Iran & Its Nuclear Ambitions

Iran's recent decision to enrich its uranium to 20% has left the international community stunned. The announcement had some definite reprecussions on Iran's already strained relationship with the West, but it also resulted in some very interesting reactions among the Western powers themselves.
Here are some BBC articles which outline the issue and various countries' stance:

• Initial announcement by Iran,
• The West's reactions,
• BBC opinion piece on the issue,
• Most recent developments (from Monday).

This issue constitutes probably one of the most important developments in international news before the conference, and should affect relations between major and minor world powers, especially since a UN Security Council vote on sanctions against Iran is likely to take place soon (in real life).

I urge you all to take notice of what happens with the Iran issue until Thursday afternoon, as Turkey attempts to mediate and Hilary Clinton continues on her tour of the Gulf.

Does Kim Jong Il have feelings?

A few years back some of the political science students in HSMUN thought it would be hilarious if the official quote for the conference was by Machiavelli, a man renowned for his strategic brilliance and political cunningness but also for his belief that the ends justified the means and focus on preserving power for the state, or more accurately, the prince. Their point, I think, was that the UN isn't all warm and fuzzy. Politics is messy and understanding what motivates states' actions can be difficult to understand even after being force fed political theory on the subject because let's face it, leaders are human, and sometimes totally crazy. However, as delegates you are at once a part of the action, and removed enough to examine it rationally. Reading accounts of situations like that in Rwanda, it is easy to see that the UN can easily fall into the role of being an ivory tower, where time is given to actually make rational decisions based on carefully compiled reports, blah blah blah but at other times, there is a very real sense of urgency and action is taken that has real consequences. Those in the Security Council best experience this type of extreme, but really it is experienced by any delegate who feels particularly passionate about certain topics.
I'm not sure where I was going with this other than I was reading an Economist article about Kim Jong Il and they mentioned that some considered him a brilliant Machiavellian but they were shocked to see him actually apologizing to his people and it reminded me that strong emotion is often what gets things done in the UN. Not in the Security Council maybe, but in its agencies and on the ground, it is a series of incredible people who are passionate about their missions that drive agendas forward. As a delegate you should try to find some passion about the topics you are debating and it will make this experience so much more enjoyable. Not too much emotion mind you, but just a little to give you some conviction.

Also, read this thought-provoking and short post on the resurgence of the AIDS epidemic in parts of Africa. The Wall Street Journal piece is interesting as well.

It's coming... Are you ready?

We're in the final stretch!! To help in your preparation for the conference I thought I'd make a list of things to remember:

Things to bring:
- Paper, pens - you'll need something to send notes to other delegates on and to write draft resolutions on
- Research! Statistics, foreign policy notes, position papers, background papers, etc. These are all super helpful to have as reference when you speak in committee. And you will speak in committee.
- The nametag you receive on Thursday night you'll need to wear on Friday and Saturday and bring with you to the banquet if you want to gain entrance.
- Water bottle (hydration is important!)

Things to leave at home:
- Valuables. There is no safe place to lock them up and you won't be able to leave them in committee rooms during lunch. Bring enough money for lunch/snacks on Friday but not much else.
- Laptops. You can't use them in the committee room so there's really not much point in bringing them. You will have access during the day to a computer lab but restricted access to the internet. Do your research at home, ahead of time.

Other Things:
- Dress code is business for the conference and business/formal for the banquet (which is at the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe).
- Do not do all your research on Thursday night. You've known the topics and your delegation assignments for weeks, if not months. No excuses! We're all busy university students and we've been working on them since September!
- Thursday night, registration opens at 6 PM in the ETLC atrium on the second floor and you should be in ETL E1-001 by 6:30 for the start of the opening ceremonies. Thursday evening, committee sessions will wrap up by 9 PM. Then you're back bright and early on Friday at 9 AM. Time is limited so sessions will start promptly. Don't be late.
- Cell phone use is prohibited within committee sessions and delegates caught will be at the mercy of their dais staff.
- If you have questions, ask any of the staff! We'll do our best to help you out.
- If you don't get the rules yet, don't panic! The opening ceremonies includes a mock debate that highlights the important rules and your dais staff will also give you a chance to ask questions in committee.


Hopefully, I covered most of it. Comment if you have any questions or further suggestions.

