Nato Background Guide

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SWCMUN 2011

Sir Winston Churchill HSMUN Conferen

SWCMUN 2011

NATO Background Guide


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Table of Contents

Current Membership in NATO Page 2

NATO History Pages 2-3

NATO and the UN .. Page 3

Committee Overview .. Pages 4-6

Topic 1: The Situation in Afghanistan .. Pages 7-17

Topic 2: Missile Defense Systems Pages 18-20

Topic 3: Developing Plans to Improve Maritime

Security in the Gulf of Aden. Pages 21-24


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Current Membership in NATO:

NATO History

From the ashes of WWII rose an ideological and regional dichotomy that threatened the already

weak international balance. The winners of the war had made strange bedfellows during the

armed conflict but were now poised to become hegemonic rivals. Led by the US and motivated

by the fear of Soviet expansion, the states of the west came together to create a 12 member

alliance. Thus was born the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The 12 members that came together in 1949 agreed to be underpinned to the ideal of

collective security - that an attack on one member was considered to be an attack on all. At

first, not much more than a political coalition, NATO was galvanized by the Korean War and an

internalized military structure was set up under the direction of two U.S. supreme

commanders. However, doubts lingered about the future of the organization, as certainEuropean states were reluctant to make of the alliance anything more than an anti-Soviet

reactionary coalition. They were weary of the U.S., the U.K. and a few other nations planning to

turn it into a global policeman. When doubts about even the efficacy of Soviet reaction arose in

1966, France decided to pull out its military from the alliance while only remaining as a political

ally.

At the same time, the Soviet-led response to NATO, the Warsaw Pact, was losing its prestige

and power as the USSR was slowly declining. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 the alliance

entered in the Balkans as a regulatory force while also drawing past Warsaw Pact members in.

By 2001 NATO consisted of 26 members. Just this year it grew again to 28 with the entrance of

Albania and Croatia. With expanding membership has come the evolution of the role of NATO,

albeit not entirely smoothly as some members continue to argue against this. On February 28,

1994 NATO took its first ever military action by shooting down four Bosnian Serb aircraft that

were flying on a UN mandated no-fly zone. The operations in the Balkans served to legitimize

Albania

Belgium

Bulgaria

CanadaCroatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

IcelandItaly

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

SlovakiaSlovenia

Spain

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States


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NATO, as along with military action it now had also for the first time deployed a peacekeeping

force (SFOR) and awarded the NATO medal.

After the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the U.S. invoked Article 5 (collective defense) for the

first time ever and launched a full blown military offensive on Afghanistan. Soon it was clear

that the mission had to take peacekeeping, peace-building and state building dimensions too,

making it by far the most extensive and challenging NATO mission ever. This complicated

mission has long been a point of debate for NATO allies. On February 10, 2003 France and

Belgium vetoed the procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures

for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq. Germany did not use its veto power but said that

it backed the veto. On other issues, such as the taking over of the International Security

Assistance Force (ISAF) by NATO the alliance has shown greater cohesion.

NATO has changed in the last decade more rapidly and frequently than it ever has in its entire

history. It is important to be familiar with how these changes affect it. Some have argued thatthe future of NATO is decided on the fields and mountains of Afghanistan. Consensus is

required for any decision to take effect and since certain nations such as the United Kingdom,

Spain and the United States have been attacked first hand they will be pushing for quick

solutions to terrorism problems. Other countries such as Canada, The Netherlands, Germany

and Turkey are involved in the hotbed of the conflict will undoubtedly ask the alliance for more

commitment towards achieving these goals.

NATO and the UN

The central article within which NATO operates, Article 5, points to the UN as the centre of theinternational political system. Also, the North Atlantic Treaty itself stresses the commitment

NATO has to the principles and purpose of the UN charter. Article 51 of the UN charter on the

other hand, points to the right that sovereign nations have to foster relationships of collective

self-defense.

The two international organizations remain distinct entities to this day but their partnership is

becoming increasingly cohesive. It was not until 1992 that their relationship took on a

dimension that transcended the political and became something more tangible. The conflicts

that were harbouring in the Balkans were the catalyst for this change. Namely, the UN felt that

action through NATO was more possible because of the structural handicap that the Security

Council continues to face today. It has been suggested since then that western Security Council

members use NATO when the UN re-fuses to act. This has led to some tensions between NATO

and the UN at times, particularly when NATO interests clash with those of Russia and China.

However, in the end NATO is an alliance independent from the UN that chooses to work with it

towards peace-building goals.


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Committee Overview

What are Crisis Committees?

Crisis Committees are specialized groups at SWCMUN that spend most of their time dealing

with real-time events that require immediate attention and action. These crises range from

terrorist attacks to natural disasters to corruption within a certain organization. Common

considerations of crisis committees include: understanding the crisis and its implications,

informing (or not informing) the press and public, undertaking immediate damage control,

reacting to the actions of other groups, and preventing future crises.

Simulation Overview

Parliamentary Procedure Specific to Crisis Committees

The same parliamentary procedures used for General Assemblies and Special Committees

apply to Crisis Committees as well. However, Crisis Committees (such as NATO) tend to be moreinformal than other committees, that is, they require a limited use of parliamentary procedure.

They are often times more unstructured, and the flow of the committee is heavily dependent

on the discretion of the chair. The chair will make his/her procedural preferences clear at the

start of the first committee session. There may be a speakers list, yet most committees do

without one. There is often no official setting of the agenda, as debate tends to flow between

topics and is determined by the pertinent crisis at hand. In general, discussion occurs through

moderated caucuses in which the chair calls upon delegates to speak. Delegates motion for

moderated caucuses of a specified length and speaking time and on a specified topic. Many

issues may be discussed concurrently and crises introduced by the crisis staff may interrupt

discussion. Occasionally, unmoderated caucuses (motioned for by a delegate) are held in which

formal debate is suspended and delegates speak at will in groups of their choosing. In voting, a

motion for an unmoderated caucus takes precedence over a motion for a moderated caucus.

Often, motions are simply passed without voting if there are no competing motions. Action is

taken through directives, and there are generally no working papers or resolutions, unless the

chair so desires. Notes are used to communicate between delegates while the committee

proceeds. They are often used to work with delegates of similar viewpoints to coordinate

actions. Questions can also be sent to the chair (or crisis staff) in a note.

