UNSC Study Guide

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Kings Model United Nations 2016Study Guide

Committee: Security Council (SC)

Topic: Establishing a safe zone in Syria

Chairs: Mathew Ho, Jessie Pang, Maxwell Chan

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Notes about the Submission of Position Papers for SCPlease send your position papers in [email protected] by 23:59 (GMT+8), 1st July 2016.The papers should be around an A4 page long, with size 12 Times New Romanfonts.They should be submitted through a PDF-format fileattached in an email to theaforesaid address.The title of the PDF fileand the subject of the emailshould be:SC_PP_[COUNTRY NAME]_[DELEGATE NAME].pdf.Any late submissions may be penalised.

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Table of contents

Welcome messages from the Directors of UNSC 2

Introduction to the Committee 3

Topic Overview 4

Definition of Key Terms 5

Background 6

Past Actions taken by the UN and other Relevant Bodies 8

Potential Bloc Formations 13

Questions a Resolution Should Address 15

Bibliography 16


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Welcome messages from the Directors of UNSC

Honourable delegates,

The Board of the United Nations Security Council is tremendously pleased to

welcome you to the upcoming edition of the Kings Model United Nations, which

will be held from the 2nd to the 3rd of July 2016 in Kings College. Please allow

me to give a brief introduction about us.

My name is Mathew Ho and I am the Head Chair of the Security Council. My co-

chairs are Jessie Pang and Maxwell Chan Jessie is a current year 2 geography

student studying at Hong Kong Baptist University whilst Maxwell is a current

student of St. Stephen College.

Preparing for, or participating in, an MUN is really, really tough. It exhausts to an

extent which might be unimaginable to some. Nevertheless, it is something that

once you start, you just enjoy more and cannot stop. It opens you to a whole new

world- inciting discussions on world issues and encouraging you to devise feasible

solutions with representatives from different nations and backgrounds. You will

inspire, and be inspired. You will always be challenged by new topics, situations,

partners and bloc mates etc. You will discover your strengths and weaknesses, and

strives to improve. Most importantly, the friendships brought by MUN are unique,

unforgettable and will last for a lifetime.

The Security Council is one of the most important committees of the United

Nations. Since it is the only one that can authorize military action and maintain

military-trained peacekeeping forces, its resolutions and decisions are the ones

that can change the entire course of a war or a conflict. Indeed, it will be one of

the most challenging committees at Kings MUN as delegates will not only have to

create comprehensive resolutions on the complicated issues at hand, but will also

have to persuade important members of the Security Council, such as the P5

countries.

The threat of the Islamic State is affecting many countries and innocent people,

and is expanding as we speak. Immediate action is essential. It is up to you,

delegates, to make the right Stand for what your country believes in and we

expect the best from you.

Lastly, I would like to assure everyone that by taking the decision to join the

conference, you have made a decision you will never regret.

Best regards,Mathew Ho, also on behalf of his fellow chairs Jessie Pang and Maxwell Chan


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Introduction of the Committee

The Security Council is the United Nations most powerful committee. Its main

purpose is to maintain international peace and security. The decisions made by

this committee have a powerful impact, therefore actions must be carefully

considered. The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a

threat to peace, or act of aggression. It calls upon parties to a dispute to settle it

by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement.

In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions, or even

authorize the use of force to maintain and restore international peace and security.

Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with the Councils

decisions.

Security Council resolutions are enforced by UN peacekeepers. Military forces are

voluntarily provided by member states and they are funded independently of themain UN budget. In 2013, 116 837 peacekeeping soldiers and other personnel are

deployed on 15 missions around the world.

This committee has 20 members, of which 15 countries have the right to vote and

the other 5 are observers i.e. being able to participate in discussion but unable to

cast a vote on a resolution. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China and the

United States are permanent members and can Veto any resolution or decision

made by the committee. The rest of the 10 voting countries are elected regularly

based on regional divisions for two-year terms by the General Assembly.


