S T U D Y
G U I D E
ARAB
LEAGUE
Regional Bodies
M O N U A
2 0 1 7
#thechallengetosucceed
CONTENTS
1. LETTERS
I. SG
II. USG
III. CHAIR
2. INTRODUCTION
3. PROCEDURE
4. INTERCONNECTION
5. TOPICS
I. TOPIC A: Building of democratic systems
- Historical background
- Task - overview
- Helpful links
- QARMAS
II. TOPIC B: Containment measures against
ISIS´ oil extraction and commerce with
foreign states
- Historical background
- Sources of financing
- Role of the Arab League and the International Community
- QARMAS
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
WELCOME LETTERS
Dear delegates,
S E C R E T A R Y- G E N E R A L’ S L E T T E R
Dear delegates,
If today you find yourselves reading this academic guide with the aim of
preparing for this MUN and accomplishing this challenge with us, then
you will have started to be part of this dream, the dream of MONUA 2017.
Beyond the years, MONUA has been one of the most attracting MUN
conferences, due to its reflecting dynamic of international reality with
interconnected committees, where the delegates’ actions have effect over
other committees, and overall the model that we have prepared. In this
version of MONUA 2017, we decided to go one step forward. We already
took the leap for excellence in MONUA 2016 but, in this occasion, you are
going to be challenged beyond anything you’ve imagined. My name is
Sylvia Sus Abrajim, and for the 6th version of Universidad de Los Andes
Model of the Organization of United Nations, I am the Secretary General.
Since I took over, I dreamed with committees and unique experiences,
which would take delegates, (besides than competing with others in this
competition and aim to be the best) to get passionate for their actions in
their committees. That is why I love crisis committees, innovative subjects
and extraordinary experiences. Precisely, in MONUA 2017 we are full of
that. My dream is for you to enjoy it in the best way the conference’s four
days, and that you finish with a smile in your faces for what you lived for in
those days. To accomplish that, we have developed this academic guide,
which will be your roadmap in the committee. Please remember this is the
previous work done by your chair, in coordination with your Under-Secretary General, for you to take as an input for your investigation. We expect
that, as we strived to offer you high quality academic material, you will
prepare in the best way for this experience.
I welcome you to MONUA 2017, wishing you the best. Remember: we will
be always available for anything you need.
Sincerely,
S Y LV I A S U S A B R A J I M
S E C R E T A R Y- G E N E R A L
MONUA 2017
[email protected]
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WELCOME LETTERS
L E T T E R B Y T H E U N D E R - S E C R E T A R Y- G E N E R A L
"A set of individual decisions inclined towards a change, derive in a change much greater than themselves. MONUA 2017, is looking for people who yearn to be part of the
change, people who do not fear to take the leap towards a new tomorrow."
My name is Maria Alejandra Araújo Gutiérrez, I am a third semester student of
Economics and Management at La Universidad de Los Andes. I began my university studies with the ambition of becoming an economist and along the way, I
discovered my passion for finances, microeconomics and consumer studies, which
led me to start a double major program with the aim of deepening and expanding
my knowledge in these areas. In the future I plan to pursue an MBA with an
emphasis on marketing and delve into the study of behavioral economics, in order
to fully understand consumption and the variables within it. In addition to management and economics, music, theater and reading are a key part of my
universe. The Models of United Nations have been an important edge of my life
since the age of 12. Once I had the opportunity to get to know this world, I have
not been able, nor have I wanted to stop participating in events of such magnitude, because I consider them to be a center of personal enrichment and creation
of change.
In this occasion, I will have the honor of participating in MONUA 2017 as
Under-Secretary-General for Regional Committees. The principle that exigency
and responsibility leads to excellence, will be the Subsecretariat’s engine. It is
therefore vital that your preparation is arduous, your disposition broad and your
commitment latent; if this is the case, we can make this Under-Secretariat one of
the most memorable. The European Parliament, the Council of the European
Union, the Arab League and the Permanent Council of the OAS, are the committees that I will be in charge of. Mine and my team´s commitment, is to guarantee
the creation of challenging and innovative spaces. Spaces that allow the optimum
development and discussion of topics, where the skills of a good delegate are
tested, new leaders are forged and people who are the change they wish to see in
the society are born. I will be waiting for you, so that together we can take the leap
towards a new tomorrow.
Last but not least, it is a pleasure for me to welcome you to the Under-Secretariat
for Regional Committees of MONUA 2017!
MARÍA ALEJANDRA ARAÚJO
U N D E R - S E C R E TA R Y G E N E R A L F O R R E G I O N A L B O D I E S
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WELCOME LETTERS
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Welcome to our committee delegates,
We are Jacobo Cortés and Tomás Londoño and we are very happy to
welcome you to MONUA 2017 and to the committee we preside: The
Arab League. We take this opportunity to present ourselves to you
My name is Jacobo Cortés Clavijo, I am currently undergoing my third
year as an undergraduate student of both Political Science and Sociology at Icesi University in Cali. I have participated in several Models of
United Nations since a very young age. I have presided different types
of committees and I am looking forward to share this experience at
MONUA 2017 with all of you.
My name is Tomás Londoño, I am a Gastronomy student, from Universidad de La Sabana currently coursing my fourth semester. I started
participating in Model United Nations in sixth grade, about 7 years
ago, participating in models all around Colombia, such as MONUA,
COLMUN, and MUNUS in Bogotá, COLMUN Cali in Cali and BAMUN
in Barranquilla.
