HLN Historical: League of Nations Open Agenda

Transcription

1 HLN Historical: League of Nations Open Agenda 1 U C I M U N

2 Welcome Delegates, My name is Sarah Ahmad, and I am the Secretary-General for the UCI Model United Nations, school year. I am pleased to announce that UCI s 26 th Annual High School Model United Nations conference will be held on the weekend of April th! I am honored to serve as part of the Secretariat for this year s conference, and I am excited for everything we have planned for our delegates. We have focused this year on creating an enriched, engaging environment for intermediate and advanced delegates, and we hope the delegates find the conference to be educational and competitive in nature. Last year s theme, pursuing peace and security in today s global landscape, focused on recent issues that were an immediate threat to the international community. In contrast, we want to focus on the global nature of the issues that come to the UN, and on the obligation that all member nations have to solving the issues that are affecting the international community as a whole. To reflect this, we have chosen the theme for UCI s 26 th iteration of our conference to be, asserting our collective responsibility as a united international community. We want to foster debate that will allow delegates to think with a global mindset, stepping away from the individualistic outlook many countries have in today s political climate. Delegates will focus on how countries can work together and find opportunities to compromise, rather than assert their policies and bring in unnecessary third parties. Our committees and topics have been specifically chosen to reflect crises that affect us all, from climate change and natural disasters to preserving cultural heritage and reevaluating the League of Nations and World War II s impact on today s society. Our staff s goal, as always, is to provide delegates with high quality debate and an opportunity to immerse themselves in an intellectual discussion of issues that are relevant to the community around them. Thank you for your time, and we look forward to seeing you in the Spring! Best Wishes, Sarah Ahmad Secretary-General UCIMUN Secretariat ucimunsg@gmail.com 2 U C I M U N

3 Greetings delegates! Allow me to be the second person to welcome you warmly to the 26 Annual University of California at th Irvine, Model United Nations High School Conference. My name is Daniel Gilchrist and I am your Under- Secretary General of Specialized Agencies. For the last year, I have been working tirelessly with your Secretary-General, Sarah Ahmad, and your Under-Secretary General of Mains Committees, Isela Garcia, in addition to the directors and assistant-directors to research, organize, and prepare all the material you will see in the coming two days. I sincerely hope that your experiences over the course of the conference will be as fulfilling and rewarding as my experience working with an excellent staff was. To offer a brief introduction, this will be my third year working with this high school conference, having spent the previous two as a director of Security Council in Specialized Agencies. As a member of the Travel Team with University of California Model United Nations (UCIMUN), I have attended many conferences as a delegate, including the National Model United Nations Conference, hosted in New York. Outside of my work with UCIMUN, I study as a molecular biology major/ statistics minor in the Ayala School of Biological Sciences. Beyond my studies and laboratory research, I work closely with debate, political, and athletic organizations as a way to alleviate my crippling phobia of spare time. Turning again to conference, our theme for the entirety of conference is asserting our collective responsibility as a united international community. It is my sincere hope that delegates bear this theme in mind as they work with their peers in crafting resolutions to address the wide variety of problems faced by the four specialized committees this year. These committees are: UN Environmental Program (UNEP). Historical Security Council: League of Nations (LON)*, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)*, and Security Council (UNSC)*. Asterisk marked committees are crisis committees. The theme for the conference and the individual topics for committees are centered on pressing global issues of immense complexity, but I have every bit of faith in the ability of you as a delegate to face the challenge head-on and generate effective solutions to the topics in your committee. Warm regards, Daniel Gilchrist Under-Secretary General of Specialized Agencies UCIMUN Secretariat usgspecials@gmail.com 3 U C I M U N