Directives and Notes

Directives

In order to carry out any action during committee, a directive must be sent by an individual, agroup of individuals, or the committee as a whole. If it is not on behalf of the entire committee,

then the delegate(s) can choose to make the directive private and it will not be revealed to the

whole committee. If the chair deems necessary, the directive may need to be introduced by a

requisite number of writers. To pass a directive on behalf of the whole committee, a simple

majority vote is required. The chair will hold a vote as each directive is introduced.

There are three types of directivesAction Orders, Communiqus, and Press Releases.


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Action orders are used to direct troops, agencies, individuals, etc. to take an action that

is within the authority of the committee. An individual may only send an action order if it is

within his powers. A communiqu is used to communicate with foreign governments, or

individuals outside the committee. A press release is used to reveal information to the public.

Examples of DirectivesAction Order

Direct Allied forces to invade Normandy, France on June 6th. Paratroopers shall be

dropped behind enemy lines on June 4th. Landings shall take place at Utah, Omaha,

Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches.

-The Allies

Communiqu

To the Emperor of Japan:

We demand an immediate, unconditional surrender by all Japanese forces within 48

hours, or we shall be forced to unleash heretofore unimaginable devastation upon your

cities.

- The Allies

Press Release

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was

suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Examples of Notes

To a member of the same committee

[Address Section on outside of Note]

To: Franklin D. Roosevelt

From: Winston Churchill

[Message on inside of Note]

We ask that you work with us to increase intelligence efforts directed against our so-called

allies, the Soviets, so that we will not be surprised by any actions they take after the war.

- Winston Churchill


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To a member of another committee


To: Leaders of Romania, Axis

From: Josef Stalin, Allies

[Message on inside of Note]Seeing as the defeat of Nazi Germany is near, we would advise you to make a deal with the

Soviet Union now or we will show no mercy when the time for your defeat arrives.

- Josef Stalin

To chair or crisis staff


To: Chair/Crisis

From: Winston Churchill

[Message on inside of Note]

What is the current disposition of British forces in the Middle East?

- Winston Churchill

An Outline of Typical Crisis Committee Flow

A moderated caucus takes place with delegates outlining their position. A delegate motions for a moderated caucus on a specified topic of a specified length with a

specified speaking time.

Delegates discuss actions to take regarding that topic through the moderated caucus andthrough notes.

Delegates submit directives to the chair to take an action and motion to introduce thedirective.

Discussion on the directives will proceed through the current moderated caucus andamendments may be proposed and voted on.

A delegate will motion to vote on a directive and the directive is either passed or rejected. A crisis will occur, oftentimes in the middle of debate. The crisis staff will introduce new

information or developments through news articles, videos, intelligence reports, etc.

Discussion will shift informally or through a new moderated caucus to discuss thisdevelopment.


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Topic 1: The Situation in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been occupied by the US military ever since 2001 after the September 11th

terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda. The group had been given safe haven in the country by the

Taliban, the extremist Islamic group that seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 after a civil war.

The 2001 invasion succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but

not in eradicating either group.1

After nearly a decade of conflict, the war continues.

Economy of Afghanistan

GDP $14 billion

GDP per Capita $1,000

Unemployment rate 35%

Population below poverty line 36%

Employment allocation:

Agriculture: 78.6%

Industry: 5.7%

Services: 15.7%

Agricultural produce: opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins

Industrial produce: small-scale textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food products,

non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; hand woven carpets; natural gas, coal,

copper.2

Despite the above-mentioned industrial and agricultural produce, the economy of Afghanistan

is heavily dependent on Opium production and foreign aid. In 2007 Opium was responsible for

half (50%) of the Gross Domestic Product of Afghanistan.3

Foreign aid also plays an important role in the economy of Afghanistan, although many

countries have not given as much as they have pledged. In many other cases as much as 90% of

the money is lost in administration or corruption expenses.5

The economy of Afghanistan is largely agricultural even when one excludes opium. Thispresents a problem as most of the climate of Afghanistan is arid and unsuitable for growing.

Afghanistan has the opportunity to expand its economy into mining, as it has a large quantity of

natural resources.6The types of minerals include large amounts of iron, copper, cobalt, gold

and lithium, a critical industrial mineral. Other deposits include barite, chromite, coal, lead,

natural gas, petroleum, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc. Lastly, there are deposits of precious and

semi-precious stones such as: emerald, lapis lazuli, red garnet and ruby. The total worth of the

untapped minerals is estimated at almost 1 trillion USD.7It is clear that for the economy of

Afghanistan to continue growing there needs to be a concrete plan first and foremost for

reducing violence and corruption, and, increasing jobs in the mining sector.

Womens Rights

When the war in Afghanistan began in 2001 to destroy al-Qaeda, living in the security the

Taliban had provided for them, women in the country widely anticipated that the regime would

fall. Today signs of change are all around. Women have begun working and the police and army

have started accepting them. Article 83, of the Afghani constitution, now decrees that 25% of

the members of parliament must be female. Women were banned from the radio and

television was banned under the Taliban. However, today the status of women is advancing,


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shown by how a female anchor recently interviewed a former Taliban leader on a national

broadcast.8

The ongoing war in the country, however, constrains womens freedoms almost as much as the

Taliban, as suggested by interviews with female members of Parliament, government officials,

activists, teachers and young girls around the country. Nonetheless, as talks of reconciliation

with the Taliban take place, women fear that the peace they long for will take away the rightsthey have gained since the Taliban were overthrown. Women fear a Taliban return on domestic

and personal fronts. The prospect of a resurgence of the Taliban or other conservative groups

seems bleak to many women in Afghanistan. In Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul (unstable

southern provinces), girls schools are open in provincial capitals, but few, if any, are open in

outlying districts. There are six schools for girls in Zabul Province, four in the capital and two

outside, but few families send girls to school because of the war. In Baghlan Province, the

situation for women has become worse, as Ms. Zarifi, the Womens Ministry representative has

suffered numerous assassination attempts and protests in opposing her work. By contrast,

most of Kapisa Province is peaceful. There is a mediation program in the capital to help women

and girls when they face domestic violence. In the predominantly ethnically Tajik north, there

are large lively schools for girls, where families even allow married girls to complete high

school. Womens activists are growing apprehensive that they are being excluded out of

political decisions. At an international conference meant to highlight the countrys plans for the

future, but President Hamid Karzai said nothing about how womens rights might be protected

in negotiations.9

Religion

Afghanistan is a diverse country where one of the few commonalities is Islam. In late 1985, all

resistance groups working toward an Afghan constituency appealed to Afghans based on their

common Muslim identity. The term used for the resistance fighters, mujahidin, translates as

those waging jihad. Jihad is considered a duty of Muslims and it refers to the fight for theprevalence of Gods will. According to Abul Kasem, author of several articles and books on

