2017
MARIA’S MODEL
UNITED NATIONS
The Congregation of the
Balkan States
Maria’s Model United Nations, 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. A letter from the Executive Board
2. About the committee
3. Rules of Procedure
4. Overview
5. Current Situation
6. Timeline
7. Historical Analysis
-Pan-Slavism
-Geo-political Importance
-The Two Balkan Wars
-Guide to Territory and rulings of the Balkans
during the Balkan Wars and before the First
World War
8. Issues to be addressed
9.
10.
11.
Sample position paper
Perambulatory and operative clauses
Sample Resolution Paper
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Dear Delegates
History is not just a string of numbers put together or memorising
what people with unpronounceable names did in the past. History
is the string of actions taken by humans which inflict their lives.
And this history, made by humans, tends to uncoil into a wired
string of events which shape the present and is going to influence
the future.
With having this said, I Shreya Bhattacharjee, would like to
welcome you to Maria’s Model United 2017 Historical Committee,
The Congregation of the Balkan States, and I will be serving as your
Chairperson for the duration of the conference. Throughout my
years of experience in MUN, I have found politically-charged historic
committees to be the most exciting and engaging. With our
experience in mind, we, the dais, have worked hard to create what
we hope will be an unforgettable experience for MUN beginners and
veteran delegates alike at Congregation of the Balkan States,
MMUN’17.
As I had mentioned beforehand, some actions have this immense
power which makes history and influences the thereafter events,
and the actions of the geophysical Balkan states were one of those.
From being a crossroad of cultures to the nation-states where the
First World War was sparked, these states along with its
neighbouring nations played an incalculably important role in
history. Thus, the congregation of the Balkan States would be a
little different from most committees of MMUN 2017 as that we
revisit a historical even through the lens of revisionism. Delegates
are being given the opportunity to recreate history, and perhaps
right the wrongs of the past. I encourage all of you to familiarise
yourselves with the topic, keeping in mind the historical context of
the event. Remember, we are talking about a War which bought
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massive destruction and you have the reigns in your hands to
change history.
The topic you will be discussing is the pan-Slavic movement and
how nationalism in the Balkans led to the very First World War.
This landmark conflict marked a shift in international policies as it
didn’t just create a sense of nationalism in the Balkans but also
brought in imperialistic feelings. The power play of the oppressor
and the oppressed gave dawn to new alliances which still manage to
affect the present day Balkans. It will be up to the delegates to
decide whether they would follow the course of history, or forge a
new path to avoid history’s mistakes and this shall not be an easy
task regardless of either aforementioned option.
On a less serious note, I expect the delegates to gather knowledge
and have fun simultaneously and enjoy every minute of the debate
and I on my part will do my best to make sure you make most out
of this conference. I’ll be open for any queries from the delegates
and I’ll make sure to have your doubts cleared. I look forward to
meeting all of the delegates, and observing what is sure to be an
exciting and rewarding weekend of debate.
With regards,
Shreya Bhattacharjee
Chairperson, The Congregation of the Balkan States
Ipsita Choudhary
Deputy-Chairperson, The Congregation of the Balkan States
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Special rules of procedure pertaining to this committee:
Ladies and Gentlemen, in this year's UNDESA, we shall
have delegates representing countries from all around
world, with a multitude of opinions on how an issue can be
best solved. It is advised that all delegates go through the
following guidelines carefully to assist smooth functioning
of the committee.
To facilitate discussion, we will follow a special set of
procedures
I. Delegates must use English as a medium of discussion.
All official documents shall be presented in English only.
II. Delegates can be either dressed up in Western or Indian
formals/Ethnic attire
III. The time allotted for the General Speakers list shall be 2
minutes. After every speech, question to the Delegate on
the floor shall be in order, if the speech lasted for less than
2 minutes in duration. This question shall pertain to the
delegate's.
IV. However, a member may be selected at random from
any country at to
present his or her country's stance on the issue, at any
point during committee
proceedings.
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V. A Resolution can have a maximum of five authors.
The Chair shall be present to moderate debate and also can
present developing / breaking news /crisis update
pertaining to the issue, which can alter the flow of debate
for a while. The Chair is ready to be advised by you on
changes to Committee procedure which shall be allowed
after an overwhelming majority.
General Speakers List
The Chair shall open the General speakers list for each
topic to be discussed at the request of a delegate. Any
delegate wishing to be added to the speakers list shall
indicate so by raising their placards when asked by the
Chair or shall submit such a request in writing to the dais.
Setting the time for the General Speakers list
By default the time set for the GSL is 2 minutes. However,
delegates can motion to increase or decrease the speaking
time, which will be voted upon by the committee or council.
When a delegate exceeds his or her allotted time, the Chair
may call the speaker to order without delay.
Yielding Time
The delegate, who has been recognized by the Chair to
address the body on a substantive issue/General Speakers
List, may yield any time following their remarks after their
speech. Yields may be made in three ways:
To Another delegate -Yield to another delegate.
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His/her remaining time shall be given to another delegate)
To points of information- Yield to questions.
Delegates shall be selected by the Chair to ask one
question per speech. The Chair has the right to call order
to any delegate whose question is, in the opinion of the
Chair, not designed to elicit information. Answers to
questions are limited to the time remaining in a delegate’s
speech.
To the Chair- Yield to the Chair.
Such a yield should be made if the delegate does not wish
his/her speech to be subject to comments. The Chair shall
then move on to the next speaker. Once a delegate yields
his/her time, the second delegate (the one who has been
yielded to) may not yield any remaining time.