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Topic Overview

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which is known as ISIL in the United

States and Daesh in Arabic countries, is a threat to international security and it has

been identified as a clear priority for the UN Security Council. Severe abuses of

human rights have been reported after ISIS gained control over parts of Syria and

Iraq. Also, reports on massacres, beheadings, rapes, torture, sexual enslavement

and kidnappings have been unveiled. Although important steps have already been

taken to address the issue, further action is required.

A safe zone in Syria has not been created because of disagreements between the

US and Turkish governments yet. The main reason for discord is about who should

be the initial actor to be eliminated in Syria. Turkey wants the al-Assad regime to

be replaced as soon as possible while the US states that ISIS is her main objective

in Syria.

The content of the safe zone is another reason for disagreement between the

governments of the US and Turkey. According to Turkey, the safe zone must

include a no-fly zone while the US rejects any possibility of establishing a no-fly

zone. Turkey supports the involvement of Syrian opposition forces in the region

after ISIS is eliminated. However, the US is reluctant to support the Syrian

opposition as many radical Islamist elements are among the opposition.

Hence, the United Nations Security Council would like to bring the international

communitysattention to the possibility of settling the dispute and reaching a

consensus on the issue of setting up a safe zone in Syria.


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Definition of Key Terms regarding the topic

Sovereignty: A state, via its government, has complete control over a territorial

area and the people who reside in that territory, and there is external autonomy:

no authority exists to order the state how to act.

Islam - It is a monotheistic religion regulated by the Quran - the holy book

believed to be the word of God, Allah. According to Muslims God is one and

incomparable, and that the purpose of existence is worshipping god. The

religion is based on five pillars - testimony, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and

pilgrimage. One element of the religion is Jihad, the struggle for moral and

religious perfection, which is often used to denote the attempts to exert religion

on nonbelievers in a military way. Islam is spread all across the word - having

originated in the Middle East, it is expanding due to immigration in several regions,

for example in Europe. Most Muslims are of two denominations: Sunni (7590%) or

Shia (1020%).

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh):The Islamic State of Iraq and

the Levant, often translated as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and accordingly also

commonly known as ISIS, is a Salafi jihadist militant group that follows an Islamic

fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam.

Sunni Islam: It is the largest branch of Islam, people of the tradition of Muhammadand the consensus of the Ummah. Worlds second largest religious body after

Christianity, largest denomination in the world.

Jihadists: They are the representatives of the extreme, armed military Jihad

movement. The term was first used in the 2000s, and has since become more

prevalent along with the Jihadists actions. It now covers both Islamic Insurgency,

as well as terrorism related activities (Al-Qaeada can be connected with it as well).

Overall, it is the Sunni Islamist struggle to enforce the Will of God on the non-

believers.

Safe Zone: It is an area that has been planned by Turkish authorities to create a bufferzone within Syria. The potential zone is planned between Afrin and Kobane cantons.

No-fly Zone: A no-fly zone (or no-flight zone) (NFZ) is a territory or an area over

which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military

context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit

military aircraft of a belligerent power from operating in the region.


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Background

The rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) has attracted the worlds attention for the

imminent threat it poses to several nations security and has already been

designated as a terrorist organization by the UN in October 2004.

ISIS is fundamentally a Sunni Muslim group that wishes to establish an Islamic

caliphate. A caliphate is defined as: an Islamic state led by a supreme religious

and political leader known as a caliph or successor to Muhammad . They are

currently focused on spreading their influence across Iraq and Syria. Thus, the

most immediate threat ISIS poses is to both the Syrian and Iraqi states, making it a

conflict that also raises questions of both nations existing sovereignty and

autonomy. In addition, Syria is in the midst of a civil war, and Iraq is still repairing

its fractured Sunni and Shiite Muslim populations in the aftermath of Saddam

Hussain and the invasion. However, it has been made evident that the caliphateaims to reach farther beyond their regional sphere. ISIS follows an extreme edition

of Sharia law, Islamic law derived from the Koran, which is not the current policy

of the Iraqi government. In fact, Sharia law can have many different

interpretations, although the different versions of it are often grouped under the

same term. ISISs interpretation of the Koran espouses violence as a means to

obtain its goal: a view not shared by most Middle Eastern governments. Part of

ISISs long-term plan is to infiltrate Jordan and Lebanon after Iraq and Syria in

order to free Palestine.