For both of us it is a huge honor to preside a committee in MONUA
2017, and even more to preside a committee with such a vast historical
relevance and current political importance as the Arab League. We
expect nothing less from you and for that reason, we are eager to hear
your ideas, points of view and resolutions concerning the topics that
have been selected. With nothing else to say we welcome you to the
Arab League and to MONUA 2017. Don’t hesitate to contact us in case
of any doubts or comments.
Tomás Londoño Mora
[email protected]
Jacobo Cortés Clavijo
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION
The league of Arab states is the main organization in charge of grouping the Arab
states. The organization was formed by countries with a similar language (Arab)
who were seeking unity between them; it also tries to settle common strategies in
terms of security, cooperation, economy, foreign affairs and culture1
The history of the Arab League dates way back from its foundation in 1945, when
it was formed under the principle of Arab unity or Pan-Arabism. It started since the
Ottoman Empire had control of multiple Arab states, the Arab youth started a
movement encouraging the Arab unity and the separation from the empire, this
movement started to grow at an incredible pace, and it finally blew up right
before the First World War when a conflict erupted between the young Arabs and
the young Turks2.
When the First World War finally came, the movement had already expanded
through the entire Arab world, so much that the Germans advised the ottomans to
allow the separation to avoid any trouble. Nonetheless, the first external power to
take a step in the Arab crisis was the United Kingdom, Sir Henry Mc Mahon, British
commissioner in Egypt promised Sherif Hussain of Mecca cooperation to achieve
independence. The first step he took towards this goal was the delimitation of the
frontiers in the Arab territory2.
After this promise the United Kingdom entered different conflicts regarding the
Arab world. It was mainly because, apart from the treaty they signed with the
Sherif, other treaties were proposed creating a conflict. There was the Sykes-Picot
agreement from 1916 that divided the Arab territories into zones of British and
French influence; there was also the Balfour declaration of 1917 that mainly
proposed that Jews could settle in a territory inside of Palestine2.
This problem was solved by a proposal made by South African general Jan C.
Smuts to the League of Nations in the 1919 Paris peace conference. The proposal
mainly suggested the creation of “mandates” in the Arab territories; these would
be controlled by the international community and would also reaffirm the
independence of the Arab states from the Turkish power. Later in the San Remo
conference of 1920 the mandates were distributed, the UK got the mandate of
Iraq and the Jews home territory in Palestine, and France got the mandate of Syria
and Lebanon2.
1
2
(Palomo, Villaseñor, & Ortiz Ramonet, 2008)
(Khadduri, 1946)
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This settlement was less than satisfactory for the Arab activists, so they rose
against the British government and their failed promises. Later on 1921, Winston
Churchill colonial secretary called upon a conference in Cairo, the conclusion of
this conference was the emancipation of Iraq under the governance of Sherif
Hussain´s son Emir Faisal, leaving Iraq free while the other Arab states stayed
under direct or indirect control by the European powers2.
The settlement created by the British left the Arab activists even more angry and
unsatisfied. They claimed the Europeans used the principle of divide et impera3 to
rule over their people, and that they were entitled to form an union as they were
bound by common interests, aspirations and similar heritage, history and culture.
The main problem with these declarations was that there were real factors that
could preclude the creation of the union, it was mainly that the Arab countries
have religious groups that do not accept unity, and also that these same countries
have huge differences in culture and way of governance in their country2.
The next crucial phase came when the Second World War erupted and the Arab
nationalists divided into two schools of thought. The more radical nationalists
started to support the Axis and their ideals, while the more moderated nationalists
remained with the ideals of the Allies. After the incredible victories from the Axis
in 1940 and 1941, which included the win over Paris, the moderated nationalists
were left in the background while the Axis and their supporters gained huge
influence and even total control in Arab countries. Nevertheless, in May 1941, the
British secretary of state for foreign affairs Anthony Eden, reasserted the support
for an Arab union and made a new promise that included the independence of
Syria and Palestine, this proposal created huge support and gave the moderated
nationalist a reason to come back to the forefront and defend their ideas. This was
not the end of the scheme created by the Europeans, on June 8th 1941, the
French General Georges Catroux declared the independence of Syria and
Lebanon; 2 years later, when the war receded from the Middle East, Mr. Eden
reiterated his promise, and reassured the Arabs that the British would support
their search for unity2.
These series of movements gave the Arab leaders the encouragement they
needed to start planning their unifying movement. After the declarations by Mr.
Eden, the first Arab leader to express was the ruler of Transjordan, Emir Abdullah,
in a speech he called the Arab leaders to seize the opportunity and plan a general
Arab conference. The next leader to pronounce was the Prime minister of Iraq,
Divide and conquer: originally a policy by the Roman Empire, to rule its people by dividing them
into provinces. (Merriam-Webster, S.F)
3
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Nuri al Said, he sent a letter to the British minister of state in Cairo, in this letter he
laid several proposals for the Arab unity including the settlements for the Palestine
problems. Finally, the Egyptian Prime minister Nahas Pasha took the biggest step,
he declared that Egypt would be considering options from the different Arab
governments, and invited them to a conference in Egypt to discuss the creation of
the Arab union2.
