Cornell Model United Nations Conference 2021
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2018 CORNELL MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE 2021 Copyright © 2021 by the Cornell Model United Nations Conference All rights reserved. This document or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Cornell Model United Nations Conference (CMUNC) except when used for educational purposes. Commercial reproduction or reference to this document requires the express written consent of the current Secretary-General of CMUNC. Further terms of use for commercial purposes will be determined on a case-by-case basis. For more information on CMUNC, use the Contact Us page located at: cmunc.net 2 CMUNC 2021 Secretariat Secretary-General Malvika Narayan Director-General Bryan Weintraub Chief of Staff James “Hamz” Piccirilli Director of Events Alexandra Tsalikis Director of Outreach Akosa Nwadiogbu Director of Communications Annie Rogers Director of Finance Daniel Bernstein Director of Operations Andrew Landesman Under-Secretary Generals Robyn Bardmesser Avery Bower John Clancy Mariana Goldlust 3 From Your Chair Dear Delegates, Welcome to the Post-Snap Marvel Committee! I’m glad you all chose this committee – we should definitely get to hear some great debate in this twist on one of the biggest media franchises of our time. I can’t wait to see all of the clever ideas you bring to the table to meet the challenges at hand! I hope to hear some fresh and interesting ideas! If you have any questions about the committee, the conference, or Cornell, you’re more than welcome to reach out to me at [email protected]. My name is Alex Weiss – I’m a freshman at Cornell studying Information Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I was heavily involved with Model UN in high school, and I’m looking forward to my first experience on the other side of the dais! I’m going to do my absolute best to ensure that you all have an enjoyable experience during the conference. I hope you’re all excited for a fun weekend filled with lively debate! Alex Weiss 2018 Chair CMUNC 2021 4 Introduction to the Committee After the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in shambles. Half of all life has been extinguished by Thanos; those of us left behind must figure out how to pick up the pieces.1 Two weeks after the Snap, the UNSC met to plan a unified global response to Thanos’ invasion. However, they could not agree on how to proceed. Therefore, under UNGA Resolution 377, the eleventh Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly has been convened. We have three topics with which we have been charged: first, we must formulate a plan to keep Earth safe from future attacks – this includes deciding whether or not to try and hunt down Thanos, determining how we can bolster our defenses, and any other action necessary to protect Earth. Second, we must lay out guidelines for nations to repair their infrastructure and return to “normal life” as quickly and safely as possible. Finally, we must determine how the Sokovia Accords played into Thanos’ victory and revise them accordingly. This committee will operate under the standard parliamentary procedure; our ultimate goal is to create resolutions to address each of the three overarching topics. However, we do expect that the remaining Enhanced Individuals will have strong opinions about our actions – they may act accordingly, so we will communicate any statements from them or relay any news of their actions. 5 Additionally, if the committee wishes to bring in certain individuals for a Q&A, it may pass a directive to invite them (though they are under no obligation to come). Finally, this committee will only be dealing with events before the end of Infinity War – events that take place in Endgame are not considered canon. We will not operate under the assumption that everybody in the committee is a Marvel expert and do our best to make the committee a positive experience for everybody regardless of prior exposure to Marvel. That said, we highly recommend that you watch the Marvel movies before Infinity War to ensure that you are as well-prepared as possible for committee. 6 Topic A: Earth Safety Though there is no longer an immediate threat to our people, we cannot drop our guard. Thanos and many other supervillains are still out there. How should we focus our resources to best ensure planetary safety – hunting down Thanos or bolstering our defenses? There’s no guarantee that the Mad Titan will return, but of course, there’s no guarantee that he won’t. And even if Thanos doesn’t come back, who knows what kind of threats are out there, just waiting to strike? Options to consider could include bolstering weaponry, creating alliances between defense organizations, creating new defense organizations. Additionally, Enhanced Individuals can definitely be a part of the conversation regarding defense (although this will likely also be addressed during debate of the Sokovia Accords). Be sure to consider how any new technology will be developed – perhaps there are weapons manufacturers out there who might be convinced to work with us? Finally, you should ensure that the new defense program is structured in such a way as to promote unity among nations, not divide them. This defense program should exist to protect the world, which means it shouldn’t be possible for one nation to leverage against another. 