Right to Reply
The Chair may recognize the Right to reply only in
instances of a grave personal insult. A delegate can use the
Right of Reply to interrupt a speaker only if his or her
country’s sovereignty has been hurt. However the chair has
the discretionary power to decide when to entertain a right
to reply.
Appeal to the Chairs Decision
An appeal is made when a delegate feels that the Chair has
made an incorrect ruling. The delegate can formally
challenge the Chair in writing by sending a note to the
dais, moving to appeal the Chairs decision. The appeal will
be taken to the Secretary General who will decide if the
appeal will be considered. Once the motion is
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acknowledged, the Secretary General will hear from both
the delegate and the Chair before making a decision
POINTS
Point of Personal Privilege
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may raise a
Point of Personal Privilege, and the Chair shall immediately
address the point. A Point of Personal Privilege must refer
to a matter of personal comfort, safety and/or wellbeing of
the members of the committee. The Chair cannot refuse to
recognize a Point of Personal Privilege.
Point Of Order
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may raise a
Point of Order and the Chair shall immediately consider the
request. A Point of Order must relate to the observance of
the rules of the committee. A delegate may also raise a
point of order to specify any factual mistakes made by any
other delegate. The Chair may refuse to recognize a Point of
Order if the delegate has not shown proper restraint and
decorum governing the use of such a right, or if the point is
dilatory in nature.
Point Of Information (Question to other delegates)
After a delegate gives a speech, and if the delegate yields
their time to Points of Information, one Point of Information
Can be raised by delegates from the floor. The speaker will
be allotted the remainder of his or her speaking time to
address Points of Information. Points of Information are
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directed to the speaker and allow other delegations to ask
questions in relation to speeches and resolutions.
Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
A delegate may raise a point of parliamentary enquiry to
know about the committee proceedings at any moment.
The delegate may also be requested to approach the dais.
MOTIONS
Suspend Debate (Motion to Caucus)
Upon the recommendation of the Chair or any delegate, the
committee may consider a motion to Suspend Debate for
the purpose of a moderated or un-moderated caucus. This
motion requires a majority vote.
Moderated Caucus
The recommendation for a moderated caucus must include
a time limit for delegate remarks and a time limit for the
entire caucus (e.g. The nation of [country name] moves for
a five minute moderated caucus with a 3 0 second
speaking time. During moderated caucus, the chair shall
recognize delegates for remarks without the use of a
speakers list and yields shall be out of order.
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“The delegate of ______________ would like to raise a motion
to suspend formal debate and move into a moderated
caucus on the topic ______________ for a time period of
___________ with individual speaker’s time being __________”
Un-moderated Caucus
The recommendation for an un-moderated caucus requires
a time limit to be made. Un-moderated caucuses allow
delegates to have informal discussions, negotiate with other
delegates and come up with working paper/ draft
resolutions. “The delegate of ______________ would like to
raise a motion to suspend formal debate and move into an
un-moderated caucus on the topic for a time period of
___________”.
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The Balkan crises began in 1874. That year, Bosnia and
Herzegovina rebelled against Ottoman rule, beginning the First
Balkan Crisis. When Turkey refused to reform its governing
structure, Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 30 June
1876. Russia, based on its foreign policy of pan-Slavism, or
fraternal allegiance between all Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe,
declared war on the Ottomans in due course. Britain, interested in
maintaining the balance of power and protecting its Mediterranean
holdings that depended upon the status quo, nominally supported
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the Turkish sultan. On 31 January 1878, Sultan Hamid II of Turkey
sought peace.
Otto von Bismarck hosted the peace conference, known as the
Congress of Berlin. Britain, concerned that growing Russian power
at the expense of the Ottoman Empire would tilt the balance of
power in Russia's favor, secured Constantinople and the Balkans
away from Moscow's dominion. Bosnia and Herzegovina were
turned over to Austria-Hungary and Russia pledged to abandon its
support of Serbia nationalism--all in the name of the balance of
power. However, with Serbian claims disregarded, continued
conflict lay in the future.
As a result of Russia's obvious political losses at the Congress of
Berlin, Russia abandoned its alliance with Germany in the Three
Emperors' League. Bismarck, in turn, recommitted Germany and
Austria-Hungary together in a Dual Alliance in 1879. In 1882, Italy
was asked to join the Dual Alliance, thus converting it into a Triple
Alliance that lasted until the beginning of World War I in 1914. The
balance of power seemed to be working.
When, in 1885, the Second Balkan Crisis erupted between Bulgaria
and Serbia, Russia threatened to occupy Bulgaria, but Austria
stepped in to prevent Russian dominance of the Balkans. When
Germany supported Austria instead of Russia, the latter removed
itself from all treaty obligations with Germany and allied itself with
France in 1894. France, previously allied with Great Britain,
cemented the Triple Entente when it encouraged the signing of an
Anglo-Russian understanding in 1907. The balance of power now
pitted Britain, France, and Russia against Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy.
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In 1908, however, despite Russian objections, Austria-Hungary
annexed Bosnia- Herzegovina outright. Serbia, along with Russia,
believed that these Slavic lands should have been incorporated into
a greater Serbian state. Eventually, Russia was forced to back down
in the face of German pressure. Undaunted, Serbia took advantage
of a weakened Turkey after a 1912 conflict with Italy to increase its
Balkan holdings, causing the eruption of a war between Serbia and
Bulgaria in 1913, known as the Third Balkan Crisis. Russia backed
Serbia; Austria-Hungary backed Bulgaria. Though Britain
nominally supported Russia and Germany tacitly supported
Austria, both urged a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Regardless,
Serbia was livid over both Austro-Hungarian support of Bulgaria
and its continued dominance in Bosnia-Herzegovina, setting the
stage for the spark that ignited World War I.
