Delegate Guide: ISIS

Saint Ann’s School 129 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, New York 11201 April 24th –25th, 2015 samun.saintannsny.org

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Letter from the Committee Organizers Dear Delegates, We welcome you to the 2015 Saint Ann’s Model United Nations conference or “SAMUN”! We are excited to work with all of you in this simulation. Model UN isn’t just about solving mock problems from crisis: it’s about building lifelong diplomacy and negotiation skills, learning how to respond to problems, and how to take initiative in order to solve them. This committee will require delegates to respond quickly to any situations that crisis creates, and to write directives to solve these problems. Delegates should respond in the way that their country would respond to the crisis, but they do not necessarily have to respond based on personal opinion. While delegates should respond sincerely to each crisis, we encourage you all to have fun with your directives and notes to crisis! Please do not hesitate to ask questions to your chairs if you have any questions about parliamentary procedure. These questions can include parliamentary procedure, speaking, notes, or pretty much anything. If you have any questions regarding your country, crisis will be more than happy to answer them! We are looking forward to leading you through these two days, and experiencing some excellent debate. Good Luck! ISIS Committee Organizers: Malaika Tapper, Gus Carpenter, Rachel Horowitz, Gabriel Merkel, Christina Macintosh, Emma Bates

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Background Information and Historical Context Iraq evidently is dedicated to thwarting ISIS attacks, seeing as their attacks are taking place within Iraq. Though the Iraqi government had opportunities in 2006 to forestall ISIS’ growth after the United States killed Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, ISIS’ leader at the time, it allowed the Sunni-Shia conflict that ISIS was exacerbating to get in the way. Currently, the Iraqi government has a zero tolerance policy to any resistance to the government, and considers anyone who opposes the government in any way an ISIS militant, and will treat them as such. In 2014 the Iraqi government began a haphazard bombing crusade which targeted residential neighborhoods and hospitals, and killed and wounded thousands of civilians. These attacks left civilians frustrated, and more continued to join ISIS. In the end these attacks were actually detrimental to the government’s cause. Iran is deeply invested in stopping ISIS. Since the start of their opposition to ISIS, Iran’s influence and leverage in Iraq has increased greatly. Iran’s government has a very close relationship with Iraq’s Shiite political parties, and offered the Iraqi government “everything it needed” to fight ISIS. Although there have been tensions between Iran and the U.S over Iran’s nuclear program, recently, the two nation’s interests have begun to converge. Iran has unofficially demonstrated a willingness to co-operate with other nations in their fight against ISIS. Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani is the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He is also military advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

American intervention in Iraq began on June 15, 2014 when President Obama ordered U.S. forces to be dispatched in the region. These troops however were not sent to fight. They were sent in response to offensives in Iraq conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Obama stated on November 18, 2014 that if ISIS were to get nuclear weapons, President Obama would deploy US ground troops to Syria and Iraq to fight the Islamic State. The United States of America is strongly opposed to ISIS. The Saudi Arabian government sees ISIS as a threat to the stability of the region and the nation. Saudi Arabia is not the primary target of ISIS, meaning they do not present a direct military threat to the current Saudi government. The Saudi government fears that radical jihadists, Saudi and otherwise, who have joined ISIS’s ranks will infiltrate Saudi Arabia and