After invitations were sent to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and
Transjordan each country sent a delegate and in the case of Iraq General Nuri
came as the delegate, as a veteran in the Arab revolt of World War I he was the
first person to lay solid proposals for the Arab union. These proposals can be
summarized in the following terms: Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Transjordan to
be reunited in 1 state with the liberty to choose the type of government they like;
to form an Arab League, with Syria and Iraq joining at once and the rest of the
Arab states joining when they desire. To have a permanent council inside the Arab
League nominated by the member states and presided by one of the rulers of the
member states; this council is responsible for the matters that concern the Arab
League, such as: defense, foreign affairs, communications, currency, customs and
protection of minority rights. The Jews in Palestine have semi-autonomy and the
right to their own urban and rural district administration. Compose a commission
of 3 theocratic religions to assure the liberty of pilgrimage and worship in the city
of Jerusalem, and finally to give the Maronites4 in Lebanon to have a privileged
regime under international guarantee. After these ideas were laid down, Egypt’s
prime minister continued with negotiations with the other Arab delegates to see
their own opinion on the Arab unity and the ideas presented by Iraq, after the
sounding was complete it was stated that a preparatory committee was to meet in
order to draft the foundations of the Arab Union2.
On September 25th 1944, the preparatory committee got together to discard the
unrealistic ideas and proposals for the Arab Union and to start adapting the
realistic proposals. The main concern after this reunion was the Syrian Unity.
Seeing this concern, the committee reunited again on October 4th of the same
year to deeply discuss the Syrian Unity, this idea created mixed feelings inside the
preparatory committee, the delegates of Iraq and Transjordan undoubtedly
accepted this proposal, while Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia denied the
“The Maronites are an Eastern Rite Catholic Church, profess the same Apostolic Faith, celebrate
the same Mysteries (Sacraments) and are united with the chief Shepherd of the Church, the Pope,
as all Roman Catholics throughout the world. They have their own distinct theology, spirituality,
liturgy and code of canon law.” (The Maronite Monks of Adoration, S.F)
4
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proposal for different reasons. After this committee it was decided that a loose
federation was the best option to create the Union taking into account the
interests of the members2.
A few days later, on October 7th a protocol was finally signed by all the members
of the preparatory committee except for Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The protocol
provided for the establishment of a League of Arab States, composed by the
independent Arab States, this League would be governed by a council, whose
membership would be based on the sovereign equality of the member states. The
main idea of the league was to strengthen the relations between Arab states,
coordinate their political programs, and to do this protecting the independence
and sovereignty of each members of the League. After signing this pact the Arab
representatives spent almost a year creating the charter of the Arab League, which
is the document that sets the foundations of the League itself, containing
objectives, rules and general considerations. It is composed by 20 articles and 3
annexes regarding Palestine, cooperation with countries that are not members of
the League and the appointment of the Secretary General of the League. Finally
the charter was signed and ratified on March 22, 1945 and the Arab league
started existing as we know it2.
The Arab League mainly works through its council, each country has a vote in the
council, this is the main organ of the League, it is responsible for the acceptance
or elimination of the members, the approval of proposals made in any of the other
committees and the general management of the League. The decisions taken in
the council are voted, when the victory is unanimous the decision voted upon will
be binding for every country, and if the decision is called victorious by a majority
of the members, this would be binding only for the members that voted in favor of
the specific idea5.
The most important institutions after the council are the Economic and Social
council of the Arab League, and the Joint Defense council of the Arab League;
these institutions oversee the defense and economic issues of the Arab League
and were conceived by the Joint defense and Economic cooperation treaty of
19505.
Finally, all other subsequent bodies of the Arab League are divided into 5 main
groups: the bodies of the council, the bodies of the general secretariat, the
bodies of the defense and economic cooperation, the Arab Deterrent Force, and
the office abroad in Non-member states of the Arab League5.
5
(Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences of the Arab League, 2013)
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PROCEDURE
For this committee, the procedure will be the one specified in the MONUA
2017 handbook. We will manage regular committee rules. In the case of the
Arab League, we will work as the main council of the League with option to
invoke other bodies of the League.
INTERCONNECTION
For this edition of MONUA, interconnection between the model and its
committees are a fundamental part of the very essence of the model. In the
case of Arab League, we will be connected with multiple committees,
especially with the Presidential Council as it possesses the main axes of the
model. Another committee that could be in direct relation to ours is the
SOCHUM committee, as their first topic is the protection and preservation of
minorities affected by armed conflicts. It aligns with the creation of democratic
systems, as it was explained, the difference in religions and the vast quantity of
minorities in the Arab world, to consider these minorities affected in new
democratic systems could be crucial for a more popular approval.
As the second topic is the control of oil extraction in the middle of a conflict, it
aligns perfectly with the third axis of the Presidential Council, which is
exploitation of resources during armed conflicts and their adjacent issues.
Another committee that could be related to our second topic is PNUMA, as
their first topic is appropriation of natural resources that allow the financing of
insurgent groups, which aligns perfectly with the oil extraction in relation with
ISIS. Taking this in mind, you could use these committees and their power
inside the UN to take a more global approach to address the issues here
presented.
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TOPICS
I.
TOPIC A: Building of democratic systems
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
To understand the topic of democratic systems the first step is to analyze the
series of uprisings called “Arab spring”. These uprisings caused an unbalance in
the Arab world that ended the mandates of multiple Arab leaders, therefore
causing the loss of democratic stability with all its implications.
The Arab spring is defined as a set of protests and uprising movements that took
place in North Africa and the Middle East from 2010 until 2011, these movements
hit countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen6.