The final straw which ultimately gave rise to extreme war-like
tensions between Serbia and Austria-Hungary was when Franz
Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated at
the hands of Gavrilo Princip- a Serbian nationalist with ties to the
secretive military group known as the Black hand.
CURRENT SITUATION
During the First Balkan War, while the Bulgarians contended with
the major portion of the Ottoman army in Thrace, the Serbs had
occupied most of Macedonia. Austrian prohibitions prevented the
Serbs from gaining the Adriatic port in northern Albania that they
desired. The Serbs then sought to strengthen their hold on
Macedonia as compensation for the loss of the Albanian coast. The
Greeks had never agreed to any settlement over Macedonia, and
also indicated that they would retain the Macedonian areas they
had occupied. The Bulgarians remained determined to obtain this
area. Hostilities among the allies over the Macedonian question
escalated throughout the spring of 1913 from exchanges of notes to
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actual shooting. Russian attempts at mediation between Bulgaria
and Serbia were feeble and fruitless.
The Balkan Wars resulted in huge casualties. The Bulgarians lost
around 65,000 men, the Greeks 9,500, the Montenegrins, 3,000,
and the Serbs at least 36,000. The Ottomans lost as many as
125,000 dead. In addition, tens of thousands of civilians died from
disease and other causes. Deliberate atrocities occurred throughout
every theatre of war. The First World War was not the Third Balkan
War; rather the Balkan Wars were the beginning of the First World
War.
The delegates have to keep it in their mind that these events were
crucial to the events leading to the prelude of the War World I and
apart from the massive destruction it bought, it has imprinted it’s
on history and are still continue to shape policies.
So for the purposes of this committee, this is where the events of
the topic will beginOn the night of 29-30 June 1913, Bulgarian soldiers began local
attacks against Greek and Serbian positions in Macedonia. These
attacks became the signal for the outbreak of general war. Greek
and Serb counterattacks pushed the Bulgarians back to their prewar frontiers. Just as the Bulgarian army began to stabilize the
situation, Romanian and Ottoman units invaded Bulgaria.
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TIMELINE
I. Balkans
A. Ottoman Empire: Ottoman Empire had controlled the
Strait of Dardanelles. Britain wanted the Dardanelles so they
could control the Mediterranean. The Slavs were controlled
by the Ottomans. The Treaty of San Stefano however
changed this. The Ottomans lost the Strait of Dardanelles
and the Slavs to the Russians.
B.
Russia: The Russians were trying to advance their
power. However, the Austrians were also interested in the
Balkans, a clash between the two countries followed. The
main disagreement was who would gain the power to control
the Slavs. After the Russo-Turkish War and the Treaty of
San Stefano, Russia gained control of the Slavs.
C.
Austria: Austria turned to defence, wanting to limit the
growth of nationalism in the Slavic areas within Austria's
borders and to the southeast in the Balkans. This sense of
nationalism by the Slavs threatened Austria. Due to the
Treaty of San Stefano, Austria saw the Balkans go to the
Russians.
II. Nationalistic Tension in the Balkans
A. Pan-Slavism: Theory and movement intended to promote the
political and cultural unity of the Slavs. Inspired by the rise of
romanticism and nationalism, Slavic nationalism disrupted
the unity of two great but decaying empires at the start of the
th
20 century. Austria-Hungary failed to appease the Slavic
separatist movement in the Habsburg Empire. Pan-Slavism
encouraged the unification of the Slavic people. The Serbs,
Bosnians, Slovenes, and Croats sought to be their own single
individual country in Europe.
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III. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878
1. In 1876, a revolt against Ottoman rule broke out in Bulgaria. To
suppress the revolt, the Turks slaughtered thousands. Serbia
and Montenegro responded by declaring war on the Ottoman
Empire. Russia went to war against Turkey in 1877 proclaiming
their role as protectors of the Slavs.
2. Treaty of San Stefano (1878): Russia forced the Turks to accept
the treaty in March 1878. In the treaty, Serbia, Montenegro, and
Rumania were granted independence and granted autonomy to
Bulgaria and to have access to the Aegean Sea. Bulgaria,
however, was under Russian control. Russia also received
Batum, Kars, and other Turkish lands.
3. The Congress of Berlin (1878): To prevent war, Bismarck invited
the great powers of Europe to send representatives to a meeting
in Berlin to discuss the situation. The Congress of Berlin
replaced the Treaty of San Stefano with a new treaty. The Treaty
of Berlin. This treaty confined the independence of Serbia,
Montenegro and Rumania, and the Russian acquisitions of
Batum and Kars. Bulgaria was reduced in size and the Turks
retained Macedonia.
IV. The First Balkan War (1912-1913)
Small Balkan states began to press their demands against the
Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, Serbia. Montenegro and Greece had
formed the Balkan League. In 1912, the Balkan League went to
war against Turkey. Under the terms of the Treaty of London
the defeated Ottoman Empire lost all its territory in Europe
except of the areas immediately adjacent to the Turkish
straights.
