UNSC

The Topics | The Chair | The Co-Chairs | Links

One of the six main organs of the United Nations, the Security Council, also commonly known as the UNSC, it is by far the most influential, albeit controversial one.

Housed in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, it consists of 15 members states, whose representatives must stay at the Headquarters at all times, to allow for ad-hoc meetings should a situation calls for it. Out of the 15 member states that constitute the UNSC, five of them are permanent members, while the rest are elected on the basis of their geographical location. Collectively, France, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States are called the Permanent Five (P5 in short), and any substantive resolution would not be adopted should any of them cast a “no” vote.

UNSC deliberates topics that are deemed to be affecting “international peace and security.” Historically, it includes debating over conflicts between states. In recent years, topics expanded to other forms of conflicts such as counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism.

Increasingly, Responsibility-to-Protect (R2P) as a norm is emerging in international politics. R2P argues that states have an obligation to intervene militarily when there are evidences of mass atrocity against civilians. The idea that states should intervene is contrary to Article 2 (7) of the UN Charter, which states that sovereignty of any state should be respected, and any internal affairs of a state is essentially its sovereign affairs. Yet, some UNSC decisions in recent time, most notably with respect to Libya, can be constituted as conforming to the norm of R2P. Critics rightful noted that R2P is only extended selectively, and other conflict areas are being ignored (think Syria). Would a more stable and peaceful world order come about, or is it business-as-usual at UNSC?

The Topics

Topic 1: Tackling Cyberterrorism

With the growing reliance on computerized technologies in the management of crucial aspects of human life, such as the electrical grid, the stock exchange and telecommunications, the vulnerability of important computerized systems to sabotage from malicious external parties seems ever more glaring.

The inherent dangers of our reliance on computerization have been explored even in Hollywood, in movies such as Eagle Eye and Digital Fortress. However, the proliferation and increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, backed by state-backed or anonymous organizations, has been going on for almost a decade, as exemplified by the recent Stuxnet attack on an extremely specific target: Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that had been configured to control and monitor specific industrial processes, that were also used in Iranian organizations suspected to be refining uranium.

Cyberterrorism is a relatively anonymous, mobile and efficient weapon as opposed to conventional attacks, which makes it more likely to be adopted by terrorist groups seeking to achieve maximum impact on the usual lifestyle of its target population. The effects of cyberterrorism can also extend further than a mere electronic breakdown or compromising strategic national assets. The effects of a malfunctioning hydroelectric dam computer, for example, can have extensive indirect effects on civilians, in the form of flooding of homes and farmland, causing economic and social collateral damage. This ability allow the usage of cyberspace as a potential weapon of mass destruction.This may destabilize already-tense regions such as the Middle East and plunge the international community into greater turmoil.

The UNSC, while recognizing the presence and potential impact of terrorism by setting up its own Counter-Terrorism Committee, has not formally defined cyberterrorism within its resolutions or discussed any stance regarding countries or organizations that engage in such activities. This legal gap may be a show-stopper for the UNSC in the event of a cyberterrorism incident, as many conflicts can arise when the characteristics of a cyberterrorist attack are taken into consideration.

These problems include:

1) The stateless characteristic of the Internet, which is often the medium for cyberterrorism, which transcends national and state borders and are difficult to justify a point where a country or state has jurisdiction to act against the offenders.

2)  The impact of a cyberterrorist attack can extend further than just the compromising of computer systems and databases. A cyberterrorist attack can encompass many different types of conventional attacks. For example, a cyberterrorist attack can be used to compromise a hydroelectric dam, which can then be used to flood homes of civilians living downstream, causing deaths.

A resolution for this topic matter should discuss:

1)      The definition of what should be construed as a cyberattack/cyberterrorism attack

1. If a country’s defense system is compromised and used to launch attacks against another country or influence regional or global peace and stability, should it be construed as a cyberterrorist attack? Who should be held responsible for the results if there are any casualties?

2)      The extent to which UNSC should take action against such an organization

1. By condemnation of the country, or the organization?
2. Approval of UN peacekeeping forces to confiscate or limit such technology and expertise?
3. To create a counter-terrorism unit aimed at preventing such warfare?

3)      How much the UN will intervene in cyberterrorism matters, and when the sovereignty of a country is compromised.

Topic 2: Syria

Syria is currently enduring a state of civil war between government forces and armed opposition groups. The roots of the conflict lay in the fact that the Alawite regime headed by Bashar al-Assad was perceived to be corrupt and highly oppressive by the Sunni majority in Syria. Peaceful demonstrations were initially staged against the government but this was met with military force. This caused horrified military personnel defected to the ranks of the opposition, giving them access to the equipment and organizational skills needed to form a full-scale armed rebellion. This became a reality in 2012.

