CVHS MUN XII cvhshsc2018@gmail.com Historical Security Council Hello everyone! My name is Ali Orouji and I will be your head chair in the Historical Security Council committee at this year s Capistrano Valley MUN Conference. I am a sophomore at CVHS, and this is will be my second year being in the program. Outside of MUN I am the president of Capo s Key Club in addition to being involved in my school s First Robotics Team and being a member of the JV water polo team. When not bombarded with mountains of homework I can usually be found either swimming or working to expand my knowledge on current affairs. I am incredibly honored to be chairing this committee and cannot wait to meet you all in 1979. Hello delegates, my name is Kacey Brewer and today I will be your co-chair in this committee. I am a sophomore at Capistrano Valley. Outside of MUN I am in the volleyball program, in CSF, and thespian of our theater program. When I am not at school I enjoy camping and visiting my sisters at their colleges. I am excited to be a chair today and listen to your views on the issues at hand. Topic 1: Crises in International Autonomy (1979) I. Background 1979 is a year rife with countries infringing on each other s independence. National sovereignty, diplomatic immunity, and neutrality in extraterritorial conflicts are becoming terms of the past. In this year, Russia invades Afghanistan, which triggers an international conflict of interest to control the ideology of Afghanistan s government that would have implications for decades to come. Iranian revolutionaries take 66 Americans hostage at the US embassy. Finally,
2 in this very same year, a bloody Civil War rages in Guatemala that would see powerful countries take proxy sides in the conflict. The Security Council is the only body in the United Nations endowed with the ability to take concrete action to resolve these difficult conflicts related to sovereignty and intervention. The committee will face each challenge as it comes, which will call for bold, creative measures that will ensure a neutralization of international conflict. Additionally, seeing as the P5 nations, or the nations whose unanimous consent is required to take any action through the Security Council have their interests inherently tied to many of these crises of sovereignty and often in opposition to one another, this committee will require especially intricate diplomacy to avoid World War III. Thus, the mission of the delegates in this committee will be not only respond to the conflicts of sovereignty embodied in the Russian incursion into Afghanistan, Guatemalan Civil War, and Iranian Revolution, but also to set a precedent of the international community's response to infringements on sovereignty that will leave a lasting impact on world history. II. Possible Solutions: All three global events occuring at the time, the Iranian revolution, Guatemalan civil war, and Russia s invasion of Afghanistan, are largely influenced by the power five countries, making their decisions critical to the outcome of the conflicts. The Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis stemmed from much more than the actual act of revolt made by the college students. Iran s conflict with the United States and the British government stemmed from the two powerhouse countries controlling a bulk of Iran s oil and retaliating on Iran s new prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh who aimed to nationalize Iran s oil which caused the United States and its allies to
3 search for methods to overthrow Mossadegh with one who would be more cooperative, placing shah in his place. The events hurt Iran's economy drastically causing revolt in its population, causing the Iranian revolution. Diplomatic attempts were not faced with much success and did nothing to better the situation of the 52 hostages. Acts of action were also not successful, such as Operation Eagle Claw which aimed to rescue the hostages resulted in the death of eight American servicemen. It is the international community s decision to decide how to act on the Iranian Revolution and the Hostage Crisis not only for the prevention of expodizing the situation but also setting an example for the entire international community on the consequences of infringing on another nations sovereignty. In regards to the Soviet Union invading Afghanistan in the December of 1979, the Soviet Union intervened to support the communist Afghan government against the largely democratic populus. These conflicts resulted in the Soviet Union sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and ending the presidency of the People s leader. What occurred was the Mujahideen putting an end to the Afghan War with assistance from the United States. In 1988 the Soviet Union signed an accord with the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to pull out troops. It is important to note inganing in conflict could potentially solve the issue sooner however would the consequences be worth the result. III. Questions to Consider: 1. How will a peaceful agreement be reached that takes into account the interests of all countries involved? Will it be possible to do so?