V. The Second Balkan War (1913)
Serbia demanded part of Bulgaria's share of Macedonia as
compensation for denied access to the Adriatic. Bulgaria,
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however, believed that because of its role in the First Balkan
War she was entitled to Macedonia. Because of these disputes it
resulted in the outbreak of the Second Balkan War in 29th of
June, 1913 when Bulgaria attacked its erstwhile allies in the
First Balkan War, Serbia and Greece, while Montenegro and the
Ottoman Empire intervened later against Bulgaria.
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HISTORICAL ANALYSIS
PAN-SLAVISM
The French Revolution set into motion forces pent up in the hearts
and minds of the people. A wave of nationalist feeling swept Europe,
reaching the Slavic countries as it rolled on. Its effect was magic.
Peoples whose names had almost vanished from history suddenly
arose to life. In the Slavic world, their awakening was particularly
dramatic. Serbs, Bulgarians, Czechs, Croatians, Slovenians,
Slovaks, who had been lost for centuries in the masses of Turkey
and Austria-Hungary, now loudly asserted their individuality and
clamoured for recognition. This movement in its initial stages was
largely literary and cultural. The Slavic peoples had first of all to
prove their claim to nationality. There was nothing in their present
which seemed to justify it. So they turned to the past, where each
Slavic people hoped to discover memories of glory and traces of
national greatness. The task was in harmony with the historical
and romantic spirit of the first decades of the nineteenth century. It
resulted in the restoration of Serbian popular poetry by Karadjich,
in the historical works of Shaffarik, Dobrowski and Palacki, in the
imaginative outpourings of Jan Kollar, and in the literary works of
the Croatian school. The work of all these literary groups was
separatist in character. The Czechs laboured to restore the
historical position of ancient Bohemia. The Slovaks struggled to
preserve their language against Maoyar encroachments. The
Croatians were engaged in reviving both their language and their
historical idea of political rights. The main efforts of all were
directed toward strengthening the national spirit of each particular
people. Each of the nationalist leaders worked in their own field and
amidst their own people.
There was one point, however, at which the interests of all those
Slavic peoples met. They all found themselves in the subjection of
other nations who despised them. To German, Magyar, and even
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Turk, the Slav seemed an inferior being who had achieved nothing
in politics or in the arts of life. The re- action against this was a
desire on the part of the Slavs to assert the value, not of this or that
particular Slav people, but of the Slav race as a whole. The leaders
of the nationalist movements pointed with equal pride to the
political greatness of Russia, to the poetic genius of the Serbs, to
the missionary zeal of the early Bulgarians, or to the cultural
acquisitions of the Czechs. They interpreted them as illustrations of
the common genius of the race. This naturally led to emphasis on
the common origin of the Slavs and their bonds of kinship. It
resulted in a vague, semi-poetic, semi-philosophical idea of a great
Slav race with a common life in the remote past and with a great
common destiny in the more or less misty future. This idea found
expression in the works of Shaffarik on Slavic antiquities and in the
poems of Jan Kollar. This literary Pan-Slavism made a deep
impression on Europe and brought Jan Kollar into especial
prominence as the “father" of Pan-Slavism.
Nationalism played a large part, as Pan-Slavism came into
existence and created much tension in the Balkans. Nationalism is
the hubris for a nation's culture, nation and language. Nationalism,
entangling alliances, along with the growing tension in the Balkans
played a large role in the outbreak of World War I between 1870
and 1914.
GEOPOLITICAL IMPORTANCE
The Balkan region is a triangular peninsula with a wide northern
border, narrowing to a tip as it extends to the south. The Black, the
Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Seas surround it; they
have served as both barriers and entry points. Unlike some
peninsulas, the Balkan area has not been physically isolated from
nearby regions. In the northeast, Romania is exposed to the steppe
regions of the Ukraine, an easy invasion route from prehistoric
times to the present. In the northwest, the valley of the Danube and
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the flat Hungarian plain are easy points of entry. While it is
surrounded on three sides by water, the peninsula is not cut off
from neighbouring regions to the east, west or south. To the east,
the narrow straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles are a
natural pathway between the Balkans and Anatolia, and Asia
beyond. To the west, the Italian peninsula is only forty miles away
across the Adriatic from Albania, and influence from that direction
has been another constant. Finally, the Aegean and Mediterranean
islands to the south are stepping stones to the eastern
Mediterranean and Egypt. Not surprisingly, the Balkan region has
been a crossroads for traffic passing to and from all these
destinations.
At the turn of the century the Balkan region was less populated and
under-developed, in comparison to western Europe; it had few
natural resources, so was hardly an economic prize. The
importance of the Balkan Peninsula lay in its geographic location.
Situated at the crossroads of three major empires – Ottoman,
Russian and Austro-Hungarian – and with access to several
important waterways, the Balkans was strategically vital. Because
of this, the area had for centuries been a gateway between East and
West, an area of cultural and mercantile exchange, and a melting
pot of ethnicities and people.
The Balkans underwent significant change and disorder in the late
19th century. At its peak the Ottoman Empire had ruled most of
Eastern Europe, including the Balkan states. But by the late 1800s
the Ottomans were in retreat. During this century Greece, Serbia,
Montenegro and Bulgaria all achieved independence from Ottoman
rule. Western European powers – particularly Britain, France,
Germany and Russia – developed a strong interest in the region,
based on concerns about what might happen once the Ottoman
Empire disintegrated. They referred to this as the ‘Eastern question’
and developed their own foreign policy objectives. Russia hoped to
expand its territory by moving into the Balkans and other areas
formerly under Ottoman rule. The Russian navy, with its ports on
the Black Sea, coveted access to and control of the Bosphorus,
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which provided shipping access to the Mediterranean. Britain was
opposed to Russian expansion into the Mediterranean and the
Middle East, so wanted the Ottoman Empire to remain intact for as
long as feasible, to provide a buffer against the Russians. Germany
hoped to acquire bankrupt Ottoman regions as vassal states,
possibly even as colonies.