Finally, check out the latest edition of the newspaper!

International Week 2010!

As some of you may know, from February 1-5 the University of Alberta is hosting International Week 2010. This is a great opportunity to hear speakers and meet activists and experts who are passionately engaged on any number of different fronts. I have listed some lectures below and strongly encourage you to take advantage of any that you can (the majority are free!). When I was in high school I had the opportunity to see Stephen Lewis at I-Week and it was life changing. It's not often we get this many experts in one place in Edmonton so COME OUT!

Monday Feb. 1, 12:00 - 1:30 PM - Myer Horowitz: Donna Brazile speaking on "Civic Engagement, Creating Lasting Change"
This woman is crazy! She's worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, where she served as campaign manager for Al Gore and continues to play an active role in the Democratic National Committee. For political junkies, this lecture is a must!

Monday Feb. 1, 5:00 - 6:30 PM - TELUS Centre 150: Film "Good Morning Kandahar" followed by a discussion with Brigadier-General John Vance and others.

Monday Feb. 1, 7:30-9:00 PM - TELUS Centre 150: Canada's Future Role in the World - a roundtable with people from DFAIT, CIDA, Canada's World and Dr. Tom Keating from the Dept. of Political Science
If you're interested in Canadian diplomacy and development efforts this should be an interesting discussion.

Tuesday Feb. 2, 7:30-9:00 PM - TELUS Centre 150: Towards a Canadian Arctic Strategy
Need I say more Security Council delegates?! GO! GO!


Wednesday Feb. 3, 7:30-9:00 PM - TELUS Centre 150: World Poverty: Explanations, Responsibilities, Reforms
I'm not as confident that this will be a good session but the topic is interesting and I-Week doesn't usually mess around with bringing in less-than-quality keynote presenters. The presenter, Dr. Thomas Pogge, is from Yale University and heads efforts towards creating a new pharmaceutical patent regime that would improve access to medicines for poor people worldwide.

Thursday Feb. 4, 5:00-6:30 PM - TELUS Centre 150: Film "Toxic Trespass"
This film looks at the chemical soup constantly surrounding us and how governments respond to the dire health threats. Could be useful for UNEP delegates!

Thursday Feb. 4, 7:30-9:00 PM - TELUS Centre 150: When Worlds Collide: Ethics and the Global Pandemic Response
HELLO, WORLD HEALTH ORG. DELEGATES, this roundtable will look at the ethics of fighting a global pandemic. Who should get access to medication first? How do we role out immunization campaigns? While there will likely be a heavy focus on Canada, I would still urge anyone who can to go since this panel is directly addressing the ethical issues surrounding access to medication during pandemics!

Alright, so now you have some week night options for next week! You can find a listing of all the events in the I-Week program!

Tensions rising in Venezuela and Asia

As the news cycle continues to be dominated by Haiti, particularly as more accurate death tolls become available and a conference begins tomorrow which aims to lay out a long-term development plan for the country, I thought I would briefly discuss a few other stories happening globally.

First, in anticipation of an election in September, Venezuela's opposition parties are stirring up dissent. There are reports that tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets Saturday to protest the Chavez regime. Mostly, they are unhappy with the rolling blackouts, water rationing and widespread crime. However, later that day, they had new reason to be upset when it was announced that Chavez was taking a tv station that refused to broadcast a presidential address off the air. Earlier last week, he nationalized several stations in order to better control what they broadcast. This is a clear attack on freedom of speech in the country and the international community should be concerned. Just over a week ago, Venezuelans also saw their currency devalued, a move which is regarded with much skepticism by The Economist.

Second, tensions within Asia and between Asian countries and the international community have been ratcheted up lately. There's the US-China diplomatic row over attacks on Google, a crackdown on democracy activists in Vietnam, declarations of pre-emptive strikes between North and South Korea, protests in Hong Kong and the jailing of a HK dissident by China. Responding to these new developments, The Economist has published a number of articles this week regarding Chinese relations with its neighbours and the EU, as well as on their hot economy which has many fearing the development of dangerous bubbles. Delegates are advised to keep their eyes on the region as relations with the Asian giant have come to play a huge roll in the success of UN sessions. Moreover, as China's neighbours become more embroiled in dispute, security becomes a greater concern and as we all know, an insecure or pre-occupied country is one which often makes ill-advised foreign policy decisions.