Islam, Islamic terrorism is motivated by the sources of Islam: Quranic verses, ahadith sira and

sharia that defend or promote attacks on non-Muslims or those who are not considered as

pious.10

Islamic terrorism is very prominent in Afghanistan and is carried out by the Al Qaeda.

Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda, has an established aim of ending American military

presence in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, overthrowing Arab regimes he

considers corrupt and insufficiently religious, ending American support for Israel, and returning

East Timor and Kashmir to rule by Muslims.11

Islam symbolizes a shared and potentially unifying

for Afghans. Islams potential to be a unifying factor lies partially in the core of Islam itself and

partially in the significance of Islam to Afghans.

12

In addition, minorities of Hindus and Sikhs(originally traders from India) and Jews have lived in the country for generations.13

Military

The war in Afghanistan is being fought by nearly 100,000 American soldiers along with 47,000

troops from non-US NATO member countries. NATO believes that the war in Afghanistan is a

war all NATO members need to fight in and, thus, NATO members fully support the US in their

mission in Afghanistan. In addition to the 28 NATO allies, 15 non-NATO members have


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contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition. US President Barack Obama announced a new

strategy intended to eradicate al Qaeda in Afghanistan and help the Afghan government

overpower the Taliban insurgency, while strengthening neighbouring Pakistans anti-terrorism

efforts. This strategy included increasing US troops in Afghanistan by 30,000 and starting to

withdraw forces by the summer of 2011.14

NATO leaders have set the deadline for a halt to

combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, agreeing on an exit strategy to removethe 138,000 international troops involved in the war.

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History of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a mix of cultures from around the Indo-European plain of influence. The first

signs of urbanized civilization were seen as long ago as 3000 BCE, but the first signs of human

life can be traced as far back as 50000 BCE. Afghanistans written history can be traced back to

the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE. 16The tribes located in the middle-east influenced the

nationalities of many countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq,

as well as Afghanistan. Alexander the Great first arrived in Afghanistan in 330 BCE, fighting and

conquering the local tribes. In a letter to his mother, Alexander himself commented on how

proud and lion-like the tribes in Afghanistan were. Alexander established many settlements

throughout the Middle East that influenced the culture with a Hellenistic feel. After the defeat

of Alexander and his loss of control over the region, the area was divided amongst many

empires including the Parthian Empire, the Kushan Empire, the Sassanid Empire, the Kidarites,

and the Ephthatlites. When the Arabs conquered most of Persia in 642 CE, they proceeded to

invade the area known today as Afghanistan. Though the purpose of Islam was to unify the

people, as Arab armies left the settlements, many members reverted to pagan rituals. By 1219

CE this empire became subjected to the Mongolian hordes of Genghis Khan. This wave of

invaders slaughtered a large fraction of the population and desecrated much of the fertile soil.

Over the next few centuries the area known as Afghanistan was largely separated and ruled by

different empires.17The first real influence came in the 19thcentury. British concern overRussian advances in Central Asia and growing influence in Persia culminated in two Anglo-

Afghan wars and "The Siege of Herat" 18371838, in which the Persians, trying to retake

Afghanistan and throw out the British and Russians, sent armies into the country and fought

the British in the region surrounding the city of Herat. Over the next few decades the west

installed countless sympathetic regimes in Afghanistan and across the middle-east to incite

cooperation of the people in capitalistic endeavours. On April 27, 1978 the government of

Afghanistan was taken by the PDPA (communist faction in Afghanistan) after a violent coup.

The previous government leader and his family were assassinated. The new Afghan government

abolished religion and instituted equal rights for women. There was also a very poor land

reform program instituted that many Afghans did not understand. The communist governmentexecuted many Afghans that did not fit with the governments view of an ideal citizen. In

December of that year, the PDPA signed an agreement with the USSR to allow military

intervention if needed. The PDPA was not popular because of their dependence on the USSR.

The repression by the regime caused anarchy in many regions of Afghanistan. In 1979, the US

began funding the Mujahideen forces to attempt further cause chaos in the area as well as to

destabilize the government. This was done through Pakistans intelligent agency. The Soviet

Union invaded Afghanistan shortly after chaos broke out with over 100000 troops backed by


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another 100000 Afghan military personnel. Recent reports show that the US and Saudi Arabia

provided more than $40 billion to the Mujahideen as well as advanced technology; the FIM-92

Stinger surface to air missile. The 10-year Soviet invasion killed over 600 000 Afghan civilians

some of which werent military personnel. Another 6 million fled to neighbouring countries

such as Iran and Pakistan. In 1989 the Soviet Union withdrew from the region, this was seen as

an ideological US victory in the oil-rich Persian Gulf.18

Many of the insurgent factions laterintegrated into future factions known today, such as the Taliban. The USs help to the

insurgents would backfire after the attacks on the world trade center on 9/11. On September

11, 2001, the two World Trade Center towers in New York were attacked by a terrorist

organization. On that day, four planes were hijacked, with two being crashed into the World

Trade Center towers, while another one hit the Pentagon. The last flight crashed in a field on its

way to the White House. In the days after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush vowed

revenge in a speech at Ground Zero when he declared that, the people who knocked these

buildings down will hear all of us soon!, thus initiating the invasion of Afghanistan. The United

States recognized Osama Bin Laden as the mastermind behind the attacks and began their

mission to find him. This war involved NATO, thus requiring many nations to support the

decision of the US, after an event that did not directly concern them. To this day, the campaign

has claimed many lives, insurgent and soldier alike, as well as an astronomical civilian toll.

