The Question of Autonomous Weapons Systems
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MEDIMUN XIII Annual Session 2018 RESEARCH REPORT - [General Assembly 1] Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 Contents Topic 1: The question of contemporary international espionage 3 Topic 2: The Weaponization of National Resources ............. 7 Topic 3: The question of autonomous weapons systems ......... 10 Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 Topic 1: The question of contemporary international espionage Introduction • Contrary to common belief, espionage did not stop after the Cold War and is nothing like we see in Hollywood movies. In fact, this Lernaean Hydra of modern espionage has expanded, and its multiplying heads have taken many new forms. • The two tenacious “T”s have turned the world of espionage upside down in modern times: Technology and Terrorism. • Espionage is no longer limited to gathering information, but also involves transmission of false/biased information for political gain, sabotage of weapons and military plans and damaging of a country’s main pipelines (e.g. power, transport and communication) • In the 21st Century, espionage and cyber warfare have merged into one single, powerful weapon Definition of Key Terms • Espionage: Gathering of information using spies • Cyber-espionage: the use of computer networks to gain illicit access to confidential information, typically that held by a government or other organization. • SIGINT: Signals Intelligence • HUMINT: Covert intelligence-gathering by agents. • STUXNET: A malicious computer worm that was used for espionage • Operation Olympic games: One of the first uses of offensive cyber weapons. A covert and still unacknowledged campaign of sabotage by means of cyber disruption, directed at Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States and likely Israel. • Leak: Secret information becoming exposed to the public Research Report | Page 3 of 15 Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 • Al Jazeera: State-funded broadcaster in Qatar • Malware: software which is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain access to a computer system. • Spy Cables: A series of leaked documents from global intelligence agencies that were published by Al Jazeera and The Guardian in 2015. General Overview International Espionage is the process of obtaining military, political, commercial, or other secret information by means of spies, secret agents, or illegal monitoring devices. Collecting electronic information is becoming easier as people are led into digital lives. Any activity using computers and networks creates “openings” for watchers. Tracking people’s moves has become increasingly easier, using mobile phone tracking devices, credit card and banking activities, and surveillance cameras. This peculiar, virtual reality weapon system is complex and sophisticatedly crafted; however no inspection regimes are being used through the web. The paradox about this Cyber-espionage, is that just as it has become easier to obtain information about others, it has become harder to maintain secrecy, too. This affects State Security and results in leaks of information. In addition, technology makes the jobs of spymasters more difficult, as they can be more easily identified through modern Biometric Identification. More recent revelations revealed that International Agencies were not only infiltrating each other’s intelligence, but were also spying on ordinary citizens. This violation of personal privacy caused great alarm among civilians. Furthermore, intelligence sources can be abused in order to advantage political factions (many argue this was the case with Donald Trump’s election). When espionage takes the form of transmitting information, Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 modern-day propaganda is used through media adverts and misinforming articles. With the modern excuse of monitoring terrorist activity, countries have set up surveillance satellites. One such example is ‘Condor’, a South African and Russian secret satellite surveillance project which monitors all of Africa for Al-Qaeda activity. Major Parties Involved • USA: CIA, NSA, US Cyber Command • Russia: FSB • China: MSS • Britain: MI5, MI6 • Israel: Mossad • USA, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand (‘Five Eyes’): Stoneghost Agency • Britain and USA: DISHFIRE, OPTICNERVE (programmes for monitoring phones and computers) • South Africa • Iran • North Korea: RGB Possible Solutions • A most uncomfortable fact about espionage is that it is inherently Lawless: Laws must be passed • Drawing up of treaties • Diplomatic negotiations • Imposing sanctions • Inspection regimes to be set up against cyber activity • Taking a step backwards in technology for protection of classified National Security Data Research Report | Page 5 of 15 Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 Sources http://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/20161112 _espionage.pdf https://www.economist.com/news/special- report/21709778-intelligence-services-both-sides- atlantic-have-struggled-come-terms http://www.newsweek.com/spies-among-us-modern-day- espionage-74521 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17560253 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay6GPlkvckY Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 Topic 2: The Weaponization of National Resources Introduction • In this topic, you shall be looking into the different ways countries exploit their nation’s resources, against other countries or against their own people. The common thinking on this topic would be the direct use of natural resources for production of Weapons, for example use of uranium and plutonium for developing nuclear weapons, or the use of minerals and other natural resources critical to military functioning. • However there are also indirect means of using natural resources as weapons. An evil twist to the topic is the halting of the supply/production of vital resources, such as water and oil. • National Resources can also lead to conflicts because of illegal mining. Definition of Key Terms Weaponisation: The adaptation of something for usage as a weapon Natural resources: naturally occuring materials or subtances eg. A source of wealth, lsnd or water General Overview • Russia is the world’s 2nd largest supplier of oil and has tremendous power over the market. The dangerous dependence on oil makes the rest of the world vulnerable, affecting not only governments, but also common people. • ISIS used cutting off water supplies as a weapon in Iraq. Similarly, cutting off water was also used as a weapon in Syria, where pumps were destroyed and water sources were contaminated. • Another indirect means of using national resources as a weapon is by utilizing them as tools of violence and unrest in developing countries, hence allowing the more developed countries to take control Research Report | Page 7 of 15 Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 of these vulnerable regions. For example in the Democratic Republic of Congo, minerals are illegally extracted, resulting in resource wars in the country and instability. This allows other countries to take advantage of this situation. Major Parties Involved The terror group "Islamic State" has taken control of six of the eight major dams in Syria and Iraq. It is systemically exercising control by using water. In the 1990s, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had the marshes in southern Iraq drained to punish the population for an uprising against him. Sierra Leone, Congo, Liberia, and Angola have all experienced horrific civil wars in recent decades, and a major factor in those wars has been over diamonds. In October 2003, when Civil War broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo again, a UN panel of experts released a report accusing Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe of systematically exploiting Congolese resources and recommended the Security Council impose sanctions Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue The European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) entered into a partnership in 2008 for building capacities for land, natural resources and conflict prevention. The United Nations Interagency Framework Team for Preventive Action (FT) manages the joint global UN-EU project to support countries to improve natural resource management for conflict prevention and peace building. In a September 2005 resolution on conflict prevention, the Security Council acknowledged for the first time the link between natural resources and armed conflict, vowing to take action against illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources, particularly in Africa. Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 Resolution 1963 made a call on the governments of DRC, as well as of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi to promote lawful and transparent use of natural resources among themselves and in the region. Possible Solutions • Countries to take advantage of their own resources and finding alternative means of power, to become less dependent on limited resources. For example, South Africa produced petrol from Sunflowers. • Transition of heavy-duty machines and from diesel to other gases. • Recycling and energy planning • Reduce our dependence on dangerous oils, thus lowering demand and decreasing the value of oil. • UN to finance projects supporting countries to improve national resource management for conflict prevention and peace maintenance. Sources https://newint.org/blog/2013/08/15/students- congolese-diaspora-fight-against-conflict-minerals/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tboonepickens/2014/03/10 /oil-and-natural-gas-as-weapon-of-war/#192a7eb1845b http://www.dw.com/en/islamic-state-using-water-as-a- weapon/a-19093081