Why is this topic interesting?

This civil war brings numerous problems to regional security and stability in the Middle East, offering delegates a holistic UNSC experience. The UNSC’s purpose is to preserve peace and stability, and to protect human rights, as such, discussions in the actual UNSC are centered on these two themes. One will find that Syrian Civil War presents problems that fall nicely under both themes. Firstly, the civil war is spreading beyond Syrian borders. Clashes linked to the conflict between the Alawites and Sunni Muslims has already occurred in Lebanon. Secondly, the rebellion is highly fragmented in nature, with various groups fighting to eliminate the Syrian government. This brings into question the future of Syria because these groups may start fighting amongst each other, causing further civil strife. Thirdly, Syria is a countries known to have stockpiles of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), chemical weapons in particular. These WMDs may fall into the wrong hands and threaten neighboring countries; Israel is particularly vulnerable especially if such weapons are possessed by Muslim jihadists. Finally, human rights abuses have been committed by both the Syrian government and the rebels.

A resolution for this topic should:                                                                                                               

1)      Address the conflict itself, providing measures that may bring an end to the conflict.

2)      Address the future of Syria by providing a framework for the transition to stable governance in the long-term.

3)      Find means to secure the WMDs in Syria and prevent them from falling into the hands of extremist groups.

4)      If possible, punish previous human rights violations

5)      Adopt measures to prevent further human rights abuses.

The Chair

Tan Zhong Xian

Hi all,

I’m Tan Zhong Xian, a Year 2 student majoring in Political Science, from National University of Singapore. I will be the Chair for the Security Council in Singapore Model United Nations (SMUN) 2013.

My interest in current affairs started way back when I was in Secondary 4, when I had to stop myself from playing computer games by reading more online news (yea, wonderful logic right?). Despite being highly interested in current affairs, my involvement in Model United Nations only started in 2012, with my participation in SMUN 2012. It was a deeply immersive experience, and I’m back this time round for more!

I hope the experience in the Council will be a deeply enriching and highly engaging one for you as much as it will be for me! See all of you this coming June!

The Co-Chairs

Alyssa

Hi all, I’m Alyssa, a year 2 business undergraduate at NUS who likes to spend whatever little free time watching television. I will be your UNSC co-chair for this year’s Singapore MUN.

I’ve been doing Model United Nations ever since I was in secondary school. If this is your first MUN, don’t fret. For my very first MUN experience, my teacher decided to send me all the way to Ireland. Needless to say, I was scared, nervous, and extremely confused. But I survived, learned a ton, and you will too. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to write us chairs a note!

I hope you’ll emerge from SMUN with a heightened interest in MUNs and current affairs, and I’ll see you in June.

Chia Sheng Hui Chris

Hi everyone,

I am Chia Sheng Hui Chris. I am studying at the National University of Singapore in the Faculty of the Arts and Social Sciences, majoring in Political Science. I will be participating in the Singapore Model United Nations (SMUN) 2013, as the Co-Chair of the Security Council.

I started my experience in the Model United Nation when I took a sabbatical on it back when I was in JC. It gave me an insightful view into how politics on the international scale worked, through the procedures and the formality of it. Even though it was just on a novice level, it fueled my inquisitiveness into the workings of such an international organization and at one point, I was even considering it as making the UN a place for my future career.

I hope that through SMUN I will get to interact with all of you, creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities both for you and me. See you guys till then!

Joshua Leung

My name is Joshua, I am a Fulltime-National Serviceman who plans to study Political Science in NUS, and I will be one of the assistant chairs for the United Nations Security Council. My involvement in MUNs started with a humble invitation to participate in a secondary school MUN in 2009. I approached it akin to another debate conference. I have come a long way since. I was involved in THIMUN Singapore 2010 as a delegate, SMUN 2011 also as a delegate and ACMUN 2011 as part of its secretariat. MUNs are not an ordinary debate event. They take debating skills and merge it with the complexities of international relations and the varying interactions between countries. Unique to MUNs as an academic conference is the need for diplomacy, no resolution can pass without a vote between all delegates in a given committee. The Security Council features some of the highest level of debate and diplomacy, given it’s small size it will be home to some of the most intense arguments in a MUN, and the ominous presence of the veto power will hang over debates, forcing major powers to compromise on every minor detail should they clash on a issue just to pass a resolution. As such I am honored to be your Assistant Chairman and I will be looking forward to witnessing some of the best debates in SMUN 2013.

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