In all of these areas, the caliphate is meant to be established and then rule over

all populations. The current caliph-in-command is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, or as

his supporters otherwise know him: Caliph Ibrahim. A biography written about him

in 2013 claims that Captain Ibrahim is a descendant of the prophet Muhammed.

This is the main reason why he was able to claim the title as the leader of ISIS.

The group has made demands to the president and his cabinet to implement more

policies that are closer to their Sharia law. The problem continues to grow. ISIS

sees that they are performing a Jihad, which is a religious war. Whatever they do

is justified in their eyes because it is for their God and religion. This reasoning

helps to explain why the terrorist group has used such inhumane tactics.

One of the main reasons Islamic State has become such an important force and

focus as a terrorist organization is because of the imminent threat they pose. The

tactics they have been using to spread their ideas and influence are unlike

anything weve seen before. These include beheadings, crucifixions and mass

shootings according to the BBC. For instance, Two American journalists, James

Foley and Steven Sotloff were victims of a media based initiative which consisted

of them being executed in two separate videos published in August and September2014. The two videos resulted in an international outcry and attracted the


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attention of the world. The United Nations has played a large role in discussing

future action to be taken. Recently, the UK and the US, as well as France and a

wider coalition decided that, if necessary, they will be willing to take military

action.

Another key group in the conflict is Shia militants. Shia Muslims are another branch

of Islam and took over the government after Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein was

overthrown in 2003. After the fall of the Hussein regime, there was a struggle for

power in the country and eventually the Shias rose to power. This is partly the

reason as to why this Sunni insurgent group has revolted against the government.

They want the Sunni branch to be in power, to enforce strict Sharia law. ISIS has

been using their Sunni influence as a powerful tool in recruiting people. Currently,

many Sunnis do feel underrepresented in the government, and they are more than

happy at the prospect of being once again ruling Iraq.


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Past Actions by the UN and other relevant bodies

A. Case Study: Safe Areas in the Bosnian Civil War

The Bosnian Civil War throughout the first half of the 1990s was the result of the

breakup of Yugoslavia resulting from the death of Josip Broz Tito in the communist

Federal Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia, which had cumulated in the declaration of

independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in March, 1992. Through the

encouragement of countries still in Yugoslavia, such as Serbia and Montenegro,

breakaway entities like the Republika Srpska, were established by the Bosnian

Serbs, a significant Serbian minority in Bosnia, leading to the Bosnian Civil War.

The conflict occurred due to differences between race and religion between the

Muslim Bosniaks and Orthodox Serbs, as the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH)

and the army of Republika Srpska (VRS). It was characterized by the use of ethnic

cleansing, where people of opposing religions and ethnicity were displaced or even

killed. One of the most significant cases was the one at Srebrenica, where over7000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were reported to have been killed.

The Safe Area concept was created by the declaration of French General Morillon,

commander of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR/UNPF), and

resolution 819 of the United Nations Security Council, was aimed at protecting the

Bosnian population of enclaves like Srebrenica, Zepa and Gorazde. Peacekeepers,

initially from Canada (Canbat) and then from the Netherlands (Dutchbat) consisting

of a battalion from the 11th Airmobile Brigade of the Netherlands, were stationed

in Srebrenica, and were rotated on a half-year basis. NGOs, such as the UNHCR andMdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders), provided support to the

populace, through the efforts of a combination of foreign staff and personnel

recruited from the local populace.