Third, Afghanistan continues to be a mess. Its elections have now been postponed because of a lack of funding from donor countries who are fed up with the corruption in the state. On a more hopeful note, CBC radio had an interview this morning with Greg Mortenson who has been working to build schools in Afghanistan for years and provided at least a little hope for the recovery of the country.

Fourth, since Christmas, Yemen has been hitting the news more often. Keep an eye on articles detailing the ongoing action against Al-Qaeda, and relations between Yemen and its neighbour, Saudi Arabia.

Finally, I should note that although I chose not to link to articles on Haiti, it will be interesting to watch reports of the conference tomorrow and in the upcoming days. The world has rarely seen the need to engage in humanitarian relief on this scale and without at least cursory demands to respect sovereignty. At this point, it is hard to imagine Haiti will have a functioning state or government capable of direct relief on its own within the next 6 months and how the international community handles this may reflect a changing approach towards humanitarian relief efforts and human security.

Scenes of Devastion in Haiti

This week one story has dominated the news cycle - the horrible devastation of Haiti as the result of an earthquake. Right now, aid workers and citizens are beginning the long road to recovery with the help of international aid and military personnel. However, the plight of Haiti didn't begin here and recovery efforts will be hampered, to an even greater degree than in Indonesia, by the poverty and history of civil conflict that has made the country the poorest in Latin America. The question of how Haiti will move forward from here is a pressing one - the short answer is not without a huge outpouring of foreign assistance that will be maintained for years to come.

Why should the outside world care though? Haiti has had a messy past few decades and the US, UN and neighbouring countries have all intervened in governmental affairs. The latest incident was in 2004 when the US moved to oust the democratically elected dictator Aristide. Since then, the UN and Brazil have set up missions and peacekeeping forces, slowly beginning to stabilize the crushingly poor state. Haiti's poverty stems from several factors including a long history of unstable governance, poor infrastructure, desertification, heavy deforestation (which has meant erosion and flooding), and high levels of corruption.

At this point though, the need to aid millions without homes, proper sanitation or food is dire and the international community is right to act immediately and without reservation. Beyond obliging a sense of common humanity, leaving millions of people in such a state is a massive security risk. We are already seeing reports of violence surrounding aid drops, looting, massive exodus' into neighbouring states, and fears regarding escaped criminals. However, these concerns will soon be compounded if aid resources are not distributed efficiently, shelter is not built quickly and jobs not created. Aid agencies are already working under the assumption they will be completely supporting some Haitians for up to three years but even that's a daunting figure when considering the amount of work that will be needed to stabilize such an impoverished nation. Leaving it alone will lead to a failed state with rampant crime, corruption, poverty and ever growing populations of displace persons and refugees.

Interestingly, Canada is now considering fast-tracking some refugee claims from the country. Haitians already have a huge diaspora with some 100000 estimated to be in Canada, 600000 in the US and 800000 in the Dominican Republic. These numbers are unsurprising given the conditions in the country and the support of this community will be beneficial to a country brought to its knees so soon after achieving just a small measure of progress.

From the point of view of the UN, the Haitian earthquake has been personally devastating. The UN headquarters in Port-Au-Prince have been flattened and there are 46 UN workers dead with over 300 missing. In one good news story yesterday, a Danish UN worker was pulled from the ruined headquarters and is in stable condition. Hundreds of aid workers, including many from Canada, are now unlikely to be found alive. The high death rates of foreign nationals reflect the sheer amount of aid work that was going on before the earthquake and is a terrible reminder for many organizations, families and communities of the risks their members undertake on these missions.

Let us all hope that the current outpouring of support for the country will be enough to put it on the road to recovery and sustain it for the next several years as people rebuild their shattered lives. Let us also hope we will see improved coordination of the massive long term aid effort, even as thousands of troops from Canada, the US, and neighbouring states, land in Haiti. Disaster relief on this scale has rarely been seen.

Articles of interest on Haiti from:
- The Globe and Mail (Pictures, Articles, World Aid)
- The Economist (Why the World Must Respond)
- The Wall Street Journal (More Peacekeepers going to Haiti)

New Delegate Resources Available!

Background papers are up on our website! Go to www.ualberta.ca/~hsmun and then use the left-hand sidebar to navigate to your committee page.