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attempt to destabilize the kingdom through terrorism and guerrilla attacks. The population of Saudi Arabia is majority Sunni Muslims and the government is controlled by Sunnis. Saudi leadership does not have a good relationship with the Shiite authorities in both Iraq and Iran. Saudi Arabia has been suspected of secretly supporting ISIS in Iraq and Iran because it would benefit from the downfall of both Shi’ite regimes. Afghanistan was first invaded by ISIS in September 2014, forgoing many closer nations. This was because of Afghanistan’s failure to provide security, justice, and public services for its people. The current Afghan government is extremely weak, and has zero control in the rural territories. The government is unable to protect its civilians as is, and the recent withdrawal of NATO troops (which will be fully withdrawn in 2016) has already caused an influx of Taliban groups outside of Kabul, seeing as they are currently the main source of security for Afghanistan. The extreme government corruption makes it effortless for militants to cross the border, and government positions and positions at the border are easily purchased. Afghanistan is a MNNA (Major Non-NATO Ally) and a strong ally of the United States. In 2003 when the US first invaded Iraq, France was fiercely against it. Now roughly a decade later France’s reluctance has remained, although it has slightly diminished. As Francois Hollande, current President of France, consented to Iraq’s request for air support, he stated that it will be the only support, refusing to be involved in Syria. France refuses to do anything drastic without the support of the U.N. and the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Despite the fact that at one point ISIS aligned itself with Turkey and saw the country as an ally, Turkey has sent mixed messages to the public regarding their feelings towards ISIS. On the one hand, ISIS has attacked Turkey several times, which forced Turkey to retaliate, however Turkey has let ISIS troops go through their country without fighting back. Much of the action that Turkey has taken is to help its own country, such as the donation of almost $2 million USD in aid to Turks in Northern Iraq, and constructing a camp for Iraqi Turks. Turkey was not part of the first round of air strikes. The United Kingdom has essentially the same position on ISIS as the United States. They have intervened in both Iraq and Syria, and will work closely with the U.S. and other allies to defeat ISIS. The United Kingdom also sent weapons to the Kurds, and gave up their Royal Air Force for surveillance work. They also gave $38 million USD in aid.

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The Kingdom of Jordan is a key player in the fight against ISIS. Jordan’s strong alliance to the Western countries fighting ISIS provides the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all countries fighting ISIS with vital intelligence. Since Jordan shares a border with Iraq and Syria, they are anxious to not receive any more refugees and to retain the strength of their borders. The United Arab Emirates has joined the United States in sending air strikes into Syria. They have also begun sending in fighter planes to defend against ISIS. The UAE has also announced their support for the coalition against ISIS. As a major trading partner to the United Kingdom, the UAE was instrumental in persuading the UK to review activity of the Muslim Brotherhood in their government. Although the United Arab Emirates has not been attacked by ISIS, they have voiced their opinions several times regarding the terrors that other countries have had to deal with, and how cruel these terrorist attacks have been. Despite the possibility of attacks on Moscow from insurgent groups in Chechnya with ties to ISIS and threats directed at Vladimir Putin, Russia has voiced its disapproval on the war against ISIS. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the US airstrikes in Syria were an “aggression, a gross violation of international law.” Russia’s ardent stance on the matter may be due to their unstable relationship with the United States (the leader of the opposition to ISIS), caused by the recent invasion of Ukraine. Since 2011, the Syrian government has been engaged in a civil war against Syrian Kurds, ISIS, and the Syrian Opposition, a blanket term for rebels calling for the removal of president/dictator Bashar al-Assad who has been in office since 2000. The Syrian government is in an interesting position in the war against ISIS. Although they are fighting ISIS, their efforts are in no way coordinated with those of NATO and the nations surrounding ISIS territory. In fact, the United States has armed both Kurdistan and the Syrian Opposition, both major belligerents in the civil war. The Syrian government is allied with Russia and North Korea.

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Information about this Committee This committee is a summit of key nations who share the common objective of defeating the terrorist group ISIS. The goal of this coalition is to eliminate ISIS as an imminent threat, and to attempt to restore relative stability to both the region and the world. This gathering takes place in a simulated reality, in which all events after January 1st, 2015 are disregarded. The delegates in this committee have complete control over their country’s military operations as well as diplomatic actions, meaning that they have the power to make executive decisions on behalf of their entire nation through directives. However, it is entirely possible that your people will disagree with your directives created during this crisis, which could potentially create insurgencies or other localized problems. All of your decisions will create a direct ripple effect both locally and globally, so be sure to consider all consequences and outcomes! Articles In order to represent your country accurately, we encourage you to read articles about ISIS that were written in the country you are going to represent. Keep in mind that the articles below are written by Westerners, and that perspective is an important part of this crisis. On that note, here are some articles that everyone may want to take a look at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/16/world/middleeast/how-isis-works.html?_r=0 http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/state-of-jihad-the-reality-of-the-islamic-state-in-iraq-andsyria/#_ http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/08/return-war http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sc11520.doc.htm