Terrorism

Emergence of Terrorism

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to rescue the Communist-leaning government,

that was then under attack by Islamic rebels, a grueling decade of war followed. This led to the

collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War, the emergence of Islamic guerrilla

fighters who evolved into Al Qaeda and the Taliban and the Al Qaeda's terrorist attacks on Sept.

11, 2001, which drew the United States into its own wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that continue

today.Afghanistan, a country of rugged terrain and harsh weather, is a group of tribes rather than a

unified nation, where people's loyalties lie more with regional and ethnic leaders than a

national government, making it difficult to rule and practically impossible to truly conquer.

Soviet tanks and troops were useless in the mountains and valleys and the only weapons that

the guerrillas could not combat were helicopters. Eventually, though, this air power met its

match, thanks in some measure to the U.S.A. America's new friends were the Islamic guerrillas

known as mujahedeen, or "holy warriors," battling the Soviets. The U.S. and its allies began

supplying the mujahedeen with Stinger missiles, shoulder-fired rockets that could hit their

targets from three miles away, which meant the rebels could shoot down aircraft before Soviet

pilots even knew they were targets. Finally, the Soviet Union gave up, pulling out the last of itstroops early in 1989.

Later in Afghanistan, chaos reigned. With the Soviets gone, the tribal bands of the mujahedeen

were battled for supremacy. From this anarchy emerged the Taliban, young men who, having

been educated in schools of fundamentalist Islam known as madrassas (talibmeans student in

Arabic), were determined not only to restore order, but to implement their radical Muslim code

of behavior. At first, many Afghans weary of conflict welcomed the Taliban, but as they became

more powerful, they became more repressive, forcing all Afghans to adhere to their


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interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law. Public executions for trivial offenses were common.

Women and girls had no rights: no work, no school, no appearing in public without full body

coverings known as burkas. They could be stoned to death for adultery (being raped

constituted adultery), and shot for offenses as insignificant as wearing nail polish.

Osama bin Laden, a tall, intense, and deeply religious billionaire's son from Saudi Arabia, who

had come to Afghanistan to fight in the holy war against the Soviets, joined forces with theTaliban. He became enraged at the U.S. (and the Saudi government) for stationing "infidel"

troops in the birthplace of Islam during the Persian Gulf War against Iraq in 1990 and 1991.

Working with a group of angry Islamic fundamentalists who became known as Al Qaeda, bin

Laden began plotting against the U.S. and the West. The most notorious terrorist attack

committed by the Al Qaeda was the airplane attacks on the World Trade Center and the

Pentagon on September 11, 2001, in which almost 3,000 people were killed by 19 suicide

hijackers. In response, President George W. Bush sent U.S. forces into Afghanistan, where Bin

Laden was based, in late 2001. Bin Laden escaped into the mountainous, uncontrolled tribal

regions on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where U.S.

commanders believed he was hiding.19

Of course, as we all know, Osama bin Laden was

eventually tracked down and killed by a U.S. Navy SEAL team in Abbottabad, Pakistan about 56

km from Islamabad, the country's capital. This operation has contributed to strained and

uneasy diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan.

Negotiations with the Taliban

The Afghanistan and USA governments have begun to embrace the concept of Afghan-led

reconciliation with the Taliban. In the Afghanistan-Pakistan review, there are talks of a political

process in Afghanistan and the region that takes advantage of the security progress in

Afghanistan.

The acceptance of reconciliation or negotiations with the Taliban is a major change in

Washingtons view, which has been developing over the past few months. Initiating strategicengagement with the Taliban, of course, might be taken by the Taliban as signal of weakness on

the part of the international community. However, waiting to initiate the negotiation process

may also hurt the effort to stabilize Afghanistan. Various initiatives and political exchanges

between the Afghan government and the Taliban have been on and off for over a year. It is

unclear whether sufficient tactical gains have been achieved in southern Afghanistan to allow

for confidence in the reconciliation process.20

The Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban organization based in Pakistan, has begun to talk about a

comprehensive agreement that would include participation of some Taliban figures in the

government and the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. Afghanistan President, Hamid Karzai

long has said he will talk to insurgents if they renounce violence, sever ties to terrorists andembrace the Afghan constitution. Taliban leaders have made overtures to reconcile with the

Afghan government, while reconciling with Taliban leaders is being pursued at the highest

levels. The Afghan government set up a 70-member peace council, formalizing efforts to

reconcile with Taliban leaders and lure insurgent foot soldiers off the battlefield.21


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The Pakistan Problem

The relationship between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban is a complicated one, and one

in which sides and funding sources have changed dramatically since the Taliban was initially

established.

The roots of the Taliban can be first seen around the mid 1980s in the group the Afghan

Mujahideen. They were a group in Afghanistan that were fighting the Soviet invasion and hadsubstantial support from both Pakistani and the United States government in arms, equipment

and training.22

The Mujahideen were eventually successful and in 1989, the Soviet forces

withdrew. After the Soviets withdrew, though, the Mujahideen failed to make a government

and as a result the different groups within the Mujahideen began fighting among themselves

and the Afghan civil war began.23

After some years of this fighting, another group emerged, almost out of nowhere. This group

was known as the Taliban whose members comprised partly of Islamic religious students

(Talibs) who were disgusted with the inability of the Mujahideen group to maintain peace.24

In

its initial rise to power the Taliban showed the same discipline that its members were shown in

the Madrassa School systems, the rigid adherence to religion and order were a dramatic

contrast to the previous Mujahideen.25

As the Taliban gained momentum, their leader asked for

volunteers from Afghani refugee camps in Pakistan. In these camps also were the Madrassa

schools that were extensively supported by the Pakistani government. There schools provided a

major source of recruitment for the Taliban.26

Due to the fighting caused by both the

Mujahideen and the Taliban the number of refugees leaving Afghanistan made some of the

largest refugee camps in the world in western Pakistan, in 2001 there were over 3.6 million

Afghanis in refugee camps in Pakistan. Most of the young people in these camps attend

Madrassa-style schools, a large power base for the Taliban and a reason for the continued

failure of western forces to stop the Taliban.27

Due to the continued pressure from international forces, it is becoming more and more difficult

for the Taliban to launch attacks from within Afghanistan. As a result the Taliban is occupyingmore territory in western Pakistan where there are less government forces and some support

from individual militant organizations already within Pakistan.28 29

One of the militant

organizations is now an official branch of the Taliban TTP (Terik-i-Taliban Pakistan). In early

January 2009 the TTP and the Taliban in Afghanistan signed an agreement to help each other

combat the United States forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan, like the United States has a problem

that it helped create.30

The response from the Pakistani government has been ineffectual, most

likely because of a lack of resources.