Also, check out the first edition of the UNN newspaper!

Holiday's over...

Happy New Year and welcome back to regularly scheduled blogging by the HSMUN team. We're looking forward to the next month and a half of final preparations for the conference and hope you are too. Over the next few days we will be posting background papers, the first edition of the UNN, and hopefully sending out the first of our delegate emails.

Below are a few articles and events of interest:

• Counting their blessings - The Economist: This article looks at how developing countries weathered the economic crisis

• Yemen has become the latest terrorist-harboring state, with violent consequences. Reports from the NYT, Al Jazeera, and the BBC.

"Hillary Mann-Leverett, a former US diplomat who worked at the national security council, told Al Jazeera that Yemen had long been a troubled state plagued by poverty and violence.

"The most important thing here for geopolitics globally and within the region, is that Yemen has been a fractured, desperately poor and deeply fractitious country that all the countries in the region and the superpowers have used as a battleground," she said." - Al Jazeera

• Latest report from the International Crisis Group: 6 actual or potential conflicts deteriorated, none improved.
• How to write about poor people (Part 1 and part 2) - William Easterly: A humorous blog entry from a foreign aid scholar
  
• All the President's Leaks - FP.com: Why Obama is winning the propaganda war with Iran

Now go out and research my friends! (And check your committee blogs, too)


Cartoon from KAL at The Economist

Massacre in the Philippines

The West has long supported democracy as the best system possible. However, the fact remains that in many impoverished countries, democracy comes hand-in-hand with corruption and violence. This ongoing case in the Philippines is a sobering example of the dangers of democracy without strong rule of law and the elimination of patronage-based politics.
The following excerpt from a Globe and Mail article on the incident speaks to these shortcomings, particularly when read in light of the fact that the alleged killers are likely from a family loyal to the current president of Philippines:

Julkipli Wadi, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of the Philippines, said he doubted the national government's resolve in trimming the powers of political dynasties like the Ampatuans because they deliver votes during elections.

“Because of the absence of viable political institutions, powerful men are taking over,” he said. “Big political forces and personalities in the national government are sustaining the warlords, especially during election time, because they rely on big families for their votes.”

Al Jazeera has also followed the story and recently did an episode on political violence in the area. As elections-related violence likely continues, the world will certainly be watching more closely to see how the central government handles this incident and what impact it will have on voting patterns.

Field Trip!

This week, Obama is embarking on a tour of Asia, beginning in Japan and then visiting China, Singapore and South Korea. This means that by the end of the week there should be several new opinion articles on US-China relations, etc. which will likely be worth taking a look at. Personally, I've also been writing about trade diversification and Chinese monetary policy (random, I know) so the Asian-Pacific region has been on my mind as of late. A few things that caught my attention recently are listed below.

Barack Obama's Asian Adventure - Obama's diplomatic efforts will have to be balanced and focused on economics
A wary respect - This special report from The Economist discusses, among other things, the challenges China faces at home and what this means for diplomatic relations with the US in the future.

Korean Naval Ships Clash at Sea - Just days before Obama visits the region, North and South Korean war ships exchange fire. This type of naval clash is not unprecedented.
North Korea warns South it will pay for clash - Mere sabre rattling or escalating hostility?

China, the US and Taiwan - The author argues that weapons sales to Taiwan should be used as a bargaining chip with China. Weapons sales have the potential to be highly destabilizing but the prospect of them can push diplomacy efforts forwards.

Having it both ways - China has made a huge investment in copper mining in Afghanistan (over $3 billion spent... who knew??). Why aren't they helping protect it?

On a final note, read something about Afghanistan's electoral disputes and the overall mission that I've touched upon in past posts. (Or even better, Palestine's...)

It's hard to be an optimist these days...

This week we have seen several reports of extreme violence in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. While this is sadly not far from the ordinary, the latest explosion in Iraq that left 700 wounded and over 130 dead is a sobering reminder that peace is still a ways off. It also casts doubt on whether the US will be able to withdraw as early as they had hoped.

I bring up Afghanistan largely because of the latest story from the New York Times which alleges that President Karzai's brother is being paid off by the CIA. In response, Joanna Nathan of Foreign Policy argues in an online article that this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to US intervention and encouragment of corruption.