They created big changes in many countries, for this matter, we are going to
briefly show the timeline of these movements in Tunisia, and then deepen into the
case of study: Egypt
Tunisia
Tunisia was the first country to sink into the uprising movements in the Arab world,
they started in 2010 and they were sparked by the high unemployment, food
inflation, lack of political freedom, poor living conditions, and mainly, discontent
about president Zine El Abadine Ben Ali, that was in power since 1987. It all
started in December when an unemployed fruit vendor set himself on fire over the
confiscation of his fruit car; this ignited the spark and made the movements grow
rapidly in Tunisia. Days later after the accident, the Tunisian development minister
announced a new 10 million employment program, but instead of calming the
people it gave them more outrage. In the following months disaster took over
Tunisia, multiple strikes erupted in multiple cities, including a lawyer strike. The
main events that changed the course of Tunisia happened after January 13th of
20117.
After multiple strikes, clashes with police, and deaths, the president addressed the
country vowing that he wouldn’t seek reelection, also that multiple banned
6
7
(International Relations organization, 2013)
(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015)
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websites would be available and promising institution reforms for the country;
only a day after the president declared a state of emergency in the country and
fired a large portion of the government. He then promised free elections within six
months to try calm the masses, but because of the lack of response he escaped
the country and block all aircraft activities in the country. The people were still
dissatisfied after the event, as the prime minister took over but left many of Ali’s
supporters in the government. This sparked many more protests until March of the
same year, when a local court in Tunis announced the dissolution of the
president’s former political party7.
It was also declared that the president would be accused of more than 18 charges,
and his family and former ministers would face court for more than 26 charges. In
October 23rd, Tunisians voted for the first time since the revolution, this election
appointed members to a constituent assembly for reforming Tunisians
constitution; in December a new president was appointed8. Finally the situation
started to stabilize and after a constitution reform adapted on 2014, Tunisia had
their first presidential election since the revolution7.
Egypt
Unlike Tunisia’s process, Egypt process didn’t resolve with that ease and that’s
what it makes Egyptian process so long. It all started on January 2011, when
activists in Egypt call for an uprising to protest against unemployment,
government corruption, poverty and the rule of president Hosni Mubarak, who
had the power since three decades ago. The first protest erupted on January 25th,
when Egyptian citizens converted a national holiday into what they called as a
“day of rage”. On this day thousands of people marched in Cairo heading
towards the offices of the ruling national Democratic Party, this protest was
allegedly happening in other cities as well. After a few hours, the clash between
police and protesters began, police fired tear gas into demonstrators that were
inside Tahrir square, the protests continued for hours and the interior ministry
blamed the protest into the opposition party “the Muslim brotherhood”, this
revolution was different as protesters relied on social media to report the events
that were happening. This day of protest concluded with the dead of 3 protesters
and a police officer. This first day of protests produced a revolutionary spark all
over Egypt, as protests erupted in other cities such as Suez and Alexandria. After
just three days of protests the victim count country-wide raised to more than 12
deaths and 1030 injuries. After an unsuccessful warning from the interior minister
8
(Rifai, 2011)
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and a disrupt on cellphone and social network services, president Mubarak
dismissed its government including his ministers and hired the former spy chief of
Egypt as his vice president. This only raised concerns in the international
community as countries like the USA and the UK advised its citizens in Egypt to
restrict entering the country and to leave as soon as they could.
On January 31st, more than 250,000 people marched through Cairo’s Tahrir
square to protest Mubarak’s decision to stay in power despite firing his entire
government. The situation continued to go downhill on the following days, as
worldwide investors started to withdraw capital from Egypt and the international
community started to apply pressure to Mubarak to listen to his people and to
open free elections. Mubarak’s initial response was to announce cuts in prices and
continuation of government subsidies, he also announced his new cabinet. Only a
day after, as the communications were still jammed, Mubarak announced that he
would not run for re-election and promised he would make substantial changes in
the constitution including the permission for an independent candidate to run for
presidency. This announcement caused clashes between citizens supporting
Mubarak and anti-government citizens in Alexandria, meanwhile in Cairo, the
number of protesters rose up to a million.
Starting on February 2nd the conflict took a whole other dimension, as the military
started to surround protestors in Tahrir square with tanks and started to use heavy
gunfire against citizens in their clashes. On February 3rd the leaders of Egypt’s
ruling national party resign and with this announcement citizens gathered around
Tahrir square to chant against Mubarak calling this date as “day of departure”. On
the next few days the Egyptian government tried to return the country to a
peaceful state, this attempt started with the opposing party accepting dialogue
with the government, it continued with the re-opening of banks for 3 and a half
hours, returning traffic officers to the streets, raising the salaries and pensions by
15% and promising constitutional and legislative reforms, this attempt did not
work as schools remained closed and people still wanted to get rid of Mubarak.
The next attempt to calm the people came some days later, as the government
freed political prisoners, banned 3 former ministers for leaving the country, on this
day the minister of cultured resigned and the prime minister created a committee
to denounce illegal practices during the protests.