However, to a large extent, the Safe Area of Srebrenica failed in conducting its

duty in protecting the inhabitants within. This was largely due to the tight grip by

the Bosnian Serbs under General Mladic surrounding the enclave, and the inability

of the peacekeepers to prevent the remaining units of the Army of Bosnia and

Herzegovina (ABiH) under Naser Ori from taking and holding real power in the

enclave.

Instead of ensuring that inhabitants had their basic necessities fulfilled, the United

Nations had difficulties in providing such basic necessities, due to the fact that

their convoys were greatly hindered by the Bosnian Serbs surrounding the enclave,

and those that had ended up in the enclave were either unsuitable for consumption

by the inhabitants, such as the supply of pork chops delivered which could only be

consumed by the Dutch peacekeepers as the muslims did not eat pork, or were

taken by the local authorities under the ABiH, which were hoarded and issued only

through the black market, to create to the outside world the image of inhabitantssuffering from severe starvation. Due to the Bosnian Serb blockade, UNPROFOR was


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also unable to take in supplies such as fuel, food, medical supplies, and

replacements and components for its heavier equipment, which was to the

detriment of the defending peacekeepers by the time of the Bosnian Serb attack.

Communication problems also persisted within the structure of UNPROFOR, which

prevented an effective response against Bosnian Serb aggression when the enclavewas attacked, and air support did not come when the defending peacekeepers

were attacked by the Bosnian Serbs. Mistrust had also been brewing between

UNPROFOR and the ABiH, due to ABiH actions in denying UNPROFOR access to

various parts of the enclave, notably the Bandera Triangle, and tensions between

the commanders of both parties, though it may not have been the case in various

outposts.

Although the UNPROFOR force had attempted to demilitarize the Srebrenica

enclave by conducting the removal of weapons from the Bosnian Muslims within,

the ABiH effectively maintained units within Srebrenica and most fighters hadeither hidden their weapons or had only delivered weapons that were out of date.

Weapons were also smuggled through other enclaves, and as a result, by the end of

the enclaves existence, there were reports of Bosnian Muslim parties armed with

guns who had also prevented UNPROFOR from protecting the enclave and operate

effectively. The death of one of the peacekeepers was also attributed to Bosnian

Muslim responses.

The area remained under great influence from the effects of the conflict in other

areas, as efforts by the Bosnian army to relieve the siege of Sarajevo led to theBosnian Serbs making the strategic decision to take Srebrenica to free much

needed troops to defend against the Bosnians, and the safety of the people within

the enclave was not ensured due to the fact that developments for peace had not

been developed nationwide. As a result, it was the Bosnian Serbs who had, in the

end, decided to launch the operation code-named as Krivaja 95, which eventually

resulted in the Srebrenica Massacre.

Aside from the above strategic issues, cooperation amongst NGOs within the

enclave had also been lacking, as the UNHCR and UNPROFOR had difficulties in the

distribution of supplies and the NGOs, such as MSF and UNHCR had also greatly

relied on local personnel due to the difficulties of getting foreign personnel into

the enclave, and the difficulties in having the enclaves gain significant

international attention at the time. The status of local personnel working for the

UN and NGOs had also been greatly controversial, as there had been cases of the

UN not protecting local personnel and their families, while there had also been

cases of local personnel being deliberately planted by local authorities such as the

ABiH in order to gain favour and intel from UNPROFOR within the enclave.


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B. Actions taken by United Nations Security Council

The Security Council has implemented resolutions 2161, 2170, and 2178, in its

combat against ISIS.