Iraq's Worrisome Political Process - CFR.org

No End in Sight - The Economist

An Election Under Siege - The Economist

Afghanistan in Crisis - A series of articles from The Nation

Data speaks louder than words

In my International Political Economy class the other day we watched this video off of TED. It is of Hans Rosling, a researcher in Sweden, who has created this fabulous website: gapminder.org. This presentation was so interesting because of the way he uses graphics and data to change our conception of the developing world vs. the developed world. While there are several of his talks on TED, this one was a good starting point. If you want to see more, skip to about the middle of his 2009 presentation to see some new stats on aids, child mortality and his assessments of the "bottom billion."

At right you see a graph I made on gapminder.org comparing life expectancy and CO2 emissions. Click on it to go watch the video progress from the early 1800s onwards.

General Research Links

As registration gets under way in the next few weeks, many of you will likely have already decided on which committee you wish to join and are now merely waiting for a country assignment. Luckily, there is lots of non-country-specific research that can be done right now! I thought you might find it useful to see some of the sites I regularly look to when preparing these blog posts or looking for further information on topics we discuss in class, etc. These are all sites that you can access freely, although in the future we may see if we can distribute papers accessible only through the University. Please feel free to add any sites you find useful in the comments!

Wikipedia - Obvious, but if you know nothing about a topic it often points you in the right direction and has useful links

UN.org - Another obvious one. You can find information on committees, topics and sessions as well as links to key UN documents. Also check out the UN News Service.

World Fact Book - Basic Country Briefings from the CIA. Similarly, the US Department of State also has country reports plus topic briefings.

Economist.com - Covers a broad range of topics in an engaging manner (plus they have their own specially designed typeface for maximum readability!)

The BBC - I like the BBC because they create lots of additional features like interactive timelines that can bring you up to speed on a situation quickly

Reuters, CBC, Al-Jazeera, New York Times, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, MSNBC, CNN, etc. - Choose at least one news outlet (or newspaper) and regularly check it. These sites all have search features so you can find related articles.

Google News - Or, if you're lazy and aren't picky about your sources, there is Google News which is useful for getting a wide range of opinions or takes on current events.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy - Two big American magazines which include the work of scholars, politicians and journalists to cover any number of subjects. Foreign Affairs contains much lengthier articles whereas FP tends to be shorter and their website is much more interactive.

International Crisis Group - Excellent reports on crisis regions

World Politics Review - Offers daily commentary on international affairs, national security and foreign policy (particularly US)

Global Policy Forum - GPF is a website that "monitors the work of the United Nations and scrutinizes global policymaking." Its wide range of articles provides thoughtful analysis and will help you to situate topics within global debate.

openDemocracy - Free articles on world issues, politics, etc.

Frontline - PBS hosts tonnes of 1 hour documentaries on a myriad of topics including the financial crisis, the war in Afghanistan, and Hugo Chavez

Think tanks such as Brookings also have interesting articles covering American foreign policy in particular, although each has their own ideological slant. As do hybrid news sources like The Huffington Post.

Hopefully you find some of these links useful as you begin to research your topics. Read critically, with an eye towards which countries or viewpoints are being favored and you will be rewarded in debate!

Violence in Pakistan

As Pakistan heats up it will be interesting to watch how this changes relations in the region. The US and its NATO allies have long been pushing Pakistan to deal with the insurrgents along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Finally, Pakistan has made a strong commitment and we are now seeing people flee the region ahead of fighting as well as increasing violence against security forces already in place.
Many feel that bringing the Taliban under control in Pakistan is essential to 'winning' the war in Afghanistan. I say 'winning' because by this point it has been openly acknowledged that victory will likely turn out to be substantially different than what NATO leaders first hoped. As citizens in NATO countries continue to demand that their troops be brought home, bringing the situation in Pakistan under control could go a long ways to boosting confidence in the region and back here at home.

Ireland Ratifies the Lisbon Treaty - What Does it Mean to the EU?

Ireland held a referendum for the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, which will change the foreign policy and presidency structures of the European Union. Some people fear that it will put too much power into the hands of a single individual (the permanent president) while others believe the treaty will allow the enlarged EU to operate effectively.

Information on the EU and the Lisbon Treaty:
EU in Slides
Treaty of Lisbon (text)