The two Balkan Wars
In 1912 several Balkan nations, incited by Russia, signed a series of
military alliances that formed the so-called Balkan League. The
agenda of this coalition was to wage war on the Ottomans and drive
them out of Eastern Europe entirely. The League declared war in
October 1912 and despite the looseness of their alliance, the Balkan
states emerged victorious after just eight months of fighting.
In June 1913 Bulgaria launched a surprise attack on its former
Balkan League allies, in what was little more than an opportunistic
grab for territory. The Bulgarians were quickly defeated by the
Greeks, Serbians and Romanians in barely a month. The Treaty of
Bucharest (August 1913) penalised Bulgaria severely, leaving it
frustrated and hostile towards its neighbours. The Serbs, victorious
in both Balkan Wars were the main beneficiary; their nation almost
doubled in size with the acquisition of Kosovo and parts of
Macedonia and Albania. The two Balkan wars forced the Great
Powers to revisit their foreign policy in the region – especially
Russia, which was now dependent on Serbia as a buffer against
Austro-Hungarian aggression.
Serbia’s territorial gains had two significant outcomes, both of
which contributed to the outbreak of World War I. The first was a
sharp increase in Serbian nationalism. Several Serb nationalist
groups had formed in the early 1900s and flourished for the next
decade. Their primary aim was to free Serbia from foreign control
and influence, particularly from Vienna. In 1908 the AustroHungarians formally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. This roused
nationalist movements in the region. Groups like the Narodna
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Odbrana (‘People’s Defense’), Crna Ruka (‘Black Hand’) and Mlada
Bosna (‘Young Bosnia’) all formed between 1908-1911 and pledged
to drive out the Austro-Hungarians. These groups were encouraged
by Russian agents, as well as individuals in the Serbian
government, public service and military. Most of their activities
revolved around political agitation or the production of antiAustrian propaganda – but some also trained for and plotted acts of
terrorism. Their most telling act was the killing of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914, by a teenaged member of Crna
Ruka, Gavrilo Princip.
Another profound consequence of Serbian expansion was that it
threatened the stability of Austro-Hungary. The Hapsburg Empire
had already surrendered significant territory to the Italians and the
Russians in the 1870s; the developments in the Balkans in 1912-13
seemed to hint at even more losses. Austro-Hungarian generals
began talking tough about Serbia. While the dual monarchy’s
military strength and equipment lagged behind those of Germany,
they believed it could easily vanquish the troublesome Serbs. The
ageing Austrian emperor, Franz Josef, was not keen on war and
was reluctant to place his cherished military at risk. But the
assassination of his nephew and his heir, along with the ‘blank
cheque’ offered by the German Kaiser, roused the old man to action.
Otto von Bismarck’s 1888 prediction about a future European war –
that it would “start with some damn foolish thing in the Balkans” –
was about to be proved correct.
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Guide to territory and governance of the Balkans during
the Balkan wars and before the World War I
Non-independent territories are grouped under the country
to which they belonged in the 1920s.
ALBANIA
Revolts from 1910 onwards help to secure a limited autonomy for
core Albanian regions in August 1912. After their neighbours broke
the Ottoman Empire’s power in the First Balkan War, Albanian
leaders declared themselves independent in 28th of November 1912.
In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars Serbia, Montenegro and Greece
started claiming and occupying parts of Albania – Serbian armies
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advanced towards the sea at Durrës; Montenegrin forces besiege
Shkodër; and Greece claims most of Southern Albania. However,
the Powers force an independent Albania on its neighbours and
confirm this in the Treaty of London in May 1913, so as to prevent
Greece or Serbia from controlling a key stretch of the Adriatic coast.
BULGARIA
Bulgaria became fully independent from the Ottoman Empire since
its unilateral declaration in 1908, following the Young Turk
Revolution. A constitutional monarchy which managed a
parliamentary system, Bulgaria had a strong yet an unpopular
king.
In the First Balkan War of 1912-13 Bulgarian forces
defeated the Ottoman army in eastern Thrace and pressed
on almost to Constantinople; they also conquered eastern
Macedonia and the rest of Thrace. In the Treaty of London
of May 1913 imposed by the Powers, Bulgaria gained
eastern Macedonia, down almost to Salonika, and western
and Central Thrace from the Struma to the Maritsa,
including the Aegean coast. It had to withdraw from the
environs of Constantinople, but kept Edirne.
Dissatisfied with its share of Macedonia (always
Bulgaria's main irredentism), Bulgaria attacked Serbia and
Greece in June 1913, starting the Second Balkan War. It
quickly found itself in a losing war against all four of its
neighbors. In the Treaty of Bucharest of Aug. 1913 the
Ottomans took the Edirne region; Romania took southern
Dobruja (incl. Silistra), Serbia took strategic bits of
Macedonia; and Greece took the hinterland of Salonika and
western Thrace (incl. Kavalla). Bulgaria kept the central
Thracian coast between the Mesta and the Maritsa.