4 2. What role will the involvement of powerful countries such as Russia and the United States play in the progression of the Iranian Revolution and the Afghan War. 3. Where does your country align itself on all three topics? 4. What are your country s policy on intervening with other country s issues? 5. What is your country s view regarding the infringement on foreign sovereignty? IV. Sources: Afary, Janet. Iranian Revolution of 1978 79. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/iranian-revolution-of-1978-1979. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/soviet-invasion-of-afghanistan. Ozalp, Mehmet. World Politics Explainer: the Iranian Revolution. The Conversation, 23 Sept. 2018, theconversation.com/world-politics-explainer-the-iranian-revolution-100453. Topic 2: Cold War Background: The Soviet Union and the United States has a tense relationship all through World War II even though they both fought as allies against the Axis powers. Americans had always been
5 cautious about the spread of Soviet Communism and troubled by the tyrannical rule of Russia s leader, Joseph Stalin. The Soviets also felt that Americans had never treated the USSR as a member of the international community and were further displeased by America s delayed entry into World War II, which inadvertently resulted in the death of millions of Russians. Once the war ended, these tensions rapidly grew into overwhelming sense of distrust. The American fear of the spread of Soviet Communism also increased as postwar Soviet Union expanded into Eastern Europe. The Russians felt a strong resentment towards Americans for their arms buildup and interventionist approach to international relations. Therefore, no one country was completely blame for the start of the war and many people even believe that it was inevitable. The Americans felt that the best defense against the Soviet threat of expansion was containment. This policy was explained by George Kennan as the long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. and that it was necessary to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation...by outside pressures. This mentality would shape the way American foreign policies were constructed through the next four decades. Throughout the war Russia and America competed through several different races. The most serious of these was the arms race. American officials encouraged the production of atomic weapons such as those that ended World War II. In 1949, the Soviet Union tested their first atom bomb. As a response to this, President Truman declared that the United States would develop an even stronger weapon, known as the superbomb, or hydrogen bomb. Of course this resulted in Stalin announcing that the USSR would develop the same weapon. Possible Solutions:
6 The Cold War conflict eventually came to an end after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 after a slow decline in tension from the 1970 s onwards. After the USSR s dissolution, many communist countries such as Mongolia, Cambodia, and South Yemen chose to abandon the system and use other methods of governing. The fall of communism and the iron curtain left the United States as the world s only superpower in the modern era. Although the Cold War ended with the United States on top and the Soviet Union being dissolved, there were many different ways this conflict could have ended. For a long time during this conflict it seemed a war was eminent because of the various displays of military prowess and the focus on nuclear weapon testing during this time. If a war were to break at this point in time with such powerful nations at the front of each side of the conflict, it would be the most devastating and destructive war in history. Both countries and their allied nations had been stockpiling troops and weapons of mass destruction in a strong nationalist movement sweeping across the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. Both the Soviet Union and United States had extensive nuclear weapon technology. A war of this sort would likely lead to a Western Bloc victory because they had the more powerful nations during this time including all of the NATO members. In addition, the United States, which is the superpower of the NATO allies, is far from the European battlefield where wars historically took place which gives the Western Bloc a geographical advantage in this case. This war would likely be determined by the destruction caused by nuclear weapons, of which the United States had the most advanced Technology.
7 This conflict could also come to a swift, peaceful resolution if the Eastern and Western Blocs agreed to end their respective Communist expansion and anti-communist movements. If the United States allowed the Soviet Union to do as they pleased in the Eastern Bloc and spread Communist ideals, it is likely the USSR would attempt to expand Communist ideals into Western countries. But if they had a compromise of some sort where certain countries were allowed to be Communist influenced then perhaps the conflict would not escalate into a war. Questions to Consider: 1) How does your country suggest the international community deals with the weaponry that countries may hold? 2) How does your countries align with the western and eastern powers? 3) Does your country possess the capabilities for nuclear weapons at this time? 4) Does your country possess the capabilities of space travel at this time? 5) How does your country believe the tensions can be best diffused? 6) What are your country's views on the position of satellite nations (ex: Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany)? http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history https://www.britannica.com/event/cold-war http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/ https://www.jfklibrary.org/jfk/jfk-in-history/the-cold-war.aspx http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-cold-war/what-wa s-the-cold-war/ http://www.coldwar.org/articles/60s/index.asp
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/opinion/cold-war-american-soviet-victory.html?mcubz=0 8