Resolution 216144 condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist acts of ISIS and

its violent extremist ideology, and its continued gross, systematic and widespread

abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and

applied several sanctions to ISIS and other individuals, groups and entities

associated with al-Quaeda, including asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms

embargo. Resolution 217045, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter,

demanded the implementation of the following mechanisms:

1. Provision of humanitarian assistance to refugees including the delivery of relief

items, logistics, and information management resources,

2. Suppression of the recruiting, organizing, transporting or equipping of national

citizens traveling to Iraq or Syria as jihadist fighters for ISIS (e.g. by airlines

exchanging passenger information data),

3. Prevention of the supply of military material to ISIS through national providers,

including flag vessels or aircraft, arms and related material of all types; based on

the arms embargo imposed by resolution 2161,

4. Prevention of financial support to ISIS from UN members and their providers,

including the prohibition of illicit oil purchases,

5. Long-term prevention of religious radicalization and extremism.

The latest resolution 217846, adopted on 24 September 2014, again acting under

Chapter VII of the UN Charter, highlighted the urgency of the issue. It encouraged

increased efforts by states to implement the measures suggested in previous

resolutions, as well as better coordination and information sharing between

member states (e.g. via Interpol). In addition, it added the demand for the

development of prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies forreturning foreign terrorist fighters.

In addition, The UN Security Council has blacklisted six senior ISIS leaders in August

of 2014. The organization itself has been blacklisted for a while, but now its

leaders are officially recognized by the UN as individual threats. Of those included

in the blacklist are the groups spokesperson, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, and the

leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.


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C. Air strikes by US-led coalition

At first the US was hesitant to enter the conflict because it felt as though it were

the only nation getting involved. However, since then, the US has committed

themselves to partake in military initiatives against ISIS. As President Obama

recognized, .this is going to be a long-term project". Since the beginning of

August, the US has had several air strikes on IS forces. By the end of September,

they had conducted 240 strikes in Iraq and Syria.

British Prime Minister David Cameron backed a motion in the House of Commons

that would allow military intervention on behalf of the UK against ISIS. The motion,

which allows air strikes to be conducted, passed with overwhelming support of 524

votes to 43.

D. EU-Turkey agreement

EU leaders have faced criticism for striking a deal with Turkey under which Ankara

would get a package of incentives - from billions in refugee aid to progress on visa-

free access to the bloc for Turkish citizens - in exchange for helping to house

refugees returned from the EU.

The deal to send back thousands of refugees and migrants from the Greek islands

to Turkey has been dubbed as immoral and a violation of international

humanitarian law. Rights groups say Turkey is not a country where returnees can

be guaranteed proper protection.

E. Military intervention by Turkey

With the advance of ISIS and the growing support of western countries for the

Kurdish regions in Iraq and Syria, the Turkish government was forced into a

complex situation. Fighting between Kurdish and ISIS troops came close to the

Syrian-Turkish border in summer 2014 and forced the Turkish government to take

action. Since the Kurds in Turkey (alongside the Kurdish regions in Iraq and Syria)have been making efforts for an independent state, the Turkish-Kurdish

relationship has been stressed. Eventually the Turkish government authorized

military action against ISIL in Syrian towns close to its southern border. Therewith,

the Turkish troops fighting alongside the Kurdish citizens in the towns in Syria.


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F. Sanctions by the Arab League

The Arab League has approved sanctions against Syria to pressure the government

to end its eight-month crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, effective

immediately. The sanctions included, among other things, a block to relationships

between Arab countries and the Syrian Central Bank, a block to trade exchangeswith the Syrian government, and a travel ban on Syrian officials. A deadline was

also set for Syria to allow monitors into the country and withdraw tanks from the

streets, but the ultimatum didnt succeed in distracting any firm commitment from

Syrian officials.


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Potential bloc formation

A. The United States, the coalition against ISIS, and Iraq

The United States-led coalition to fight the Islamic State militant group involves

more than 40 nations providing varying levels of support. Looking at the members

of the Security Council, it has to be noted that France, the United Kingdom the

United States, Jordan, and Australia have already engaged in direct military action,

operating from various bases in the area such as Cyprus. The EU has deployed

resources for the relief of civilians and refugees. The US policy towards Syria is

currently favouring the moderate Syrian opposition, though these fighters of the

opposition who have been trained in the US have failed miserably in US attempts

to insert them into the Syrian Civil War. According to US President Barrack Obama,

the goal of this coalition is to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS though air

strikes in Iraq and Syria. However, as of now, there is no intention of this coalitionto deploy ground troops, and there have been accusations of hits on hospitals and

shelters. Instead, local fighters, particularly the Peshmerga, and the Iraqi army are

to be supported with resources and weapons, and recently, the Iraqi army,

especially some of its Shia militia, have been able to counter the ISIS offensive in

the area and have been able to push them back.

