia and China, two countries who have permanent spot on the UNSC have vetoed a resolution that would attempt to end the violence in Syria. This is a great read for before the conference as it shows how unpredictable Security Council can be. If you do not already know, do some research to see if your country has a "veto" power during voting procedures which will greatly affect the interactions with your fellow delegates (in other words, if you have a veto power and you don't use it when you should, the intervention attache will be sending you a "message").

On that super happy note, please remember that your papers are due February 14th at midnight if you wish to be eligible for an award. Even if you do not want an award, it is a good idea to write the paper as it is a great chance to really solidify your knowledge of your country's policy. Also it gives us the chance to help you get on the right track. If you don't show us what you're getting into, we can't help. We are here to help you and we are happy to do so! Please send your papers and any questions you may have to hsmun.sc@gmail.com.

Hope you all enjoyed your exam break and are getting PSYCHED FOR THIS CONFERENCE!

Carpe Diem.

Aaron- Intervention Attache

UNEP - Unknown Nuclear Energy Plans

Hello delegates!

Unfortunately, this blog post isn't about nuclear energy. Actually, to be honest, it's not really about energy at all (although stay tuned for another post on the resource extraction topic next week!) In the last 3-ish weeks leading up to HSMUN it is normal to experience any combination of the following symptoms: panic, fear, apprehension, anxiety, agitation, distress, despair, terror, trepidation, or uneasiness. you may be thinking: "What did I sign up for? February seemed so far away but now it's here!"

Not to worry. The following simple steps will have you well on your way.

Step 1. Start breathing. It always helps, I promise.

Step 2. Scroll through the UNEP blog posts for the last couple of months to familiarize yourself with your topics and committee.

Step 3. Use any combination of Wikipedia/Google/websites/journals/books/libraries/textbooks to research your country and its perspective on the topics. As we've mentioned in earlier blog posts - don't worry if you can't find exactly what your country thinks about an issue. Instead, think about the bigger picture. For example, responsible extraction of resources involves raising standards, passing new legislation, and potentially rehauling damaging practices and industries. This involves a significant financial commitment for long-term benefit. Many governments, among other things, may have problems with the UN telling them how to spend their money. Moral of the story (for you anyway) - try to expand the topics and look at the greater issues such as environmental/social/economic.

Step 4. Once you think you've got it all down, sit down and write your position paper. We're looking for 1-2 pages (total) on how your country feels about each topic. Remember, the papers are due by Feb. 11. See last blog post for more details.

Step 5. Sit back and enjoy the ride. The conference is only 3 weeks away, so once you're all prepped, get ready to bring your A game, and we'll take care of the rest.

During the conference, expect to experience one or more of the following symptoms: delight, excitement, amusement, enjoyment, fun, adventure, and satisfaction.

That's all for now!

UNEP Dais

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