Welcome Letter
Dear distinguished delegates and faculty advisers,
Greetings, I hope this message finds you well! Welcome to the Special Political and
Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) at NAMUN 2017. I am Angela Hou, an
undergraduate student pursuing a double major in International Relations and Ethics,
Society, and Law at Trinity College, UTSG. I have been an avid Model UN enthusiast for
six years, and I am extremely excited to meet all of you this upcoming February. And now
over to my co-chair, Justin.
Hello, my name is Justin Jassal and this is my first year staffing NAMUN and SPECPOL.
However, I have participated in Model UN during my high school years, attending
conferences across America as a delegate. I am now a second year student at University
of Toronto studying Human Biology with intentions to practice dentistry. Outside of school, I
like to swim, play basketball and record music. I hope you are all as excited as I am to
dive into this committee in February.
Justin and I are looking forward to meeting you in person, especially in the context of such
a fascinating committee. SPECPOL is one of the vital committees under the UN’s largest
organ, the General Assembly. While decolonization is a process that dominated
SPECPOL’s agenda several decades ago, relations between former colonial powers and
former colonies is nonetheless a prevalent topic in contemporary global affairs. In our
simulation of SPECPOL, we will be discussing the following topics:
-Major African Decolonization movements 60 years on
-Financial Colonization
-Arctic & Antarctic Colonization
As co-chairs of this committee, Justin and I look forward to hearing your ideas and
solutions to the topics on our agenda. We encourage you to honor NAMUN’s consistent
dedication to academic quality by thoroughly researching your country policy beyond this
background guide. We also hope you appreciate the complexity and sensitivities of said
topics, and collaborate in the spirit of diplomacy. See you at NAMUN 2017!
Sincerely,
Angela Hou & Justin Jassal
Introduction
Decolonization is a hard but yet sought after process for countries to reach their
ultimate goals of sovereignty. It is observed throughout history in many parts of the world,
such as the American Revolution and the French Revolution. However, a more recent case is
in the African territories. At the close of World War II, African leaders gained great
power under European rule. In the decades that followed their sovereignty, they worked
to shape their country’s political, economic, and cultural values. Some worked against
these efforts and remained to pledge allegiance with the previously instilled European
cultures. This displays the hardships of decolonization and emphasizes how long and
variable of a process it can be.
In essence, decolonization promised moments of glory, yet failed to live up to expectation.
Leaders of African nations mostly accuse their failed attempts of decolonizing due
to stronger European powers. Comparing decolonization in another timeline to this one is
unfair because of the already strong European economy and influence. Therefore, at this
point in time African civilizations are behind the whole world, thus making it harder for
them to decolonize quickly. This is where SPECPOL needs to put their efforts; to aid and
help the African territories independently sustain themselves.
Definitions
Decolonization
The act of a colony subsiding from their colonizer and effectively taking full
responsibilities of themselves.
Sovereignty
The authority of a state to govern itself or another state.
Pro-West
During the cold war, having values related to capitalism and general westernized
culture.
Pro-East
During the cold war, having values related to socialism and general U.S.S.R culture.
Marxism
Is a method of socioeconomic analysis that analyzes class relations and societal
conflict using a materialist interpretation of historical development and a dialectical view
of social transformation.
Neo-colonialism
The practice of using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism to influence
a developing country in lieu of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political
control (hegemony).
Historical Background
Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia in March 1966, spoke on the ideas
of decolonizing. He realized that African territories had no choice but to rely on either the
west or the east because of the lack of funds. At first, there were many optimistic thoughts
regarding decolonization. During 1960, it was pronounced to be the “Year of Africa”
because of the changes that were claimed to be brought about the entire continent. During
that year, there was a fatal massacre deemed the Sharpeville massacre. Europeans
showed their dominance as their police force shot into a crowd of innocent protesters,
killing almost seventy people. The same year, seventeen other African territories gained
independence from European rule. These nations later on joined the United Nations
General Assembly to voice their concerns with the world.
Harold Macmillan, prime minister of Great Britain in 1957, delivered a renown
speech “Wind of Change” to the South African government. Macmillan fully recognized
the potential for remarkable change to African territories and what it could to bring to
global politics. “The growth of national consciousness in Africa is a political fact,”
Macmillan said. He warned Western nations to change their attitude toward Africa to
prevent the continent from falling under the influence of the East. This fear of Soviet
influence in Africa created a major problem for the African nations. Western powers
reflected independence onto the Africans through personal means via Cold War. This
forced African leaders to choose a side for support—pro-west or pro-east. Initially,
Africans wanted to maintain neutrality however did not have the defense or political
power to maintain that goal. Nevertheless, Cold War stresses caused African politics to
never form in a natural manner. This combined with a strong influence from their Colonial
past caused African leaders to design their internal and external politics mindful of the
Western powers’ vigilance against socialist or communist influences.