B. Russia, Syria, and Iran

Russia has stressed the importance of cooperation with Iran and Syria. Russia hastried to block Security Council action such as the referral of Syria to the

International Criminal Court. Russia, instead of supporting the Syrian opposition

like the United States, has instead sided with the Assad regime of Syria, conducting

airstrikes and putting a number of Russian personnel on the ground in order to

cooperate with the Syrian army, though some actions have been seen to be

controversial as bombing attacks have been accused of hitting humanitarian

targets such as hospitals, and have targeted groups other than ISIS, such as

moderate rebels. Iran is not willing to join the coalition against ISIS but has

engaged in airstrikes on targets in Iraq, and has been involved in the supplying of

weapons to Assad.

C. Turkey

Turkey has so far declined any direct military engagement even when the battle of

Kobane has been and still is taking place directly next to its border. Yet, it has

provided shelter for countless Syrian refugees and does cooperate with the

coalition against ISIS. However, there have been accusations against Turkey in

regards to it supporting ISIS and agreeing to deal with them for oil supplies.

Tensions have also sprung up between Turkey and Russia over the shooting down of


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a Russian fighter jet in Turkish airspace, indicating that the country is not ready to

fully cooperate with Russian efforts in eradicating ISIS.

D. China

China is the only veto power that has not joined the coalition against ISIS. It has

taken a passive stand based on a policy of non-interference with the internal

affairs of other countries. While China agrees that ISIS is a threat to international

security that must be contained, and has taken action in combating Islamic

extremists related to ISIS domestically such as areas in Xinjiang, they also argue

that the US has to confess that it helped the rise of ISIL by invading Iraq in 2003.


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Questions a Resolution Should Address

1. Terrorism has not been defined internationally and it has been proven an

incredibly difficult task, considering the famous saying one mans terrorist

is another mans freedom fighter. How does your country define terrorism

and would it be willing to compromise to find an internationally accepted

definition?

2. Given previous failures of the UN in formulating and enforcing safe areas, is

setting up Safe Zones feasible? How can Safe Zones be improved and

adapted to the current situation in the Syrian Civil War?

3. To what extent do geo-political and international alliances and entities

matter in terms of the creation of Safe Zones in Syria?

4. How did terror groups similar to ISIS emerge in the past? How were they

defeated, if they were defeated at all? Could tactics used in the past to

combat terrorist organizations be applied to the current campaign aga inst

ISIS?

5. How can the international community improve its response to the refugee

crisis resulting from ISISs advances?

6. How can countries solve logistical issues within safe areas, given the

instability within the region?


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Bibliography

NIOD report, Srebrenica, A Safe Area

http://www.niod.knaw.nl/en/srebrenica-report/report

Turkey revives plan for safe zone in Syria to stem flow of refugees

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/16/turkey-safe-zone-syria-

refugees-russian-airstrikes

U.S. reluctance to arm Syrian rebels may embolden Assad

http://nationalsecurityzone.org/site/u-s-reluctant-to-declare-safe-zone-along-

turkey-syria-border

Merkel warms up to safe zones in Syriahttp://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/merkel-warms-up-to-

turkish-idea-of-safe-zones-in-syria

United Nations Resolution 2170

http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sc11520.doc.htm

What is 'Islamic State'?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29052144

Isolating Syria, Arab League Imposes Broad Sanctionshttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/world/middleeast/arab-league-prepares-

to-vote-on-syrian-sanctions.html

Syria Civil War: Russia Denies Conducting Idlib Raids

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-russia-raids-idlib-kill-

civilians-160531082734910.html

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