The decisive moment came on November 11th , as president Mubarak resigned
leaving the power to the military, which took no time to begin its actions by
promising the power to candidates chosen by popular vote, banning former
ministers to leave the country and making Mubarak’s government face charges for
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their action. On June 2012, the first president was elected, Mohamed Morsi, from
the Muslim brotherhood took the power and promised substantial progress to the
country, nonetheless, the hope of Egyptian people turned into fear in November
of the same year, as Morsi issued an order that prevented any court to overturn
his decisions, creating a dictatorship in the country. During the next year protests
started and in no time took a violent turn that left more than 200 death civilians.
On July, Morsi refused to bow to any military power, this was the turning point of
events, as the military emitted an ultimatum which got no response, this action
produced a military coup that finally ended Morsi’s government.
The end of this year represented a period of stabilization, unfortunately, the
problems with Morsi and its government took its toll on a collapse on Egypt’s
economy. As the tourist industry decayed substantially, on the start of 2014 a new
interim president was appointed and a constitutional reform took place in January.
After an overwhelming victory of more than 98% of the votes the constitution was
modified and in June the first election under the new constitution took place, the
new president elected was Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, on his first speech he promised
the repairing of both internal and external issues that affected Egypt.
Just like with Morsi, the first months after the election went calm, but the country
took a turn for the worst, as a proposed sale of 2 red sea islands to Saudi Arabia
and attacks perpetuated by ISIS inside Egypt destabilized the country, creating
more death and riots against the government. The current situation of Egypt is still
concerning, although the politic life has stabilized, the issue is still with the
economy, which hasn’t improved since the revolutions. The current financial crisis
has taken its fare on the Egyptian pound, which is devaluating and will still need
more devaluation to stabilize the country, on the immediate term, this devaluation
is affecting mainly the low and middle classes of Egypt, sinking its majority to a
financial crisis that doesn’t seem to end.
For more information on this conflict, refer to the first 3 sources that are found in
the Helpful Links. After examining these cases, it is clear that countries made fatal
mistakes that took their toll in different parts of society such as economy,
democracy and social stability. These mistakes should be taken into account in the
creation of new democratic systems, this, in order to avoid repeating the same
mistakes and falling short in the case of any future crisis.
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TASKS & OVERVIEW
On this section, we will give you the main considerations and issues that should be
considered for a solution of this topic, this contains the key elements that will be
the focus points of the debate.
Definitions
The first thing to take into account is the main definition of democratic systems.
These are government systems that contain mainly 4 key elements: First, a
political system for choosing and replacing the government through free
elections; second, the active participation of citizens in politics and civic life; third,
a protection of the human rights of all citizens; and fourth, a rule of law, in which
the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens9. This, additional to a ruling
document such as a constitution, “that sets out the essential operating rules for
the organization (or the country, province/state, and municipalities), including
strong protection of fundamental human rights, and a clear separation between
every government institution and any religious entity” 10 , can be an outlined
definition of what is a democratic system. It should be taken into account that the
constitution of every government cannot be changed in an extraordinary process
and that every ruler should abide to the constitution on every decision they make.
This is the first key consideration you should consider in the creation of a general
democratic system.
Actors
The second consideration to follow is the actors apart from the governments that
can inflict positively or negatively in the conflict. Focusing first on the negative
actors, the main enemies of democracy in the Arab world are currently the
insurgent groups that have risen in the last couple of years. The main actor would
be ISIS, a terrorist group that could threaten the sovereignty of multiple Arab
states; this group would be further explained in the second topic. Another
negative issue that has to be taken into account is the religious difference that
exist in the Arab region, as it was written by Ian M. Oxnevad in 2016 “While the
vast majority of Middle Easterners are both Muslim and Arab, the observer who
fails to properly analyze the cultures of the smaller ethnic and religious groups will
miss many political issues that captivate both the ruling factions and their
9
(Stanford University publications, 2004)
(Democracy Watch, 2011)
10
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opponents in the region”. Religious differences could be a negative effect,
because as it was exposed in the quote, the differences in religion between Arab
countries are huge, and if the democratic system created included religion, it
could play a fundamental part in the approval or denial of the proposal.
Regarding the positive new actors that could take part in the creations of the
conflict, there aren’t many, nonetheless these are actors that could serve as
advisors and help in the creation of democratic systems. The first one is the
subsequent bodies of the Arab League that can advise in these kind of situations;
some bodies that could help include, the Committee of Arab Experts on
Cooperation, the human right committee, the legal committee and the economic
council. There are also external independent organizations that are specialized in
democracy, such as the Community of Democracies, which is an international
organization that drives the global democracy agenda through common action. Its
main objective is to strengthen democratic norms and institution around the
globe, there are more than 100 countries active in this organization including Arab
states such as Tunisia and Egypt. This type of organizations can provide advices
and legal frameworks from the international community, it is also a way to include
the international community without the direct influence of the United Nations.
Problems to be addressed
Now moving into the problems that should be addressed for the resolution of this
topic, the main focus of the new democratic systems have to be mainly human
rights and economy. As it was exposed in the definition of the democratic
systems, the main concern in every constitution and system should be human
rights for the people. In the annual report of Human Rights Watch 2015, it was
written that in Egypt almost 2,000 deaths were reported during the uprisings of
the “Arab Spring”. In this sense, human rights should be the primordial focus of a
democratic systems, equal opportunities and a safe country are key for a stable
government.