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GREECE
In the Treaty of London of May 1913 after the First Balkan
War, Greece gained Janina and most of Epirus (the
northern part goes to Albania) and Salonika and southern
Macedonia as far as the Struma; it also won international
recognition of its rule in Crete (under Greek control since
1908). After the second war in summer 1913 Greece gained
western Thrace and as far as the Mesta (from Bulgaria) and
the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean (except
Rhodes and the other Dodecanese, seized by Italy in 1912).
Greece was now roughly double its pre-war size.
ROMANIA
An independent state since 1878, Romania was ruled by a
constitutional order with a strong monarchy and an
oligarchic parliamentary system. Romania took no part in
the First Balkan War of 1912-13, fought to drive the
Ottomans out of the western Balkans. In the Second
Balkan War of June-July 1913 it gained Southern Dobruja
from Bulgaria.
BESSARABIA
Historically a Romanian province, Bessarabia had mainly a
Romanian population, except for the area near the Black
Sea where the people were Ukrainian, Russian and Jewish.
It became a part of the Russian territory from 1812.
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BUKOVINA
Bukovina was the easternmost province of the Austrian
half of the Habsburg Monarchy, with a mixed population
that is predominantly Romanian in the south,
predominantly Ukrainian in the north.
SOUTHERN DOBRUJA
A rich agricultural region with a mixed population,
probably more Bulgarian than anything else, Southern
Dobruja was seized by Romania from Bulgaria in the
Second Balkan War of 1913. It was overrun by Bulgaria in
1916.
TRANSYLVANIA
(with Crisana, Maramures & most of the Bánát)
Until 1918 Transylvania belonged to the Hungarian half of
the Habsburg Monarchy. Historically Transylvania was
associated with Hungary, and dominated socially and
politically by Magyar landlords and ethnic German
townsmen and farmers. However the overall majority of the
population was of Romanian ethnicity. The province took
no part in the Balkan Wars. From early 1914 to 1915,
Russian forces held a narrow strip of northern
Transylvania, but the front never advanced so far again.
YUGOSLAVIA
Before 1912 the South Slav lands that later join together as
Yugoslavia were under six distinct jurisdictions. The two
independent South Slav states were Serbia and
Montenegro. South Slav lands in Austria-Hungary were
under three jurisdictions: Hungarian rule (most of Croatia,
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the later Voivodina); ruled by the Western half of the
Empire (Slovenia, Dalmatia); and a joint rule (BosniaHerzegovina). The Ottoman Empire still holds Macedonia
and the Sanjak of Novipazar.
BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA
Bosnia Herzegovina was annexed from the Ottoman Empire
by the Austrians in 1908, after an occupation starting in
1878. It was governed jointly by the two parts of the
Empire, with no institutions of self-government until 1908.
Ethnically, the most perplexing of the major South Slav
provinces, there were three communities (Serb, Croat, and
Muslim) - none of which were even nearly a majority of the
population.
In the Balkan Wars there were battles in the adjacent
Sanjak of Novipazar, but Bosnia was not directly involved.
After Austria's initial attack on Serbia, Serbian
counterattacks were launched into Bosnia in 1914-15.
After 1915 the front moved south.
CROATIA (w/ Dalmatia)
Croatia was a long-standing entity within the Hungarian
half of the Habsburg Empire, properly called CroatiaSlavonia. Its limited self-government in internal affairs was
exercised by a parliament dominated by noble landowners.
The population contained a significant minority of
Serbs along the borders with Bosnia and Serbia.
The coastal regions known as Dalmatia, inhabited
mainly by Croats, mostly form a separate province; this
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belonged to the western half of the Empire, as does the
Croat-inhabited part of the Istrian peninsula.
Nationalism has been active among Croat intellectuals
since the early 19th century, with a strong component of
"Yugoslavism". It was kept on a short leash by the
authorities.
No part of Croatia was touched directly by the Balkan
Wars, though there was an upsurge of nationalist
excitement. The eastern tip of Slavonia (known as Syrmia)
was on the front lines of Austria's see-sawing war with
Serbia in 1914-15, but quiet thereafter.
KOSOVO
Until 1912 Kosovo was a loosely defined Ottoman region.
Kosovo is remembered historically by Serbs as "Old Serbia"
but had mainly an Albanian population for centuries; both
Serbian and Albanian nationalists saw it as integral to
their national territory. Serbian forces conquer it in the
First Balkan War, ignoring Albania's impotent protests.
Serbian treatment of the local Albanian population was
harsh.
Kosovo was then occupied by Austrian and Bulgarian
forces from 1915.
MACEDONIA
Macedonia was formerly a vague regional term for the
Vardar valley and adjacent lands. Ethnic Macedonians
have some national consciousness, but they were not
recognized as a people by any neighbor states. Bulgaria,
Serbia and Greece each regarded much of Macedonia as
theirs by right; no clear division was agreed upon before
they joined to wrest it from the Ottomans in the Balkan
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Wars.
Serbian armies conquered the greater part of
Macedonia from the Ottomans in the First Balkan War, and
gained additional bits from the Bulgarians in the Second
Balkan War. The Serbian view was that Macedonians were
merely Serbs speaking a dialect, and the new lands are
incorporated directly into Serbia without any special
status. Most of Serbian Macedonia is overrun by
Bulgarians from the east and Germans and Austrians from
the north in late fall 1915.
MONTENEGRO
Montenegro was more or less independent princely state for
generations, independent since 1878. The prince adopted
the title of king in 1910. There was no parliamentary form
of government. Montenegrins share their dialect, their
literary history and the Orthodox faith with the Serbs; the
two peoples normally cooperate readily.