4 Greetings delegates, My name is Vidhi Bhatia and I would like to welcome you to the 26 th annual UCIMUN High School Conference. I am very excited to work with all of you in the Spring and have prepared this guide to help you for the upcoming conference. I am a Political Science and International Studies double major, with a focus in international organizations and security. I am planning on attending law school eaguin the future as well. I studied abroad in Paris, France, last year and had a wonderful experience learning about European and French politics. I am part of a professional fraternity on campus and hold an executive board member position there as well. I began my MUN career as a transfer student to UCI. I have been a director in past UCIMUN conferences and was an Under-Secretary General last year. I have served on the UCIMUN Executive Board and have chosen to be a director again for my final year at UCI. I am graduating this Spring and am looking forward to it. UCIMUN has been a very important part of my college career and has helped me solidify my career path as well. The topic that I have chosen for this committee, I feel, is relevant even today. The world is embroiled in conflict, albeit a different kind, but we are seeing trends that are similar to those in the 1930s. The current political climate in the world is drastically different than it was even 10 years ago, and we seem to be repeating our steps. Isolationism and an America First policy in the United States has caused the rest of the world to begin looking inward. Terrorism is a problem for all nations, and war, whether it be civil or interstate, seems to growing as well. This is why this particular committee was chosen. It reminded me of a time in history in which the countries throughout the world chose to focus on themselves and the international order changed. Conflicts are arising everywhere just like they did in the 1930s, and they all seem to be repeating themselves as well. The after effects of colonialism are still evident everywhere and isolationist politics are rising globally. The purpose of this committee is to practice international diplomacy in a time where isolationism and state-centered politics were popular in the world. Perhaps with this simulation, we can gain a greater understanding of how not to repeat history and continue peaceful globalization. Please see the end of the Background Guide for instructions on position papers. Feel free to any questions you have to the committee provided below. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing you all in April. Best, Vidhi Bhatia Director, Historical Committee ucimunlon@gmail.com 4 U C I M U N

5 Introduction This committee will be simulating the League of Nations from September of 1938 onward. This is a contentious time in the world and several conflicts are occurring at the same time; this committee will focus on these conflicts. September of 1938 is when the conflict in Europe that leads to World War II begins in earnest. Germany has re-armed itself and is pushing the limits of its sovereignty. The other European powers, the United Kingdom and France, are growing more and more concerned with Germany and its quest for power. Several attempts to appease Germany have taken place, but Germany refuses to stop their expansion 1. Nations such as Italy have leaders that may opt to support Germany and the Soviet Union has started its new regime under the leadership of Communist Party. Nations like Czechoslovakia and Austria have come under threat from surrounding countries and alliances are tested between other nations 1. The European continent is beginning to divide into alliances and the threat of war is growing stronger and stronger. In the East, Japanese aggression is growing rapidly. China is slowly being annexed and the Japanese are focused on becoming an imperial power. Colonies like India are embroiled in their fight for independence while Japanese colonialism grows in all parts of East and South East Asia. The Soviet Union and Japan have come into conflict with each other on the subject of borders in the Manchurian region of China. Korea had also become a colony of Japan, and tensions in North East Asia are escalating between different political factions in Korea. Several Latin American nations are dissatisfied with the League and have chosen to withdraw from the organization. They claim the League is not productive, and their concerns haven t been expressed or addressed. Countries like Mexico have increased their tariffs and are falling deeper into isolationism. Although states like Mexico have become isolationist, nearly all Latin American states have a similar foreign policy. States in Latin America have begun to band together to resist the threat of a strong Europe. The United States continues to exercise its strong influence in the region, leading an increasing number of Latin American nations to pull their support in light of the strong language the United States is using. The African continent remains largely under colonial rule, although movements toward freedom have increased. Colonial powers in Europe begin to use the continent as a basis for negotiations for themselves. Few African states have any clout in the international community, and all those states come under the umbrella of European colonial power. There is general discord between each nation as they try to protect their own national interests. Cooperation and compromise seem to be forgotten as each state focuses on its own interests. As each 5 U C I M U N

6 nation begins to turn inward, globalization has slowed down drastically, leading to a more generally divided world than ever in recent history. Rules of Procedure This committee will be run with the same format as the United Nations Security Council. Each delegate of the League will be given unlimited speaking time. There will be no speaker s list and the committee will be run more like a moderated caucus to deal with the crises that swiftly occur. Delegates will be able to motion for unmoderated caucus as they feel are needed and pertinent to the discussion of the current crisis at hand, in addition to the purpose of drafting directives. Delegates will be given the opportunity to work with other nations to try and solve the crises during this time. The Chair of the committee will act as the Secretary-General and will assist in the moderation of debate for events placed in front of the delegates. Press releases and updates will be given throughout committee, and delegates will be expected to react accordingly. Delegates should expect to familiarize themselves with the writing styles of directives and press releases. As a reminder, directives vaguely resemble resolutions but solely consist of sponsors and operative clauses. Voting procedure requires only a simple majority for the passing of directives or resolutions. Committee sessions will be paused for crisis updates and press releases, and delegates will be given the opportunity to hear each announcement twice. No further information will be given to delegates after the announcements have been made twice, beyond the limited number of questions that may be asked, contingent on the nature of the update. Delegates are encouraged to work with other delegates and to work in regional groups (if applicable). Delegates will also be expected to strictly adhere to their country policy. Delegates should expect to frequently use directives in this committee. Directives are similar to resolutions but must involve concrete and actionable clauses, rather than long-term recommendations. Delegates can also give directives a creative, but appropriate, title and they can be voted on immediately. Directives may be personal (from a delegate to their staff or people that work below them) or public (a committee action towards a crisis). Delegates are encouraged to work together as much as possible but to also consider their own nation s policies. Directives are a good way to try and resolve conflicts before they escalate into war. Round robin moderated caucuses may also be motioned for during this committee and delegates are encouraged to used them. Each delegate will be allotted a certain amount of time to speak on the crisis 6 U C I M U N