7 Topic B: Sokovia Accords The Sokovia Accords indisputably factored into Thanos’ ability to obtain all six Infinity Stones. The ensuing division between the Avengers that believed in the Accords and those that opposed them allowed Thanos to have a much easier time defeating Earth. Additionally, as Rhodes pointed out to Thaddeus Ross, if it weren’t for the Accords, Vision would have been at the Avengers’ HQ when the Black Order tried to get the Mind Stone, instead of in Scotland2. That said, the Accords certainly have their place – after all, the Avengers caused destruction in Nigeria, Sokovia, and New York (just to name a few examples) with limited accountability3. Therefore, we must revise the Sokovia Accords in order to strike a balance between holding Enhanced Individuals accountable for their actions and allowing them to protect us from interstellar threats. We must remember that as the General Assembly we cannot compel Enhanced Individuals to work with us, so we will format the rewritten Sokovia Accords as a series of recommendations for federal governments. Even these governments may struggle to impose their will on Enhanced Individuals – as Maria Hill once put it to Nick Fury, “I don't see Thor signing on a dotted line if he ever shows up again” 4. How can we write the new Accords to ensure that Enhanced Individuals will agree to work with us, rather than causing another Civil War? 8 Topic C: Infrastructure Repair Half of all life on Earth is gone. One-quarter of all children have been turned into orphans. Half of all politicians, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and teachers disappeared. The world has fallen apart, and we must begin to figure out how to put it back together. How should we get resources to those who need them? Would money be better off if it were allocated to hospitals or schools? How do countries without a chain of succession move forward? Half of all police forces and militaries worldwide are gone – who will enforce the rule of law? These are just the beginnings of the questions we will need to answer. We do have plenty of resources – after all, the point of the Snap was to reduce the number of mouths to feed. But we have no infrastructure through which to use them. We must determine how we can effectively rebuild society from the ground up. 9 Key Positions NOTE: INSTEAD OF COUNTRIES’ POSITIONS, IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS’ POSITIONS ARE LISTED BELOW. IF YOUR COUNTRY IS EVER SHOWN IN THE MCU (E.G. WAKANDA, THE UNITED STATES, SOKOVIA, ETC.), YOU SHOULD INFER THEIR POSITION. OTHERWISE, YOU CAN CRAFT YOUR OWN STANCE. YOU CAN USE THESE POSITIONS AS FODDER FOR IDEAS. Pro-Accords Individuals: Tony Stark – Tony led the faction of Avengers that supported the Sokovia Accords, acutely regretting his role in the Ultron Offensive.5 King T’Chaka – T’Chaka lobbied for the Sokovia Accords, arguing that unregulated enhanced individuals are a threat to global peace.6 Anti-Accords Individuals: Steve Rogers: Captain America led the faction of Avengers that opposed the Sokovia Accords, concerned that they would be “surrendering the right to choose” what they did.7 James Rhodes: While Rhodes had originally expressed support for the Accords, during the Infinity War he came to believe that the Accords had severely weakened the Ave 10 Questions Resolutions Must Address 1. Should we try and hunt down Thanos? If so, should he be summarily executed or put on trial? 2. How can we bolster our weaponry and military organizations to ensure we are never caught defenseless again by interstellar threats? 3. Were the Sokovia Accords to blame for Thanos’ ability to gather all six Stones? 4. How can we properly repair national infrastructure that is currently in shambles? Make sure to consider both physical and governmental infrastructure. 5. How can we help individuals hurt by the Snap? Specific groups – orphaned children, the diseased, etc. – should be addressed. 11 Works Cited Avengers: Age of Ultron. Film. United States: Marvel Studios, 2015. Avengers: Infinity War. Film. United States: Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture, 2018. Avengers: Endgame. Film. United States: Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture, 2019. Captain America: Civil War. United States: Marvel Studios, 2016 12 .