There have been many proposed was to prevent the spread of the Taliban and to combat it, but

none of these strategies have been effective. This could probably be because most of the

strategies have been combat-based. The crucial point that the military planners forget is thatthe Taliban flourishes on conflict and revenge. What can stop the Taliban is lack of support.

Invading gives the people plenty of anger that the Taliban can, and does, channel. A way to

decrease their support is to concentrate on the things that the citizens of Afghanistan do not

like about them. One very prominent factor is their refusal to allow females to attend school. In

many provinces, this has made the unpopular, yet many still support them because they believe

they have no other choice. For many of these people their only experience with the American

forces, as liberators has been casual violence and mindless slaughter.


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To combat successfully the Taliban, there must be better opportunities for the people of

Afghanistan, availability of schools for girls and stability. If the Taliban attempt to recapture

these areas they will face harsh resistance, not from outside forces but from the people that

want to protect their new way of life. The current strategies of crushing the Taliban are

ineffective and raise the body count while decreasing the confidence of the Afghan people in

the foreign armies.

NATOs Conundrum

NATOs mission in Afghanistan has been to oppose the Taliban in their terrorist actions against

the government and people. Though the Taliban was routed or at least subdued in Afghanistan,

they continued their terrorist actions against military forces through guerrilla warfare. No

matter what tactics NATOs coalition forces have implemented, the Taliban was able to survive

and continue their fight. Taliban tactics have caused a wave of terror to spread among the

population and army personnel due to countless suicide bombers, which have inflicted

significant damage to troop morale. Currently, what is referred to as NATOs conundrum, is

the difficulty of the current situation. If NATO continues to fight with their current tactics, their

armys morale will decrease and the mission will be bogged down. There continues to be many

unpredictable deaths from roadside bombs where there is no visible enemy. On the other hand,

if NATO decides to leave Afghanistan, the Taliban may regain their control and continue

terrorist actions. This would mean all the soldiers and civilians killed, and all the tax money

wasted on this war would be for naught. As time has passed many citizens in countries within

the NATO coalition have expressed their concern and pain at further deaths in their armys

personnel.

Rigged Elections

In the past the Afghan government suffered from heavy corruption. The perpetrators included

the local election staff, government officials, local warlords and power brokers. Afghanistansmost recent elections were held on August 20th, 2009. This was supposed to be a show of

democracy demonstrating Afghanistans choice for a prosperous future. The problem is these

elections ended up being rigged and suffer massive ghost balloting. A lot secret support was

given to (the now current president) Hamid Karzai. As long as seven weeks after voting, the

Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) was still trying to separate fraudulent tallies from

legitimate ballots. They discovered at least 1.5 million of Hamid Karzais votes were fraudulent.

There were no organizations inspecting voting centers so collaboration between electoral

supervisors and government agents could have occurred. In response, a board called the

Afghanistan Independent Elections Commission of seven members (Appointed by the now

current president) was established.

31

Infrastructure

Decades of war, harsh conditions and neglect have left Afghanistan's infrastructure in decay.

The lack of infrastructure has had a huge impact on Afghanistan's economy and government.

Though the lack of infrastructure has plagued Afghanistan for many years government backed,

independent groups have been improving infrastructure through the following ways:

a)Increasing the supply of usable electricity


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Many projects have been undertaken with the goal of supplying Afghans with a more

affordable and reliable source of electricity. This includes importing electricity from neighboring

Uzbekistan. As well as improving hydro-electric power as well as construction of the North East

Power System (NEPS) to help distribute electricity across the country." The U.S. and other

donor agencies achieved a major milestone in September 2009, when the Afghan Government

officially launched Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), a new commercialized Afghanelectrical utility". Further work on improving usable energy is still required.

b) Increase and expanding supply of potable water

Currently on 23% of Afghan households have access to safe clean drinking water. The U.S.

government is also providing and improving facilities in over 1000 rural areas across

Afghanistan. USAID has designed and currently implements community-oriented education

programs to raise awareness about good hygiene practices that will improve health and reduce

illness. Further reforms are in progress to commercialize the water sector to allow capitalism to

take root as well as working on improving management of these projects.

c) Expand roads for more efficient transportation

The United States is currently constructing 1100km of roads to connect rural centers with urban

ones. Quality of roads affects economic conditions and communications throughout the

country. "USAID is working closely with the government and private sector to maintain 3,500

km of roads nationwide".

d) Construction of schools, hospitals and other medical facilities

Currently many new hospitals, schools, teacher-training facilities, high schools and universities

are being built. Other non-profit organizations also help to improve the infrastructure by

establishing and building schools and, teaching local workers how to perform medical tasks. 32

Implications of Troop Withdrawal

NATO forces have been in Afghanistan for over a decade. Many citizens in countries throughout

NATO have become extremely fed up with the death toll, monetary cost and savagery of thewar. However, it seems like there is no end to the soldiers, coming home in body bags.

Recently, in the United States, President Barack Obama was elected because he pledging to

remove forces from Afghanistan and Iraq by 2011, roughly speaking. This means analyzing and

understanding the effects of a NATO withdrawal on the region. When NATO leaves Afghanistan,

there is the possibility of resurgence in Taliban activity. Despite a heavy military presence of

NATO in Afghanistan, the Taliban have continued their attacks with ferocity. One could easily

postulate on how these events would increase exponentially due to lack of any central military

force to protect the country. Another consequence of the United States leaving Afghanistan is

the message it would send the world; America will have failed at trying to sustain a campaign

like the one waged in Iraq. America is less likely to meddle in other similar situations because ithas experienced the outcomes. This could possibly give rise to new terrorist organizations with

nothing to fear. By leaving the Middle East the US would also send a message to their allies that

they do not want to be involved in regional politics, therefore having to change their foreign

policy with certain countries in the area.33


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Questions to Consider

As a NATO delegate at SWCMUN 2011, you will have many questions to answer.