Montenegro, a party to the Balkan League against the
Ottomans, launched the First Balkan War in 1912 with an
attack into the Sanjak of Novipazar, later also pushing into
northern Albania, taking Shkodër. Afterwards Montenegro
was allowed to keep a very little of its Albanian conquests,
but it gained about half of the Sanjak after the Second
Balkan War.
SERBIA
Serbia was a fully independent constitutional monarchy
(since 1878) with a parliament having real authority.
Serbia's antagonism towards Austria since 1903, and
especially since Austria's annexation of Bosnia in 1908,
was a defining feature of the Balkan scene.
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In the First Balkan War Serbia conquered Kosovo ("Old
Serbia") and most of Macedonia from the Ottomans,
and divided the Sanjak of Novipazar with Montenegro. Her
armies drove through central Albania to the Adriatic at
Durrës, but Serbia was not allowed to keep these gains.
Serbia won its battles with Bulgaria in the Second Balkan
War but contented itself with small gains in Macedonia.
The Serbian government in 1914 raised the vague program
of a union of the South Slav peoples. Serbia's leaders and
many of its intellectuals viewed this prospect as a form of
"Greater Serbia", an expansion of Serbia.
In the early phases of WWI Serbia repelled two Austrian
invasions, counterattacking into Bosnia and Hungary. Its
armies also reoccupied northeastern and central Albania,
which the London Treaty of 1915 said that they may keep
it. But a massive Austro-German attack in 1915, combined
with Bulgaria's entry into the war, spelled defeat. Rather
than surrendering, the Serbian army and many civilians
fled across the Albanian mountains to the sea in winter,
suffering dreadful losses. Nearly the entire country was
under harsh occupation from late 1915 to the end of the
war. Overall, a fifth of the population perishes.
.
SLOVENE
A heavy part of Slovene’s population was an integral part
of inner Austria (since the early Middle Ages). They made
up all of one province and parts of four others. It was a
prosperous agricultural region with some mining and
industry, and high levels of education. Slovenes were
culturally aware, but agitation for political autonomy or
independence was muted before 1914.
The Slovene region was unaffected by the Balkan Wars.
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VOIVODINA
Voivodina was a loosely conceived region where Serbs
settled in southern Hungary in the early 18th century, in
the provinces of the Bačka and the Bánát. Others
(Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, Romanians, and still
more) settled on these lands along with the Serbs, making
the population ethnically ambiguous.
The wars of 1912 to 1918 did not touch these lands,
except the Danube where Austria's frontier was fighting
with Serbia in 1914-15.
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ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
These are a few questions which the delegates have to ask
themselves in order to understand the situation at hand
along with how to address solutions or answers to these
questions.
What was the purpose of the assassination of Franz
Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914?
Who was responsible for the killing, besides the assassins
themselves?
Is the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia after the
murder inevitable and possibly the only way to address the
issue, or should policy-makers do their best to no let the
crisis escape control?
Why did a Balkan crisis lead to a world war in 1914, when
other crises had not?
Why did the Balkan crisis lead to a war between Austria and
Serbia?
Why did that conflict soon involve the rest of the Great
Powers?
How can a workable solution be found between the state
and the various nationalities that together constitute the
nation?
How can the problems of European minorities be resolved
within the wider, continental political framework?
Why was the local war between Austria and Serbia so
significant that it grew into a World War?
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SAMPLE POSITION PAPER
Delegate: XYZ
Country: Syrian Arab Republic
Committee: Economic and Social Council
Agenda: Regulating refugees flow: National and International financial support
“Syria has become the tragedy of the century”
– Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Refugee flow is the movement of disadvantaged people from their own
countries to host countries due to tension in their own land, war crimes, fear of
persecution, human rights violation, intolerance etc. These people flee their
countries in search of the most minimal of necessities such as shelter and food. Over
the years the number of refugees has risen from 42.5 million to 59.5 million at the
end of 2014. Internally displaced people or IDPs have also sought amnesty but
haven’t been able to make a move. As humanitarian and financial needs grow, the
economic instability in the host countries has also taken a toll along with other
social implications which include child trafficking, rape, xenophobia, smuggling
etc. Refugees are economically viable people forced into desperate circumstances,
however these people have not been welcomed as such because of the religion they
follow or the country they hail from, mainly Islamic territories, this prejudice is
based on Islamophobia or dislike towards Muslims and Islam.
Even though monetary aid has been supplied to various vulnerable regions, the
money has either not reached the roots or has been diverted from its route. At
times, refugees after crossing the borders, loose navigation and some countries on
arrival of the refugees are responsible for further deterioration of their conditions.
Effective asylum must be provided to these people who have been rendered
homeless and stateless. Some refugees have been pushed back to their respective
homelands or not been allowed to register themselves, this has led to the violation
of international law.
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Syria which is in a state of disturbance has been fighting a ground battle with
its people and the internationally recognized jihadist militant group; the
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, an unprecedented threat to international
peace and security and the Al-Nusra Front operating within the territory. Along
with international pressure to suppress the IS, it has drawn the attention of
countries such as Russia, The United States of America, Iran, Turkey, Gulf Arab
states and other Western countries who have evidently formed two varying blocs
to profess their views and prove their allegiance. The Syrian refugee crisis is into its
6th consecutive year becoming the biggest humanitarian emergency of the era, while
the number of refugees and IDPs keeps on increasing. The Assad led government has
made efforts in association with the UNHCR, the World Bank, the Arab
Development Bank and Amnesty International to give out the necessary aid and
relief to the civilians. However use of force and illegal airstrikes being held in Syria
has made matters worse. The government of Syria has appealed to the Russian
Federation to conduct military activities to counter the terrorist threats of ISIS and
other likeminded groups within the country along with the Syrian Arab Army. The
Syrian army has been in continued conflict with the ISI since 2011 which has thereby
resulted in the mismanagement of governance of the state activities, its civil war and
its foreign relations with neighboring countries.