Although Western European powers helped African Nations, they also forced their
governments to support their agendas and aided in overthrowing their governments. They
also instigated domestic turmoil to guarantee that governments unfriendly to their Cold
War initiatives remained in power and those that were, were assassinated or politically
ousted. For example, In Congo, Joseph Mobutu took a strong anti-communist view and was
rewarded by Western Powers. Which unseeingly helped facilitate the murder of Patrice
Lumumba, one of the most anti-democratic leaders in Africa. Mobutu’s rise to power and
economic and political damage to Congo—with the help of Western friendlies—depicts
that the politics of the Cold War, defined the successes and failures of African
decolonization.
In the 1960’s, during African neo-colonization, it was very much believed this time
period was just another way of exploiting the continent. African leaders were constantly
faced the with the problems of the continuation with economic and political interactions
with former colonial powers. These powers constantly threatened their government and
political viability. The former colonizers wanted to keep their previous lands within their
influence and power. Thus, the continued corrupt relationships benefited the higher class
but not for the nation as a whole. This caused great tension between the majority of the
population and the small ruling class.
Between the 1950’s and mid-1970’s, African leaders South of the Sahara took full
control of their politics, economies, and resources as they entered into the brutal political
trap i.e. the Cold War. In essence, European economic and political influence remains
deeply entrenched in Africa throughout these periods because of their interests in
maintaining access in Africa’s resources and governments. Poor African leadership and a
focus on anti-communism cleared the way for political corruption among Africans.
Decolonization, therefore, released Africans from their colonizers on paper, but failed to
lead their nations independently and have fallen subject to political and economic
exploitation.
Issues
The UN’s approach to decolonization is summarized in the words of Secretary-
General Ban Ki Moon in 2010: “What we need now are creative solutions... [to] fulfill [the
UN’s] obligations to supporting the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of these
territories, a pragmatic and realistic approach”.1 This quote is quite telling of the current
state of decolonization: as the number of non-self-governing territories decrease, the
difficulty of resolving the remaining disputes increases.
The most significant issue in the decolonization process is ensuring that newly
independent states can sustain economic and political structures to achieve true autonomy
and development. Many colonies have experienced the exploitation of natural resources
by their former colonial powers. In addition, the sudden withdrawal of support and
governance by former colonial powers can cause the newly independent states to
experience a lack of regulatory capacity, human resources, and sufficient infrastructure
overall. Such states are often new to all international and regional forums, which severely
impacts their capacity for trade, foreign direct investment etc. Hence, decolonization is not
just granting the country recognition, but also ensuring its long-term sustainability as a
productive and benevolent member of the global order. The process of transitioning from
colonialism to nationhood to statehood is a complex one.
In addition to economic and political weakness, the question of national identity is also
a crucial one to address. Specifically, in Africa, many state boundaries were drafted
arbitrarily, or at least not along ethnic, religious, or national lines. Therefore, modern day
states in Africa are often home to diverse actors who do not identify with a uniform
understanding of statehood. The potential struggle for dominance has the potential to
pose serious threats to unity, and subsequently the social stability of the country.
1"Decolonization,"UnitedNationsGlobalIssues.http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/decolonization/
In addition, as delegates of SPECPOL, the question of central concern for you is: has
the United Nations lived up to its commitment to self-determination and sovereign
equality? If not, how can it fulfill its stated commitment? The UN is mostly providing a
discussion forum, and acting source of multilateral recognition - is this the ideal role the UN
should be playing? As an alternative, are states, regional organizations, civil society more
suitable and/or effective actors in ensuring the smooth transition of former colonies? We
hope to hear your answers to these questions throughout the conference.
UnitedNationsActivity
General speaking, the United Nations has been fairly active in the universal
decolonization process since its inception. The UN’s founding document, the UN Charter,
includes a “Declaration on Non-Self-Governing Territories” in Chapter XI, stating its
commitment to “a full measure of self-government... And political independence”.2 At the
inaugural session of the General Assembly, the UNGA passed Resolution 66(1) on 14
December 1946. This resolution is titled “Transmission of information under Article 73e of
the Charter”, beginning the UN’s long-term discourse on decolonization.3
In addition to resolutions and documents, the UN has also established numerous bodies
dedicated to supporting and monitoring the decolonization process. SPECPOL, as the
fourth committee of the UNGA, is one major organ that focuses on said topic. The
Committee of 24, also known as Special Committee on Decolonization, was established in
December 1960. This committee review the list of applicable territories annually and
makes policy recommendations to the implementation of decolonization, all in accordance
to the “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples”.4
This committee also arranges regional seminars to review the progress of the “Plan of
Action for the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism”.5 Such seminars are
inter-sector, inter-state, and inclusive to non-self-governing territories.