1. How should the war in Afghanistan proceed?2. Is the US withdrawal conducive to the objectives NATO had when it set out to

Afghanistan and the ones it has while it continues to remain in Afghanistan? In addition,

what will happen in Afghanistan if the war continues or disintegrates?

References:

1 Afghanistan. The New York Times. The New York Times Co., 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 9 Jan. 2011.

.

2 "Afghanistan." CIA World FactBook. United States Government, n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2010.

.

3 UNODC (2008-11-16). "Opium Amounts to Half of Afghanistan's GDP in 2007, Reports

UNODC"

4 United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) (PDF).Annual Opium Poppy

Survey 2001.

5 "Ugly truth about foreign aid in Afghanistan." Global Research. N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 23

Dec. 2010. < http://www.globalresearch.ca/ index.php?context=va&aid=13578>.

6 Siddiqu, Abdul Qadir. "Tenders out for Hajigak iron ore mine." Pajhwok. N.p., 12 June 2010.

Web. 23 Dec. 2010. .

7 Risen, James. "U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan." The New York Times. N.p., 3

June 2010. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. .

8 Baker, Aryn. Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban. Time 9 Aug. 2010: 20. ExpandedAcademic ASAP. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.

.

9 Rubbin, Alissa J. Afghan Women Fear Loss of Modest Gains. New York Times. New York

Times Co., 31 July 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. .

10 Kasem, Abul. The Left and Fitna. Interview by Jamie Glazov.Assyrian News 4 Sept. 2008: n.

pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

11 Laden, Osama Bin. Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two

Holy Places. London: Al Quds Al Arabi, Aug. 1996. N. pag. Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 22

Nov. 2010. .

12 Afghanistan - Society. Global Security. GlobalSecurity.org, 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

.

13 Kasem, Abul. The Left and Fitna. Interview by Jamie Glazov.Assyrian News 4 Sept. 2008: n.

pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .


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14 CNN. U.S. Afghan Plan Spurs NATO Troop Pledge, Warnings. Cable News Network 2 Dec.

2009: n. pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

15 Traynor, Ian. Nato Maps out Afghanistan Withdrawal by 2014 at Lisbon Summit. Guardian

20 Nov. 2010: n. pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .16 "The Afghans - Language and Literacy". United States: Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL).

June 30, 2002. Retrieved 2010-08-16.

17 Hiebert, Fredrik Talmage.Afghanistan: hidden treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

National Geographic Society, 2008

18 Griffiths, John C. (1981).Afghanistan: a history of conflict. Carlton Books, 2001.

19 Paul, Lawrence M. Afghanistan: How We Got There: Both the War in Afghanistan and

Americas Battle with Al Qaeda Spring Directly from the Soviet Unions Invasion of Afghanistan

in 1979. New York Times Upfront 8 Feb. 2010: 14. InfoTrac Student Edition. Web. 20 Dec. 2010.

.

20 Felbab-Brown, Vanda. Negotiating with the Taliban. The New York Times. The New York

Times Co., 16 Dec. 2010. Web. 20 Dec. 2010. .

21 Afghanistan-Taliban Peace Negotiations: High-Level Talks with Karzai Government. The

Huffington Post. N.p., 10 May 2010. Web. 20 Dec. 2010. .

22 "Context of '1986-1992: CIA and British Recruit and Train Militants Worldwide to Help Fight

Afghan War.'" History Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2010.

.23 Saikal, Amin. Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival (2006 1st ed.). I.B.

Tauris & Co Ltd., London New York. p. 352.

24 Griffin, Michael, Reaping the Whirlwind: Afghanistan, Al Qaida and the Holy War, Pluto

Press, England, 2001, 2003, p. 32

25 Nolan, Leigh.Afghanistan, Education, and the Formation of the Taliban. 2006. PDF file.

26 Marsden, Peter, The Taliban: War and Religion in Afghanistan, New York: Zed Books, 2002,

p. 124

27 M.J. Gohari, The Taliban Ascent to Power, Oxford University press, 2001, Oxford England, p.

31

28 Peshawar, Carlotta Gall. "Taliban spreads its influence into Pakistan." The Age. N.p., 17 Mar.2007. Web. 28 Dec. 2010. .

29 Qadri, Mustafa. "Rough justice in Swat." Gaurdian.Co.Uk. N.p., 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Dec.

2010. .

30 Elias, Barbara, ed. "Pakistan: 'The Taliban's Godfather'?" National Security Archive. N.p., 14

Aug. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. .


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31 Galbraith, Peter W. "How the Afghanistan Presidential Election Was Rigged - TIME." Breaking

News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. 19 Oct. 2009.32 USAID "USAID/Afghanistan:: Infrastructure." 8 Sept. 2010.

33 Katz, Mark N. "Implications of America Withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan." Middle East

Policy Council. 18 Nov. 2010.


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Topic 2: Missile Defense Systems

Introduction

NATO, which is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, protects the military, territories, and

citizens of its member states. The abundance of weapons of mass destruction calls NATOsattention to create plans to lessen dominance that these weapons hold. In 1999, NATOs

Strategic Concept realized that there were threats in the future concerning weaponry, which

causes NATO to look at development of security for protection while also staying loyal to the

inherent objectives of NATO.

Current Situation

NATO is currently studying three possible missile defense systems:

1. Theatre Missile Defense (TMD) capability: This will be a collection of low and highaltitude defenses, communication and radar competence, warning systems, and

different interceptors. This will be mainly used to protect both the military and

populations in territories by the ability to remain secure against short and medium term

ballistic missiles.

2. Missile Defense for the protection of NATO territory: After the 2002 Prague Summit,NATO put together an examination of the practicality of a missile defense system. The

Missile Defense Feasibility Study (MDFS) arrived at the conclusion that the system was

technically possible. This study should provide the ground and grassroots for the

upcoming political and military conversations between NATO diplomats. In general, this

system would defend NATO forces and the citizens against long-term missile threats.