The Syrian Arab Republic looks forward to finding feasible solutions to the
issue of refugee crisis and refugee flow and regulation and other associated
matters of concern, as the question of refugee crisis is an alarming indication of the
humanitarian, socio-economic and financial needs of the affected people with the
backdrop of terrorism and international interventions, be it legal or illegal. It is also
willing to acknowledge other diversified views and solutions to the issue to attain
a comprehensive approach to the same.
1. Urges the United Nations Security Council to back up all military
interventions in affected regions such that countries abide by the
international law and no amount of explicit use of force be levied upon any
country.
2. Encourages the transparency in the flow of monetary aid to ensure that the
money reaches the masses and corruption doesn’t take place.
3. Urges the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to look
after social matters of human trafficking, smuggling etc. also to make
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improvements in the navigation system for the people to reach their
destination safely.
4. Urges all willing nations and states to respond to the call of refugee flow
without making discrimination on grounds of religion, especially Islam.
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SAMPLE DRAFT RESOLUTION
General Assembly Third Committee
Authors: United States, Austria and Italy Signatories: Greece, Tajikistan, Japan,
Canada, Mali, the Netherlands and Gabon Topic: "Strengthening UN coordination
of humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies"
The General Assembly, Reminding all nations of the celebration of the 50th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which recognizes the
inherent dignity, equality and inalienable rights of all global citizens, [use commas
to separate perambulatory clauses]
Reaffirming its Resolution 33/1996 of 25 July 1996, which encourages Governments
to work with UN bodies aimed at improving the coordination and effectiveness of
humanitarian assistance,
Noting with satisfaction the past efforts of various relevant UN bodies and
nongovernmental organizations,
Stressing the fact that the United Nations faces significant financial obstacles and is
in need of reform, particularly in the humanitarian realm,
1. Encourages all relevant agencies of the United Nations to collaborate more
closely with countries at the grassroots level to enhance the carrying out of relief
efforts; [use semicolons to separate operative clauses]
2. Urges member states to comply with the goals of the UN Department of
Humanitarian Affairs to streamline efforts of humanitarian aid;
3. Requests that all nations develop rapid deployment forces to better enhance the
coordination of relief efforts of humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies;
4. Calls for the development of a United Nations Trust Fund that encourages
voluntary donations from the private transnational sector to aid in funding the
implementation of rapid deployment forces;
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5. Stresses the continuing need for impartial and objective information on the
political, economic and social situations and events of all countries; 6. Calls upon
states to respond quickly and generously to consolidated appeals for humanitarian
assistance;
7. Requests the expansion of preventive actions and assurance of post-conflict
assistance through.
PREAMBULATORY CLAUSES
The preamble of a draft resolution states the reasons for which the committee is
addressing the topic and highlights past international action on the issue. Each
clause begins with a present participle (called a perambulatory phrase) and ends
with a comma. Perambulatory clauses can include:
1. References to the UN Charter;
2. Citations of past UN resolutions or treaties on the topic under discussion;
3. Mentions of statements made by the Secretary-General or a relevant UN
body or agency;
4. Recognition of the efforts of regional or nongovernmental organizations in
dealing with the issue; and
5. General statements on the topic, its significance and its impact.
Affirming, Alarmed by, Approving, Bearing in mind, Believing, Confident,
Contemplating, Convinced, Declaring, Deeply concerned, deeply conscious,
Deeply convinced, Deeply Disturbed, Deeply Regretting, Desiring Emphasizing
Expecting, Emphasizing, Expecting, Expressing it’s appreciation, Fulfilling, Fully
aware, Further deploring, Further recalling, Guided by Having adopted, Having
considered
Having examined, Having received, Keeping in mind, Noting with deep concern,
Nothing with satisfaction, Noting further, Observing, Reaffirming, Realizing,
Recalling, Recognizing, Referring, Seeking, Taking into consideration, Taking
note, Viewing with appreciation.
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OPERATIVE CLAUSES
Operative clauses offer solutions to issues addressed earlier in a resolution through
the perambulatory section. These clauses are action oriented and should include
both an underlined verb at the beginning of your sentence followed by the
proposed solution. Each clause should follow the following principals:
1. Clause should be numbered;
2. Each clause should support one another and continue to build your
solution;
3. Add details to your clauses in order to have a complete solution;
4. Operative clauses are punctuated by a semicolon, with the exception of
your last operative clause which should end with a period.
Accepts, Affirms, Approves, Authorizes, Calls, Calls upon, Condemns, Confirms,
Congratulates, Considers, Declares accordingly, Deplores, Designates, Draws the
attention, Emphasizes
Encourages, Endorses, Expresses its appreciation, Expresses its hope, Further
invites, Deplores, Designates, Draws the attention, Emphasizes, Encourages,
Endorses, Expresses its appreciation, Expresses its hope, Further invites, Further
proclaims
Further reminds, Further recommends, Further requests, Further resolves, Has
resolved, Notes, Proclaims, Reaffirms, Recommends, Regrets, Reminds, Requests,
Solemnly affirms, Strongly condemns.
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