The economy is the other focus that should be considered in the overview of
democratic systems, as it was reported by the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) “The so-called Arab Spring of 2011 has
cost the region's economies an estimated $614bn of growth because of
governmental changes, continuing conflict and falling oil prices” 11 . It can be
observed that the economy is the most affected area after the protests in the Arab
11
(Al Jazeera News And Agencies, 2016)
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world because countries have found difficulty in stabilizing their economy after
revolutionary movements, so the economy should be a focus for the democratic
systems. As it was exposed before, in the case of Egypt the economic situation
hasn’t stabilized, it is so bad they had to ask for a loan from the international
monetary fund that in total added up to 12 billion dollars. This loan had
repercussions on Egypt’s economic policies, “To meet the fund’s requirements,
the government agreed to painful policy changes that it had long avoided. It
created a value-added tax. It raised the price of gasoline to about 21 cents from
16 cents per liter”12. Egypt also had to receive loans from other regional countries
with a substantial amount of money “The Saudis and, to a lesser extent, other
Persian Gulf countries have given Egypt $30 billion in aid over the past three
years.” 12This could be a very interesting point in the construction of democratic
systems. As the very own principles of the Arab League that were exposed earlier
in this guide, a system of loans and economic deals between Arab League
members could strengthen the relations between countries and savor the
economy of states found in crisis for future occasions.
These points are the main focuses that we are having in the committee regarding
this topic, you should remember these are only guidelines and outline knowledge,
you should study more in detail the problems exposed to get a better
understanding and solutions
HELPFUL LINKS
Aljazeera Network. (2011, February 14). Aljazeera Network. Retrieved from
Timeline: Egypt's revolution:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/01/201112515334871490
.html
Fantz, A. (2016, Abril 21). CNN News centre . Retrieved from Egypt's long, bloody
road from Arab Spring hope to chaos:
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/27/middleeast/egypt-how-we-got-here/
Ghafar, A. A. (2016, Octubre 8). Aljazeera Network. Retrieved from Egypt's
economic policy: See no evil, hear no evil:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/10/egypt-economicpolicy-evil-hear-evil-161005055234424.html
12
(Hadid, 2016)
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STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
Rifai, R. (2011, January 23). Aljazeera Network. Retrieved from Timeline: Tunisia's
uprising:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/tunisia/2011/01/20111414222
3827361.html
QARMAS
-
Should the democratic systems proposed be binding in the constitution of
each country?
-
Should the democratic system proposed be decided and discussed only
inside the committee? Or should they include a possible intervention of
outside states?
-
What substantial reforms have been made in the constitution of your
individual country that could or could not be taken as an example for the
new democratic systems?
-
To what extent should the religious groups and minorities be taken into
account in the creation of an Arab democratic system?
TOPIC B: Containment measures against ISIS´ oil extraction and
II.
commerce with foreign states
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The threat posed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS),
also known by the Arabic language acronym Daesh, has become a global threat
which demands immediate and joint efforts to tackle down. Although, it could be
argued that ISIS was founded during the early 1990s and it was through its
participation in the Syrian Civil War in 2011, which allow them to gain massive
notoriety and escalade in the international community agenda. It is also worth
recalling that Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, founder of such organization, was aided13 by
bin Laden reportedly provided Zarqawi with money to set up a training camp in Herat,
where he would later train between 2,000 and 3,000 Salafi terrorists by October 2001.
Zarqawi and his men moved through Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Kurdish areas of Iraq after the
2001 American strikes in Afghanistan (Kidar, 2014)
13
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Osama Bin Laden –former leader of Al Qaeda-, at some point despite these two
ideological differences 14 . However, after ISIS officially began operating and
growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, it was since disavowed by the
latter, and went on to become one of the main jihadist groups fighting
government forces in Syria and Iraq.
Truth is, Al Zarqawi would spend time between Syria, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon
trying to recruit new followers to create a network as robust and efficient as Al
Qaeda. However,
After fighting along with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan
after the American invasion in 2001, led the American government to think
Al Zarqawi´s group, named Jama’ at al- Tawhid wa’ al- jihad, was an Al
Qaeda affiliated terrorist organization […]. Moreover, in October 2004,
Zarqawi came to an agreement with bin Laden and formally joined Al
Qaeda, renaming his organization Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad alRafidayn Zarqawi, known as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) (Standford University,
2016).
The AQI would pursued the establishment of an Islamic state which would be
governed under the Sharia Law, based on the Prophet’s word and ruled by the
Islamic law without any other external influence. This so-called state would be
supported by the principles of Islamic fundamentalism, inspired by Sunni
Wahhabism; since those characteristics are considered the only functional for a
well- governed Islamic state to be based on (Standford University, 2016). This
coalition continued throughout the years despite the increasing ideological and
programmatic differences.
In June 2006 a US air strike backed by Iraqi intelligence, killed Al Zarqawi and
other combatants; nevertheless, shortly before his death Zarqawi had already
implemented a series of structural reforms that would eventually lead to the
official formation of ISIS. On the other hand, Abu Ayub al-Masri was announced to
The key ideological difference between the two was that Zarqawi preferred to target his
“near enemies,” such as Israel and the Jordanian government, whereas Al Qada leadership
often focused on the “far enemy,” the United States. Zarqawi also had a strong hatred for
Shiites that bin Laden did not agree with. Nonetheless, bin Laden allegedly asked Zarqawi to
join Al Qaeda. Zarqawi refused, but bin Laden instead reportedly provided him with money to
set up a training camp in Herat, where Zarqawi would train between 2,000 and 3,000 Salafi
terrorists by October 2001. Zarqawi and his men moved through Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and
Kurdish areas of Iraq after the 2001 American strikes in Afghanistan (Felter & Brismann, 2014).
