iMUNC 2021 Background Guide iMicro Chair: Ada Cowan Crisis Directors: Isabel Wilder and Caroline Mulcahy Letters from the Dias Hey everyone, I’m Ada (that’s odd-uh or ah-dah) and I’m the chair and one of the writers of this committee. I absolutely loved writing and researching this background guide, so I hope it’s helpful and an interesting read. Don’t be afraid to get creative with this committee and use the weirder aspects of your delegate roles to guide you! As with all iMUNC committees, this one will be a crisis so make sure you’re reaching out to our crisis team and utilizing your portfolio powers (I use the term lightly in this case). I’m super excited to meet all of you, and here’s to having a productive and exciting committee! Also, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Ada Cowan, she/her [email protected] Hi all, Welcome, delegates, and thank you all so much for joining iMicro! My name is Isabel and I’m so excited to be one of your crisis directors on this committee. I can’t wait to see all the amazing debate people bring to the table and I’m looking forward to helping all of you develop an awesome crisis arc. Everyone involved wants this committee to be as low stress and as fun as possible, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for any questions about crises or anything else you might need. Happy researching and see you all soon! Isabel Wilder, she/her [email protected] Hello everyone, I’m Caroline, I am very excited to be assisting the Chair and Crisis directors for iMicro! I can’t wait to meet all of you over Zoom and witness what I am sure will be an entertaining debate. The goal of iMUNC as a whole is to be fun and enjoyable. I hope that you all have fun researching for and participating in this unique debate. If there is anything we can do to help please let us know. Caroline Mulcahy, she/her [email protected] Zoom Procedure Please make sure to update your Zoom to the most recent version prior to this committee!! We will be using the features of this version of Zoom to our advantage, and it’s necessary that all delegates have access to the yes/no, raise hand, and self placement into breakout rooms function. Additionally, we ask that all delegates have their cameras on for the extent of this committee. We recognize that a digital format is difficult, and in order to maximize engagement we’d like to be able to see everybody. If you have any issues with either of these requests, please reach out using one of the above emails. Accepted Documents Crisis Note This is a direct action taken by you as a delegate. They should be written as notes to the chair and must have three core pieces: what you want to do, how you are going to achieve it or what means you will use, and why you are trying to do it. This will help your chairs effectively build crisis narratives for you and will make more of what you want to happen come true. Notes can be written directly to the chair, or in character as the person/delegation you are representing. Directive This is an action taken by the whole committee, either collective action by each delegate or using a power vested in the whole committee. They have sponsors (who wrote it), signatories (who wants to see it voted on—not necessarily supporting it), and operative clauses that specify what actions are being taken.Directives must be voted on, passed, and then will be implemented by the crisis team. Communiqué A communiqué is a communication sent by the whole committee to another person or group. They are a way of representing the interests of everyone to other groups you may be trying to work with or are bargaining with. Press Release A press release is an announcement from the committee to the public at large. Itʼs a useful way to generate public sentiment, and some delegates may demand it in the name of transparency. Committee Overview This committee is a gathering of micronational leaders from around the world to discuss the concerns and ideas specific to the global micronational community. As states that are unrecognized by world governments and international organizations, it is up to micronational governments to convene separately from such bodies as the United Nations. For decades, the existence and conference of micronations has been of no particular issue to most governments and organizations. Often claiming private property, theoretical spaces, or terra nullius, there has ultimately been not much friction between the two groups. However, in April 2021, the Republic of San Marino issued a declaration of war on the Free Republic of Liberland, a micronation situated on the West Bank of the Danube between Croatia and Serbia. Note: This committee takes place in a world without the Covid-19 pandemic. This event has not happened / will not happen during the course of this committee. Historical Information Croatian-Serbian Border Dispute This conflict is over a border in the Danube valley: the second largest river in Europe. Serbia believes that the line of lowest elevation of the Danube valley and the centerline of the river is the international border between the two countries, while Croatia claims that the border is along the boundaries of the cadastral municipalities seen along the river. In early 2000, Croatia and Serbia set up a commission tasked with determining the border, but in its first ten years it convened only once or twice. In February 2018, the two presidents then said that Croatia and Serbia would attempt to reach an agreement bilaterally, or otherwise seek help from an international tribunal. Though progress has been made on the land disputes, not a lot has been made on the Danube front. San Marinese History Consisting of only 24 square miles, San Marino is the third smallest nation in Europe– larger only than the Vatican City and Monaco– and is completely surrounded by Italy. The microstate has a population of approximately 34,000, and a GDP of 1.66 billion USD as of 2018, over 50% of which comes from tourism. According to tradition, San Marino was founded in September of the year 301, and therefore claims to be the oldest constitutional republic in the world. With a constitution dating back to 1600, it has the oldest one that is still in effect. The microstate was founded when Marinus the Dalmation, a Christian stonemason, fled religious persecution under Diocletian, settling on the peak of Mount Titano and founding a small Christian community. Marinus was later canonized, and San Marino is named after him. This is Italy’s only surviving city-state. Because of their claim to being the world’s oldest republic, their citizens and government my feel that the sovereignty of nations is– to a certain extent– sacred. 1933 Montevideo Convention Officially the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, this treaty was signed in Montevideo, Uruguay on the 26th of December, 1933 and came into effect the following year. At the convention, the declarative theory of statehood was codified as part of international law. This theory defines a state as a person in international law provided that it meets the following criteria: a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to have relations with other nations. As long as a state’s sovereignty was not acquired by military force, the theory asserts that the statehood of any entity is not contingent on it’s recognition by other states. The Montevideo Convention and the declarative theory of statehood are often used by micronationalists to claim sovereignty. Though this has never officially worked, we can use the example set by Sealand to see that there is at least some legal potential for this approach. Aside from legal struggles like this, there has been little evidence of military conflicts between a micronation and a recognized sovereign nation, or macronation (though there have been plenty of instances of conflict between micronations). Military Information Micronational Military Forces While some micronations present at this conference do have active armed forces of some kind, Liberland does not. Some micronations are also explicitly pacifistic, including (as one might imagine) the Global Country of World Peace. In a brief rundown of some of the other micronations represented, the Aerican Empire claims to have trained troops, though they are largely ceremonial and of questionable effectiveness. The Space Kingdom of Asgardia advocates strongly for maintaining outer space as a demilitarized zone. All citizens of Elgaland-Vargaland are members of its defense corps. The Kingdom of Elleore claims to have Land, Air, and Naval forces in which all their citizens are enlisted, though the island is only inhabited for only one week annually. Citizens of Ladonia reserve the right to throw pebbles as a defensive measure. The Republic of Molossia has a naval force consisting of five vessels, though their territory is situated in the desert of Nevada. The Kingdom of Talossa also has a navy, which is divided into three corps. Union Against Micronational War (UAMW) Founded on the 10th of July, 2009, the Union Against Micronational War promotes neutrality in all micronational conflicts. The organization has no centralized leadership, but has 100 members. The only requirement for membership is to pledge never to declare war against another micronation, and micronations are free to add their nation to the membership list once they do so.