More recently, as decolonization enters a different stage in the 21st century, the UN’s
role is also evolving. Today, 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain, and according to
2"ChapterXI:DeclarationRegardingNon-Self-GoverningTerritories,"TheUnitedNations.
http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-xi/
3"TransmissionofInformationunderArticle73eoftheCharter,"ResolutionsAdoptedbytheGeneralAssembly
duringItsFifteenthSession,December15,1960.https://documents-ddsny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/153/16/IMG/NR015316.pdf?OpenElement.
4"Committeeof24(SpecialCommitteeonDecolonization),"TheUnitedNationsandDecolonization.
http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/specialcommittee.shtml
5"RegionalSeminars,"TheUnitedNationsandDecolonization,
http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/regseminars.shtml
the UN, still comprised of nearly 2 million residents.6 Nonetheless, the UN’s press releases
indicate its continued concern and dedication to addressing this topic. On 13 October
2014, a public declaration was issued titled “Continuing Colonialism Debate, Speakers in
Fourth Committee Articulate Both Attachments, Aspirations for Independence in Effort to
Fulfill United Nations Mandate”. 7 This release focused on discussing the political deadlock
in Africa under the context of regional integration. Speakers of the UN encourage
continent cooperation and to strive for win-win situations in decolonization. On 6 October
2010, the UN released a declaration titled “Western Sahara Last Colonization Process in
Africa, Fourth Committee Told, As Unresolved Territorial Disputes, Including Gibraltar,
Dominate Agenda”.8 On 8 October 2013, the UN published “Debate on Decolonization
Continues in Fourth Committee, as Speakers Greet Decision to Reinstate French Polynesia
on Agenda after 60 Years”.9 The latter two publications reflect the UN’s dedication to
territory-specific decolonization, while simultaneously reinforcing its constant commitment to
the remaining colonies in the contemporary age.
6"TheUnitedNationsandDecolonization.http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/
7"ContinuingDecolonizationDebate,SpeakersinFourthCommitteeArticulateBothAttachments,Aspirations
forIndependenceinEfforttoFulfilUnitedNationsMandate,"UnitedNationsMeetingsCoverageandPress
Releases,October13,2014.http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/gaspd558.doc.htm
8"WesternSahara'LastDecolonizationProcessinAfrica',FourthCommitteeTold,AsUnresolvedTerritorial
Disputes,IncludingGibraltar,DominateAgenda,"UnitedNationsMeetingsCoverageandPressReleases,October
6,2010.http://www.un.org/press/en/2010/gaspd452.doc.htm
9"DebateonDecolonizationContinuesinFourthCommittee,asSpeakersGreetDecisiontoReinstateFrench
PolynesiaonAgendaafter60Years,"UnitedNationsMeetingsCoverageandPressReleases,October8,2013.
http://www.un.org/press/en/2013/gaspd529.doc.htm
Sources
1) The United Nations and Decolonization: http://www.un.org/en/decolonization
2) Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Adopted by the UNGA Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960
http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/declaration.shtml
3) "We Had Been Fooled into Thinking that the UN Watches over the Entire World":
Human Rights, UN Trust Territories, and Africa's Decolonization
- author: Meredith Terretta; research about human rights in colonial regimes
4) “Integrating Africa: Decolonization’s Legacies, Sovereignty, and the African Union”
- author: Martin Welz; book; economic integration and foreign relations
5) Fanon’s “Concerning Violence,” in “Wretched of the Earth”
- book excerpt about the moral and political struggles with colonialism
Bibliography
"Decolonization," United Nations Global Issues.
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/decolonization/
"Chapter XI: Declaration Regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories," The United Nations.
http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-xi/
"Transmission of Information under Article 73e of the Charter," Resolutions Adopted by
the General Assembly during Its Fifteenth Session, December 15, 1960.
https://documents-ddsny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/153/16/IMG/NR015316.pdf?OpenElement.
"Committee of 24 (Special Committee on Decolonization)," The United Nations and
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http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/regseminars.shtml
"The United Nations and Decolonization. http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/
"Continuing Decolonization Debate, Speakers in Fourth Committee Articulate Both
Attachments, Aspirations for Independence in Effort to Fulfil United Nations Mandate,"
United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, October 13, 2014.
http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/gaspd558.doc.htm
"Western Sahara 'Last Decolonization Process in Africa', Fourth Committee Told, As
Unresolved Territorial Disputes, Including Gibraltar, Dominate Agenda," United Nations
Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, October 6, 2010.
http://www.un.org/press/en/2010/gaspd452.doc.htm
"Debate on Decolonization Continues in Fourth Committee, as Speakers Greet Decision to
Reinstate French Polynesia on Agenda after 60 Years," United Nations Meetings
Coverage and Press Releases, October 8, 2013.
http://www.un.org/press/en/2013/gaspd529.doc.htm