3. TMD cooperation with Russia: Russia is a close ally of NATO. Because Russia is animportant part of its defense, the 2003 TMD Ad-Hoc Working Group, enables NATO-

Russia Council to study and create system to enable NATO and Russia to collide and

carry out joint TMD operations in the time of crisis response missions.

An important part of this issue is the NRC, the NATO-Russia Council, which was comprised in

2002 to address the issues that are of great concern. These areas include fighting terrorism,

creating defense reform, furthering military cooperation and counter-narcotics activities. While

there are many areas where NATO and Russia work together, there are several issues where

opinions diverge. This will serve as a block issue on Russia and their allies behalves.

Many of NATOs members spend less on their defense over the collected period of time.

Because of this, the Secretary General of NATO calls upon these members to increase their

spending for defense because defense is one of the most pivotal expenses that member states

embark upon and one that should not be taken lightly. In order to develop any of the three


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aforementioned plans, funding must be collected so that it can be put together effectively and

efficiently.

Another block position is that of The United States. The USA is an eminent partner of NATO and

the possibility of US systems being intertwined with the NATO missile defense system is

extremely feasible. The BMDO, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, allows the United States

and the United Kingdom to take part in research to develop cooperation, technology and

information transfers among both nations. Because of these allowed transfer sessions, both

nations have been able to detect warning systems that could play into the first solution, the

TMD.

This problem is of immediate importance because the number of ballistic missiles directly next

to NATOs geographic area has been abundantly increasing. Because these missiles have the

ability to be habitats for weapons of mass destruction, NATO must propose a detection and

protection system immediately.

In 2008, The United States saw a victory in diplomacy when third-site installations and its

recognition of the threat of proliferation gave the United States and its supporters a strong will

to keep fighting for third-site installations in the future.

Bloc Positions

USA and allies:Because of the increase in abundance of nuclear capable nations, the US and itsallies are currently working on ways to counter the threat.Russia: Nuclear capable Russia still feels it should equal the US in nuclear capacity and defense.This brings back a scarily similar Cold War Arms race

Iran and North Korea: Iran being a possible nation with nuclear capacity and North Korea

already being one, both do not want this technology to enter into US hands.

Questions to Consider:

1. Will the subsistence TMD systems help to prevent enemy attacks?2. What uses are there for TMDs besides direct protection?3. Can missile defense systems be used for crisis management?4. If Russia is an important ally, how will their existence help or prevent the development

of a missile defense system?

5. How is precedence determined for missile defense assets?6. Will the implementation of United States integration follow up in dependency on the

United States?


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Works Cited:

http://www.nato.int/issues/missile_defence/index.html

http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-150e.htm#missile_defence

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-

Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacy
http://www.nato.int/issues/missile_defence/index.htmlhttp://www.nato.int/issues/missile_defence/index.htmlhttp://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-150e.htm#missile_defencehttp://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-150e.htm#missile_defencehttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacyhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacyhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacyhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacyhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/04/NATO-Backs-Washingtons-Missile-Defense-Plans-A-Victory-for-US-Diplomacyhttp://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-150e.htm#missile_defencehttp://www.nato.int/issues/missile_defence/index.html


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Topic 3: Developing Plans to Improve Maritime Security in the Gulf of Aden

The Gulf of Aden, the body of water that lies between Yemen, Somalia and Djibouti, has in past

years become the most dangerous stretch of water in the world. This area is one of the worldsmost important shipping lanes linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean, and is the

most effective and efficient route for commercial traffic between Europe, Asia and East Africa.

Groups off the coast of Somalia are raiding ships en route of import and export, such as

freighters and tankers. The pirates are taking crew members hostage and demanding millions

of dollars in return for the members release. There are roughly five recorded pirate gangs with

about one thousand armed men. The pirates range from about twenty to thirty years of age

and they come predominantly from the region of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in

northeastern Somalia. The majority of the men are ex-fisherman, or ex-militia men. In the last

ten years alone hundreds of ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean

and hundreds of crew members have been taken hostage. This issue is one of great concern to

the international community and the pirates made headlines around the world in varioussituations such as when they hijacked the oil tanker Sirius Star, which was carrying a cargo of

two million barrels of oilworth more than $100 million dollars. It is evident that these pirates

pose a serious threat to the international trading system. Despite all of this, the chaos in the

mainland has halted any significant action to combat this problem from the Somali

government.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), an organization founded under the International

Chamber of Commerce (ICC), was given the main directive of tracking piracy attacks1, attempts

and threats the world over and has reported that there were 100 pirate attacks and 27

hijackings during the first half of 2010.2Although this represents a minor decrease from the

number of attacks in 2009, piracy is still is a major risk to commercial shipping and privatevessels. The majority of attacks on these ships originate from Somalia, a nation that has been

lacking in order and good governance since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991, which

has contributed to a rise in violent activity and the spread of small arms. Two developments

have contributed to increase in piracy in particular. First, the outbreak of the war in 1991

interrupted agricultural production and the distribution of food throughout the country, which

forced local Somalis to resort to extreme measures to survive.3Secondly overfishing off the

coast of Somalia by international fishing corporations have depleted Somalias fishing stocks,

encouraging Somali fisherman to take to the waters in search of other profitable enterprises.

In 2009, the IMB linked 217 piracy attacks to Somali pirates, comprising 53% of the total

number of attacks that year. Of these, 116 occurred in the Gulf of Aden, representing 29% of

pirate attacks throughout the world.4One of the most disturbing trends that the IMB has

tracked is that not only are there more attacks every year that can be traced to Somali pirates,

but that the attacks that are occurring are moving further from boundaries of Somali waters in

all directions in the Gulf of Aden. This is making it harder to find a safe line of passage for

vessels travelling through the area. The Red Sea and Seychelles have in the past been safe

waters for marine traffic; however in 2009 attacks were reported in both locations. Between

2005 and 2009 the number of boardings has been decreasing, however, the number of


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attempted boardings and ships being fired upon went through a drastic increase in 2009. The

number of ships being fired upon had increased almost threefold from the 2008 number of 46

to 120 in 2009. The decrease in boardings has been attributed to better observation by crews in

the area and also the naval presences that can counter attempted boardings. According to the

IMB on December 31, 2009, Somali pirates were holding 12 vessels for ransom with a total of

263 crewmembers being held hostage onboard their vessels. The attacks on commercial shipshave come with no bias as to what nation the ship is from or as to the vessels cargo. The

pirates only aim seems to be to take control of the vessels and ransom them back to the

owners. In 2009 when the pirates started attacking vessels south of Somalia into the Seychelles

waters, they were also striking at private yachts, demanding ransoms for the lives of the crew

and passengers. This has led to an increase in the amount of private yachts that are being

targeted, as they also have smaller crews on board making them easier to capture in

comparison to large ocean liners.