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Main Topics to be Addressed in this Committee Topic One: Eliminating the Terrorist Threat ISIS has recently entered the public eye, rapidly gaining attention through violent acts of terror via social media. As ISIS conquers territory within Iraq and Syria, their power only grows. ISIS has been recruiting not only from radical groups within these countries borders, but has spread to the Western world. Although ISIS mainly consists of militant, fundamentalist Sunni groups as well as foreign jihadists, the main goal of this committee is to halt ISIS in their plans to rule the Middle East as well as parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. (A map of this plan can be found with a simple google search.) Their current position on the world stage has been brought to the public’s attention by their videos on YouTube and their Twitter account. Their YouTube videos of beheadings and shootings of various non-ISIS affiliated victims, British, American, Japanese, Israeli and French, have gone viral. The Islamic State has been attacked by ground forces as well as the most secure and popular act of warfare, airstrikes. With the majority of the world bent on destroying them, ISIS has managed to survive through terror inflicted on Syrians and Iraqis; moreover, it has gained funding by collecting hostage ransoms from countries who do not have a strict no-ransom policy. Needless to say ISIS is thriving, therefore, stopping them will be up to your countries abilities to end this reign of terror. Topic Two: Addressing the Victims Aside from those who have been killed by ISIS, many have been harmed along the way in the form of refugees, child soldiers, or victims of sexual violence. Over the course of ISIS’ reign of terror, they have displaced over 1.8 million people. These people have fled to wherever they can with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and are said to be in “deadly, life-threatening situation” according to a recent UN report on Iraq. Not only are they without things necessary for basic human needs, but they are often extremely traumatized by the things that they have witnessed before their escape. The sudden influx of 7

refugees has caused schools to shut down in order to house them; in fact, in some places the education system has been brought to an absolute halt. With very little food, and even without blankets to keep them warm; the fate of these refugees is uncertain. One of the largest humanitarian crises that ISIS has aroused is the use of child soldiers. ISIS has recruited children as young as six, and they are often seen patrolling with guns and making arrests. These children are also deployed to the front lines to act as human shields, and are also known to give other militia members blood transfusions when needed. Of the plethora of victims that ISIS has generated, one of the least represented groups is those of sexual violence, which ISIS is committing in the name of ethnic cleansing. As of August 2014, ISIS is said to have inducted over 1,500 civilians into sexual slavery, including children even younger than thirteen. They are sometimes said to abduct entire families. Once captive, they are raped, sold into sexual slavery, or forced to marry militia members, and those who manage to escape usually commit suicide because of the shame associated with sexual violence. Topic Three: Achieving Stability Within The Middle East While the Middle East has a long history of conflict and instability, ISIS threatens to plunge the region into further chaos. The disabling of ISIS is critical to the survival and advancement of these countries. ISIS has already taken control of large parts of Syria and Iraq. Many countries have already taken military action in Iraq and Syria, however these actions have failed to stop ISIS. USA, France, Canada, the UK, and Australia have already authorized airstrikes against ISIS as well as Arab nations Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. If Bashar al-Assad’s control of southern Syria were to collapse, the power vacuum would allow ISIS to gain territory and resources. If this were to happen the entire Middle East will be engulfed in chaos.

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Instructions for Position Papers These papers should demonstrate both an understanding of the topics in your committee as well as your position with regards to these topics. Position papers should be anywhere from 12 pages, double-spaced in Times New Roman font size 12. The top left corner of every position paper should include the committee that the delegate is in, the position of the delegate, the delegate's name and the delegate's school.

For help on how to write a position paper, see the SAMUN position paper guidelines at http://samun.saintannsny.org/conference-info/position-papers. Positions papers for SAMUN 2015 are due on Monday, April 6, 2015. Please email them directly to your chair, Emma Bates, at [email protected].

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Position

Portfolio Powers

Iraq

Though seemingly a military monster, Iraq has very limited military reserves. They have a mere 800,000 members of their army, and extremely weak naval, land, and aircraft power, with only 60 aquatic vessels, 220 aircrafts, and 350 tanks. Their annual defense budget is $6.05 billion, and though they are thought to have shut down their nuclear program, the rising ISIS threat causes some speculation of a reboot.