14
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be Zarqawi successor. Al-Masri initially managed to maintain much of the group’s
momentum; likewise, he later anointed Abu Umar al-Baghdadi as the front leader
of AQI in Iraq. Masri also convinced several other groups to merge into his when
he declared the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI, although the group
also continued to be known as AQI) (Standford University, 2016).
By June 2010, AQI began what some commentators called “a serious downfall”,
especially since it had lost stable communication with Al Qaeda´s former leaders
at the time, and 36 of AQI’s 42 head figures had been killed or captured, plus
both Masri and Baghdadi had been killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid on April 18,
2010 (Lewis, 2014). However, the group’s cooperation with Al Qaeda´s central
core broke down, while its operations expanded into Syria, after Abu Bakr alBaghdadi stood as the new leader. Under his command, AQI had its name
changed to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and began to emphasize the goal
of the establishment of a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim state in Iraq and Greater
Syria.
These changes opened a new era for the belligerent group. In March 2011, ISIS
participated directly in the protests against the Syrian government of Bashar AlAssad, and thus, began its operation to expand its presence in order to gain more
power in the region. After finding some success, it focused on continuing
capturing territory and enforcing its interpretation of Shariah in the areas it
controls, and ultimately proclaimed the establishment of a worldwide caliphate
(Standford University, 2016).
Once in motion, the operation in Syria and Iraq led to a massive control of lands
vastly populated and rich in oil. Given the rapid development of the organization
and more foreign militants joining its forces, ISIS took full advantage of the
territory under its command. In this regard, Baghdadi saw its main funding sources
to be: oil trade, kidnapping and ransom, collection of protection and taxes, bank
robberies and looting. Other sources include donors who abuse Non Profit
Organizations and cash smuggling, as well as other emerging techniques that are
yet to be addressed by the correspondent authorities. In other words, ISIS, truly
represents a new form of terrorist organization where its funding mechanisms are
key for its activities, but better yet, it characterizes its nature; thus its
infrastructure´s strengths and vulnerabilities.
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STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
SOURCES OF FINANCING
It is unclear how vast are ISIS´s financial management and expenditures, even
though some sources have claimed it counts for 2 billion dollars in annual
turnovers (House of Commons Foreign Affair Committee, 2016). On this regard,
analysts have pointed out the importance of oil extraction and sale 15 for the
organization. For that matter, it has become of paramount concern not only for
the international community, but also for the Arab´s League to address this issue
immediately. Despite the constant efforts of other countries to struck ISIS
infrastructure, the illegal commerce of oil continues to be an unsolved problem.
The black market that resides within the porous borders of territory under ISIS´s
controlled, makes it more challenging for authorities to keep track of both the
product itself and the flow of cash.
Source: Swanson A. How the Islamic State makes its money (2015). The
Washington Post
Even though there is disagreement over how much revenue ISIS generates from oil production,
some sources suggest that ISIS made no more than $200 million in a year from oil. On the other
hand, the IHS (a consultant agency) argues that out of the $80 million of monthly revenue, 43%
came from oil production, contrary to only 37% that indicates some media outlets (House of
Commons Foreign Affair Committee, 2016).
15
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STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
Even though experts agree that ISIS’s oil market is largely internal, meaning that
the commodity is predominantly sold in the territory under the group’s occupation
through a convoluted supply chain16, delegates must concentrate in finding out
the truth of such allegations, and figure out how to bluntly address this issue.
Concerning this item, it is also worth noting that international funds movements
are frequently accomplished by the physical transport of funds by individuals for
unlawful purposes, which is a way that allows these despicable actions to
continue. This method bypasses the use of wire transfers controls which make
them ineffective for detecting the financing of terrorism via cash couriers.
Mitigating the risks of physical cash movements requires efforts at national
borders, especially since smugglers are taking advantage of this practice.
ROLE OF THE ARAB LEAGUE AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
In order for the global community to disrupt the extremists’ vision and prevent
their further expansion, plenty of counter- terrorism measures must be taken into
consideration. For one side, the US led coalition has indeed targeted at some oil
refineries under the control of ISIS, same way as the government of Russia has
done in recent month; on the contrary, the Arab League has yet to conduct more
severe counter measures to bring down ISIS´s infrastructure.
On a different front, while recalling General Assembly resolution 51/210 of 17
December 1996, paragraph 3, subparagraph (f), in which the Assembly called
upon all States to take steps to prevent and counteract against terrorist
organizations such as ISIS; the Arab League commands a great challenge to its
Member States which revolves around developing a jointly State capacity system
to tackle down ISIS. For that reason, delegates are expected to take in
consideration the following assignments to design, develop, and adopt a
regulatory and supervisory framework for informal funds transfer systems that
would allow defeat such terrorist organizations:
1. Trade diversion as a fund raising and money laundering technique of
terrorist organizations;
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2016) referred to an open source a report that suggests
that up to 95% of ISIS’s oil trade is internal.
16
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STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
2. Increase states coercive capacity to deal with the challenges of global
terrorism by strengthening intelligence gathering, law enforcement, and
imposing new financial controls to counter the financing of terrorism;
3. Deter States, Non-Governmental Organizations and individuals from
supporting terrorists groups.
QARMAS
-
-
4.