Currently there are a large number of organizations attempting to address the piracy problem.

As of the release of the IMBs 2009 Annual Piracy Report, those forces involved in combating

piracy in both Gulf of Aden and the Eastern Somali waters were: the European Union

(EUNAVFORATALANTA), the Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa (MSCHOA), the

Combined Maritime Force (CMF), French Alindien, NATO, Indian Navy, Malaysian Navy,

Russian Navy, Chinese Navy, South Korean Navy, Japanese Self Defence Forces (SDF) and the

Yemeni Coast Guard.5However, given the limited success of these forces there may be a need

for a single, unified naval entity to combat piracy. Furthermore, while all of these groups have

made contributions to this effort, there is still a very large number of nations who run

commercial ships through the Gulf of Aden who have not committed any resources to the

antipiracy effort.

One of the problems in addressing the piracy problem in the Gulf of Aden is that it is not clear

under what jurisdiction to prosecute captured pirates. The attacks on the ships do not occur in

the national waters in which the ships are from; more often than not, these attacks occur ininternational waters or in the national waters of the State of Somalia, requiring either

international jurisdiction or strengthened judicial system in Somalia. Until now, this has meant

that the naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden can take no further action other than to

confiscate the weapons of the pirates as well as their ship. On most occasions, the pirates are

released without being tried. To date, there has been one case in which Somali pirates were

tried and convicted. That attack occurred on December 5 and 6 2009 when pirates attempted

to board and highjack the Seychelles Coastguard vessel Topaz. The eleven pirates involved were

each sentenced to 10 years in prison for piracy related crimes, however they were acquitted of

terror charges that were also initially laid.6This is the first time anyone has been tried and

convicted, of piracy in the Seychelles.NATOs involvement in the Gulf of Aden began in late 2008, when Secretary General Ban Ki-

moon asked NATO to provide escorts for UN World Food Program vessels. Currently NATO is

engaged in Operation Ocean Shield, a development that came about following their mission in

2008. NATO, through Operation Ocean Shield, offers anti-piracy training to nations upon their

request. Operation Ocean Shield was approved by the North Atlantic Council on August 17,

2009 and has been extended through to the end of 2012. The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2

(SNMG2) is executing Operation Ocean Shield even though they are usually stationed in the


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Mediterranean Sea. For this mission, SNMG2 are patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the horn of

Africa. SNMG, as of July 1 2010, is comprised of the flagship HNLMS De Zeven Provincin (from

the Netherlands), TGC Gelibolu (from Turkey) and the USS Cole (from United States of America).

These forces are under the command of Commodore Steve Chick (from the United Kingdom),

who also commanded the two other vessels whose service in the area ended on June 30, 2010.7

Possible Solutions

The main cause of piracy is that there is little stability or control of the mainland in areas where

piracy is most eminent. The UN can aid the regions militarily and economically while giving

humanitarian aid.

Important Actors

The United Nations

The UN sends aid to countries in Asia and Africa that travel through areas that are at a high risk

of encountering piracy. Piracy interferes with the aid being sent that is vital to aiding some of

most financially weak nations on Earth. The UN also plays the biggest role worldwide in

facilitating regional cooperation amongst the governments and agencies dealing with piracy.

Taskforce 150

Taskforce 150 is a multinational naval task force that was established close to the beginning of

Operation Enduring Freedom. It conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Gulf of

Oman, Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

Maritime Security Operations (MSO)

MSO helps maintain security in the seas, promoting stability and global prosperity. The efforts

of the MSO help nations to fight terrorism and violent extremists that use the waters as a

means of transportation for personnel, weapons or other violent material.

International Marine Bureau (IMB)

The IMB is a division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). It was found in the early

1980s with the purpose of seeking out fraud and malpractice, along with dealing with security

issues regarding international waters. The IMB has become the UNs main watchdog for piracy.

Individual States

Individual States play the most important role in preventing piracy. While each state can take

its own measure to prevent piracy in its own waters, it is also important that states cooperate,

and work together to curb piracy. Individual states also hold the most powerful naval and airforces necessary to monitor and protect high-risk areas.

Questions to Consider

1. Is my nation currently involved in the anti-piracy fight already? If so, how?

2. To what extent does piracy affect my nation?

3. In what ways can my nation contribute to the fight against piracy?


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4. What is my nations Governments position on the use of force?

5. Is my nation involved anywhere else militarily that could affect potential commitment to

antipiracy efforts?

6: Does my nation currently have anti-piracy laws in place?

1.http://www.iccccs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=15

Accessed August 17, 2010

2.http://www.iccccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualiz

ation.googlemap&Itemid=219 Accessed August 17, 2010

3. CIA World Fact Book, Somalia

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworldfactbook/geos/so.html

Accessed August 17, 2010

4. Statistical DataInternational Maritime Bureau Annual Piracy Report:2009, Pages 520

Received July 26, 2010

5. International Maritime Bureau Annual Piracy Report: 2009 page 38 Received July 26, 2010

6. Seychelles Convicts Eleven Somali Pirates CNN News,

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/27/seychelles.pirates/index.htmlAccessed

August 17, 2010

7. Counter Piracy Operations http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID278B5B04

AC66F3B4/natolive/topics_48815.htm?selectedLocale=en Accessed August 23, 2010.

This background guide has been adapted from NATO Background Guides at the following HSMUN conferences:

Queens University (QMUN), Academy MUN, and the University of Victoria (UVICMUN).

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