Iran

Iran has roughly 545,000 active duty soldiers and 1,800,000 active reserve personnel out of its total population of 79,853,900 people. Their military strength is comprised of 2,400 tanks, 1,550 armored fighting vehicles, a total of 481 armed aircrafts and 395 naval crafts. Iran has a defense budget of $6,300,000,000 and an external debt of $14,840,000,000. Iran produces 3,589,000 barrels of petroleum per day, and consumes 1,900,000 per day. They have proven oil reserves of 154,600,000,000 barrels per day, they are ranked third in oil reserves globally.

United States

The United States of America has roughly 1,400,000 active personnel out of a population of 320 million people. The U.S.A is 1 of the 9 countries in the world to have nuclear warheads, and has 7,315 of them. In addition, the U.S. has 8,848 tanks, 18,892 total aircrafts, and 473 total naval units. They also have a defense budget of 577,100,000,000 USD. With the most powerful military in the world, U.S.A is a threat to be reckoned with in this committee.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has 234,000 active front line personnel and 25,000 army reserves of it’s total population of 26,000,000. They have the fourth largest military budget of any country in the world, and are regarded as having one of the strongest militaries on Earth. Their economy is based off of their oil export industry (they export 10,000,000 barrels per day, and import 2,600,000 barrels per day). They are planning on investing 80 billion dollars to build 16 nuclear power reactors in the next 20 years.

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a small player in the war on ISIS; with an army of a meager 200,000, and no naval program. Afghanistan has 800 tanks, and 120 aircrafts, and its annual defense budget is $11.5 billion. Through years of conflict Afghanistan’s strongest defense remains the NATO allies that are stationed there, and with their impending withdrawal in the near future; Afghanistan’s fate is questionable.

France

France is a Western giant whose membership in NATO (National Atlantic Treaty Organization) grants France enormous world power. They are a wealthy country with a defense budget of 43 billion francs. France has a population of 66 million and from that they have gained the biggest military in the European Union. France also depends heavily on nuclear power.

Turkey

Turkey has a population of 80,694,485 people, 410,500 of whom are active military personnel and 185,630 of whom are active reserve personnel. Their military power includes 3,657 tanks, 8,532 armored fighting vehicles, 646 multiple-rocket launching systems, a total of 989 aircrafts, and a total naval strength of 115. Turkey is ranked the eighth largest military player globally, they have proven oil reserves of 270,400,00 barrels per day.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is the twenty-second most populous country in the world, with a population of roughly 63 million. The United Kingdom is a member of NATO, and has an army with roughly 387,000 troops. The United Kingdom’s defense budget is about £53.6 billion, and it has over 900 aircrafts. Their navy is one of the strongest in the world, and their military has almost 7,000 land vehicles. The United Kingdom is strongly opposed to ISIS, and will do whatever is within its power to stop it.

Jordan

Jordan is currently a valuable Middle Eastern player in the fight against ISIS. It has a small defense budget, $1,500,000,000, in comparison with its Western allies. With a population of 6 million, Jordan has a small but resourceful military with moderately strong air and land power and a significantly weaker navy.

Although the United Arab Emirates is a small country

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United Arab Emirates

with few people, it is an influential country in the Middle East. The UAE has an army comprised of 65,000 active frontline personnel. Unlike most other countries, the UAE has 54 multiple-launch rocket systems. The UAE’s economy is based off of the import and export of petroleum. The United Arab Emirates produces over 3,000,000 barrels of oil per day, and only uses 550,000. Their defense budget is $14,375,000,000, which is the fourth largest military budget in the world.

Russia

Russia has one of the most powerful military forces on the planet. With an infantry of 3,251,000 people, 3,082 military aircrafts, and a defense budget of 76,600,000,000 rubles.

Syria

Although the Syrian government is currently fighting off multiple insurgent groups, they remain a major power in the Middle East. Their military includes 748,000 soldiers, 5,000 tanks, and 473 aircrafts. They have a defense budget of 1,872,000,000 USD.

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