Should the Arab League relay onto the US-Led Coalition? Or on the
contrary, should the Arab League´s Member States set an aggressive
military campaign to fight ISIS and destroy their infrastructure?
How could the Arab League weaken ISIS´s oil market?
How could the Arab League comply with the international community to
deter foreign states from buying ISIS oil?
GLOSSARY
-
ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an insurgent group that operates
in the Arab world that erupted from Iraq
-
AQI: Al Qaeda in Iraq, insurgent group born in Iraq affiliated with Al Qaeda
in Afghanistan
-
Arab Spring: A series of uprising movements in the Arab world that
consisted in a series of protest against totalitarian governments,
perpetuated by its citizens.
-
Democratic Systems: A system of governance of countries composed of 4
main keys, including human rights, a ruling document of their government,
and equal opportunities for people to participate in political and civic
activities.
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STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
-
Khadduri, M. (1946). The Arab League as a Regional Arrangement. The
American Journal of International Law, 756-777.
-
Merriam-Webster. (S.F). Merriam-Webster Portal. Retrieved from divide et
impera:
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/divide%20et%20impera
-
Palomo, A., Villaseñor, A., & Ortiz Ramonet, A. (2008). “LIGA DE LOS
ESTADOS ARABES” TEORIA Y EVOLUCION DE LAS ORGANIZACIONES
INTERNACIONALES. Colima: Universidad de Colima.
-
Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences of the Arab League.
(2013). Arab League 24th Summit. Retrieved from Arab League:
http://arableaguesummit2013.qatarconferences.org/arab-league.html
-
The Maronite Monks of Adoration. (S.F). The Maronite Monks of Adoration
community page. Retrieved from The Story of the Maronite Catholics:
http://maronitemonks.org/wp/story-maronite-catholics/
TOPIC A
-
Al Jazeera News And Agencies. (2016, November 11). Retrieved from
ESCWA: 'Arab Spring' cost Middle East economies $614bn:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/escwa-arab-spring-cost-middleeast-economies-600bn-161111034453699.html
-
Democracy Watch. (2011). Retrieved from Definition of a Democratic
Society.
-
Hadid, D. (2016, November 11). Retrieved from Painful Steps Help Egypt
Secure
$12
Billion
I.M.F.
Loan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/world/middleeast/egypt-gets-finalimf-approval-for-12-billion-loan.html?_r=0
25
STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
-
International Relations organization. (2013). International Relations.
Retrieved from The Arab Spring: http://internationalrelations.org/the-arabspring/
-
Fantz, A. (2016, Abril 21). CNN News centre . Retrieved from Egypt's long,
bloody
road
from
Arab
Spring
hope
to
chaos:
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/27/middleeast/egypt-how-we-got-here/
-
Ghafar, A. A. (2016, Octubre 8). Aljazeera Network. Retrieved from Egypt's
economic
policy:
See
no
evil,
hear
no
evil:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/10/egypt-economicpolicy-evil-hear-evil-161005055234424.html
-
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2015, March).
OECD Portal. Retrieved from TUNISIA: A Reform Agenda to Support
Competitiveness
and
Inclusive
Growth:
https://www.oecd.org/countries/tunisia/Tunisia-a-reform-agenda-tosupport-competitiveness-and-inclusive-growth.pdf
-
Rifai, R. (2011, January 23). Aljazeera Network. Retrieved from Timeline:
Tunisia's
uprising:http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/tunisia/2011/01/20111
4142223827361.html
Stanford University publications. (2004, January 21). Retrieved from What is
Democracy?:
https://web.stanford.edu/~ldiamond/iraq/WhaIsDemocracy012004.htm
TOPIC B
-
House of Commons Foreign Affair Committee. The UK´s role in the war
against
ISIS.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmfaff/121/
121.pdf
-
Financial Task Force, 2015. Financing of the terrorist organisation Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), FATF, http://www.fatfgafi.org/media/fatf/documents/reports/Financing-of-the-terroristorganisation-ISIL.pdf
26
STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
-
Felter, Joseph, and Brian Fishman. Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq: A
First Look at the Sinjar Records. Rep. Harmony Project at the Combatting
Terrorism Center at West Point, 19 Dec. 2007. Web. Page 4. 9 Dec. 2014.
http://ctc.usma.edu/harmony/pdf/CTCForeignFighter.19.Dec07.pdf
-
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2016 Written evidence from the
Foreign
and
Commonwealth
Office
(SIF0005)
http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidenc
edocument/foreign-affairs-subcommittee/isil-financing/written/32415.html
-
General Assembly resolution 51/210 of 17
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/51/a51r210.htm
-
Kirdar, MJ. AQAM Futures Project Case Studies Series: Al Qaede in Iraq.
Publication. Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2011. Web.
24
Nov.
2014.
http://csis.org/files/publication/110614_Kirdar_AlQaedaIraq_Web.pdf.
-
Lewis, Jessica D. “Middle East Security Report 14: Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Resurgent: The Breaking the Walls Campaign, Part I.” Institute for the Study
of
War.
September
2013,
retrieved
July
7,
2014
from
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/AQI-Resurgent10Sept_0.pdf
-
Standford
University,
2016.
Mapping
Militant
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgibin/groups/view/1#note58
-
Swanson A. (2015) How the Islamic State makes its money. The Washington
Post
from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/18/how-isismakes-its-money/
27
STUDY GUIDE | AL | MONUA 2017
December
1996.
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