ADMUN 2018 Combating ISIS in Syrian Territory UNSC
Hello Delegates, My name is Joseph McDonald, and I am beyond excited to be a Chairman for ADMUN 2018! I look forward to meeting you in committee to help solve this real-world problem! ISIS has been a long-term issue and I look forward to seeing how you all would address this problem as if you were a real UN delegate. Please send your position papers to alicedealmun@gmail.com by March 31st. I began participating in Model UN mainly around last year s ADMUN conference! I then continued Model UN and signed up for the club. I then began attending conferences and really started to just do more and more of Model UN. I am super excited to see you all there, and hope the same happens to you that did to me! I am available if you have any questions or concerns leading up or day of, so don t hesitate to ask! We are here to support you, and if this is your first conference, that s totally fine! We will help guide you throughout the conference. I m so excited to meet you all and remember to try your best and participate as much as possible! -Joseph McDonald, ADMUN 2018, UNSC Chairman
Committee Background The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was founded on October 24, 1945, following the end of World War II. This was also the date the United Nations (UN) was founded. In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations was founded to prevent issues such as world wars from happening ever again. The UNSC is a committee of the UN that discusses important issues of the world, such as global security, safety, and equality. The UNSC has five permanent members and ten members elected from the general assembly of the UN for terms of 2 years. The five permanent members are the states that defeated the Axis Powers in World War II. They are Russia, China, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. The current temporary members are Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine, and Uruguay. The UNSC members each have one vote, and to pass a resolution, nine votes are required. However, if any permanent member of the UNSC votes against a resolution, it automatically fails (veto power). Passing resolutions must be followed by all member states. If this does not happen the UN might impose sanctions on the offending country. Sanctions are a punishment towards a country that limits trade to their country. The UNSC is meant to take a lead in ensuring that international peace is maintained. The UNSC, with the help of the General Assembly, appoints the judges of the International Court of Justice. The UNSC includes a Counter-Terrorism Committee. As members of the UNSC, you will create resolutions that will include statements that will help the international community and bring global peace, and aim to bring violence to a halt. United Nations Peacekeepers have helped block fighting in certain cases, however they can not use force.
Topic Background ISIS has been a problem in Syria since 2013, and as an extremist terror group in the Middle East, it is very similar to Al-Qaeda. ISIS and Al-Qaeda are groups that view themselves as Islamic Calisphates, and believe in certain things many democratic governments do not, such as enforcing their ways or laws that some countries or people do not find fair, violating human rights, and has faced harsh criticism. In just 2017, 7,203 people died in Syria due to ISIS or other related fighting, including civilians, members of armies, and more groups. ISIS enforces their laws with harsh punishments, or execution. The UNSC has been one of the main contributors to halt ISIS from their extremism. One resolution to combat terrorism is resolution 2368, passed in June 2017. It is designed for governments to recognize these terrorist threats and help prevent them from receiving funds, and travelling, etc., such as ISIS. The Council directed the committee to keep under active review for sanction-related situations. Resolutions like these have come out and slowly helped in the fight against ISIS. However, ISIS is still moving. ISIS continues to carry out public executions and crucify people, sometimes for just not supporting them, or being of a different religion. ISIS is using modern tools such as social media propaganda to spread their beliefs. They have killed around 1,400 people. They often raid small towns and capture people. ISIS prefers to teach people their own beliefs, such as jihad and radical Islamic theology. Military use has been used on ISIS, such as the massive bomb dropped by US forces in April 2017, however that s not what the UN wants, and it creates displaced persons and creates refugees. This forces people to leave their homes and get safely to another country, however this doesn t always happen. It also fills other countries up with refugees that can not always support so many. ISIS is being pushed out of different countries it occupied. However, looking at the timeline, ISIS is starting to attack
places in Egypt, such as the attack on a mosque in Ismailia, Egypt. ISIS continues to spread their beliefs and convince people to join them. People have been sent to court or caught trying to flee the US or other countries and join ISIS. It is your job as delegates of countries to stop or support this. Russia has been an ally of Syria since around 1944, before the United Nations was even founded. They have been working with the Syrian Government and working against the Free Syrian Army. On the other hand, the United States supports the Free Syrian Army, along with France, and the United Kingdom. France has faced attacks from ISIS, and there is a possibility attacks will continue.
Helpful Links http://www.un.org/en/sc/ (Security Council Website) http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/index.html (ISIS fast-facts) http://www.history.com/topics/isis (ISIS history) http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/resources/res-sc.html (Past UNSC terrorism resolutions) https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/overview-isis-threat-and-us-response/ (ISIS overview) http://www.history.com/topics/isis (Against ISIS information/history) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084 (General ISIS info) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/16/world/middleeast/how-isis-works.html (How ISIS works) http://www.iamsyria.org/death-tolls.html (Death tolls in Syria) Questions to consider - Has your country taken action to combat ISIS? If so, what? - What should be done about ISIS online recruitment and propaganda? - What should happen to the displaced people or refugees of Syria? - Should Peacekeepers be used? - Should the UN cooperate with Assad to help defeat ISIS?