7 at hand and will speak in a clockwise manner, and then counterclockwise at the chair s discretion. Delegates may choose not to speak by yielding their time to the chair, though this is not encouraged, as it indicates a lack of preparedness. Background Information The exact start date of the crisis will be unknown to all delegates. Delegates should begin preparing for events starting after Each delegate will be given a specific nation that is part of the League in the year 1938, though situations may change in the course of the committee sessions. Delegates will be expected to remain in character throughout the simulation in committee and to treat each other with respect regardless of opposing ideologies. Delegates will be expected to adhere to their country s policies, and to not deviate from them. UCIMUN is proud to host this educational experience and would like to remind delegates to behave in a way in which everyone is able to learn. Although delegates may represent countries that held reprehensible, racist, or anti-semitic views, the repetition of those views in committee is grounds for points deduction, ineligibility for awards, or removal from debate. Delegates are to be familiar with the Covenant of the League of Nations. The League was created in order to promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security, and delegates will be expected to act accordingly 2.The purpose of the League of Nations was to ensure that there would be no more war in the world, and delegates should work toward this goal. Delegates will be expected to perform the dispute resolution part of the Covenant and will be expected to make decisions and motions according to the rules. Delegates are expected to abide by all norms set up by the Covenant. Research and Committee Goals In consideration of the legacy of the League of Nations, delegates should aim to focus research on understanding the political climate of the time so that they can best control the situation. It is no secret that the League of Nations is widely considered a failed attempt, to be later replaced by the United Nations. Delegates should focus on how to best preserve the original Covenant of the League, contingent on their own country s general adherence to the globalist perspective that played into the League s membership. In today s political and militaristic climate, many states are at ends with each other. Some states enjoy the current imbalance of power and others suffer with the outcomes of World War II, both stemming from the aftermath of the war and taking root in the exact time period this committee begins its simulation in. Delegates should take this opportunity of representing a country in this contentious time to change the outcome of these events, aiming to better the global standing of their own country while preserving the peace. 7 U C I M U N

8 Position Paper Guidelines This committee will not be writing standard position papers. Due to the timeline of this committee, the following rubric will be used for grading. The format, works cited, submission instructions, and deadlines will be the same as other committees. See the Position Paper Guide on the website for more details. Please note that the only change for this committee is the content of the paper. CRITERIA Historical League of Nations SCORE Part A: Country Background Summary (WWI-1939) Content: historical background Fully detailed and well researched Shows understanding of country s international standing during the time period Part B: International Activity Understanding of country s history and relations with other countries during the time period Understanding of military force and foreign and domestic spending capability Understanding of international organizations, trade, and world politics of the time Part C: International Involvement Understanding of mandates of various international actors Clear and viable allocation scheme based off of severity and situation Creative ways of managing resources and responding to crises around the world /6 /8 /6 Format Committee, Country, Topic (Header) Size Times New Roman 1 inch margins, Justified alignment 5-8 pages double spaced Bibliography/Citations /5 8 U C I M U N

9 Works Cited 1. Center for the Study of Global Change. October, Lillian Goldman Law Library Useful Links The Covenant of the League of Nations. Avalon Project, Lillian Goldman Law Library, avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/leagcov.asp. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. League of Nations. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Feb. 2018, Eloranta, Jari. Why Did the League of Nations Fail? %20May%202005/WHY_DID_THE_LEAGUE_OF_NATIONS_FAIL.pdf. Germans Invade Poland. History.com, A&E Television Networks, History of the League of Nations ( ). cal_overview_of_the_league_of_nations.pdf. History.com Staff. World War II. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, Strollo, Philip J. League of Nations Chronology. The World at War, worldatwar.net/timeline/other/league18-46.html. 9 U C I M U N