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
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• 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
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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
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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
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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.
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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 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/30/middleeast/mosul- water-isis/index.html https://www.icrc.org/en/document/syria-water-used- weapon-war https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sanjay- wijesekera/when-water-becomes-a-weap_b_14500786.html
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Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 https://digitalcommons.law.msu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cg i?referer=https://www.google.com.cy/&httpsredir=1&art icle=1135&context=ilr
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Topic 3: The question of autonomous weapons systems Introduction • Although weapons with full lethal autonomy have not yet been deployed, the use of their pioneers with varying degrees of self-control and support of certain countries for research in this field has reached a critical stage where a deeper reflection on the possible implications of further development in this field is required, with significant legal and ethical issues to consider. • Autonomous weapons systems should not be confused with remote-controlled weapons systems e.g. combat drones or UCAVs as although these can move autonomously they cannot fire autonomously and are remotely controlled by human beings. On the contrary, autonomous weapons systems have the potential to have absolute independence and no guidance from humans once they’ve been programmed.
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Definition of Key Terms Autonomous weapons systems: These are weapons systems with the ability to assess the situation on a battlefield, as well as select and attack targets on their own, using the processed information and without the need for any human intervention. Artificial intelligence: A branch of computer science which focuses on the development of machines displaying capabilities of human intelligence including but not limited to problem solving, recognition, speech and planning with minimal intervention from humans. Automatic defence systems: A compute program employing several weapons to defend ships, space stations etc. from attack without the need by identifying and attacking oncoming missiles without the need for a manual system (e.g. a radar-guided gun to defend ships). Autonomous offense weapons: A system of weapons which can autonomously locate, search, identify and attack targets although current forms require an authorized mission command from humans which are remotely in control. General Overview • The debate regarding the use of autonomous weapon systems is now fiercer than ever as with increased research, people are beginning to realize their potential to radically alter the nature of warfare. Discussions about the ethical dilemmas of such practices, removing human beings from the equation, has recently gained momentum although the precise nature of the ethical challenges to developing such systems, and even possible ethical benefits, have not yet been clearly identified. • Supporters of fully autonomous weapons argue that these systems would help overcome human emotions such as panic, fear, or anger, which lead to misjudgement and incorrect choices in stressful situations. On the other hand, for the opponents of such practices, protection of civilians, the
Mediterranean Model United Nations XIII 2018 potential of these weapons to increase the like hood of wars or the possibility of them falling into hands of non-authorized people are major concerns. • During the Human Rights Council session in April 2013, 24 states attended a session involving a discussion about the issue of autonomous weapons where concerns were voiced regarding the possible potential of the development plans of such weaponry. Particularly Pakistan, Morocco, Mexico, Argentina (on behalf of GRULAC), Cuba, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Algeria, and Egypt argued that greater discussion should take place especially with regards to international human law as well as human rights. On the other hand the UK delegation argued that the current legislation regarding such weapons is sufficient and that she does not support an international ban (although they issued a statement declaring that the use of autonomous weapons does not meet the rulings of international law) • In April 2013, a group of non-governmental organizations launched the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots in London. The campaign works to establish an organized civil force calling for a ban on such weapons as well as educating people about the implications of machines getting to decide between life and death. Besides the prohibition through an international treaty, the campaign calls also for prohibition on a national level through national laws and other policy measures. • The United States, has announced that it will place limits on the use of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) in order to comply with international humanitarian law. • The UN's first ever meeting on Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS) took place in May 2014 and was organized by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA). • 116 experts from 26 countries who have signed a letter to the United Nations asking it to ban autonomous weapons worldwide
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Major Parties Involved • Armed drones, which are thought to be precursors of autonomous weapons, are being developed and deployed by nations including China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. • Russia has recently announced it was developing autonomous combat drones that could acquire targets and make decisions by themselves. • An Israeli company called Airobotics has recently entered the defence industry. • Gun turrets deployed by South Korea o the border with North Korea are considered to be semi-autonomous weapons requiring some human oversight for operating. • UK has banned the use of fully autonomous weapon systems as the UK Ministry of Defence declared that humans will always retain control over the country's robotic weapons systems. • 19 nations have called for a complete ban on autonomous weapon systems since 2013: these include Mexico, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, and Egypt. Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue In 2012 a Human Rights Watch report titled Losing Humanity: The Case against Killer Robots was issued. In April 2013, a report was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, which recommended that member states should declare and implement a temporary ban on the testing, production, transfer, and deployment of lethal autonomous robotics (LARs) until an internationally agreed upon framework for LARs has been established. In 2013, a group of scientists and researchers from thirty-seven countries issued the “Scientists’ Call to Ban Autonomous Lethal Robots. Possible Solutions National laws and policies regarding the development and deployment of such weapons should be established.
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An international consensus on the definition of a fully autonomous weapons system should be issued, this currently does not exist, further complicating the issue. Many people are now suggesting that a general ban on the development of autonomous weapons should be established with international treaties and conventions. Sources https://www.un.org/disarmament/geneva/ccw/background- on-lethal-autonomous-weapons-systems/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_autonomous_weapo n http://www.wired.co.uk/article/killer-robots-elon- musk-autonomous-weapon-systems-uk http://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/Article/1223911/au tonomous-weapons-systems-safety/ https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/cerl/conferences /ethicsofweapons/ https://www.sipri.org/research/armament-and- disarmament/emerging-military-and-security- technologies/autonomy-weapon-systems
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