Disec Background Paper Topic A

DISEC Disarmament and International Security Committee: United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) Topic A: The use of asymmetric warfare by terrorist groups in Northern Africa Written by: Salma González, Omar Tamez and Dayannara González I. Committee Background The United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), which is also known as the First Committee, was created in 1945. It is one of six central committees related to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). It primarily focuses on seven main topics: “nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, outer space, conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, other disarmament measures and international security, and the disarmament machinery” (Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, 2017). The committee is based at the UN Headquarters in New York City. It meets every September to November, although special meetings can be organized at any time. The sessions are divided into three parts: general debate, thematic discussions, and action plan drafts. DISEC reports its agreements and findings to the Disarmament Commission (UNDC) and the Conference on Disarmament (CD) (First Committee, UN, 2019). Currently, the committee is focused on addressing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the arms race in outer space, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (NTI, 2018). II. Topic Information A) History of the Topic Asymmetric warfare (also known as asymmetric engagement) is a type of war where the military capabilities of belligerent (an individual, country, or group that acts in a hostile manner) powers are unequal. It often involves the weaker force using unconventional tactics to create a significant psychological impact on the larger combatant (Sudhir, CLAWS Journal, 2008). Some examples of this type of warfare are guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks. Guerrilla warfare occurs between a small armed force of rebels or partisans and a conventional army. Terrorist attacks, such as bombings and hijackings, are also considered to be a type of asymmetric warfare because they involve a smaller group attacking a stronger one. The first documented use of asymmetric warfare was in the 6th century BCE when the much smaller and weaker Scythians defeated the Persian empire. It has since been used as a military tactic in multiple conflicts around the world such as the American Revolution, the Vietnam War and in the Israel-Palestine conflict (Sexton, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016). Northern Africa is a region of the African continent that stretches from Morocco to Egypt. Major countries in this area include Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. These countries all share a common ethnic, cultural and linguistic identity (ResearchGate, 2019). According to Quartz, it is one of the “most terrorism-prone regions of the world” (Romero, Quartz, 2018). The major terrorist groups in Northern Africa are the Islamic State (IS), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Terrorism has increased within the region due to a variety of factors including ineffective governments and corrupt political systems, the exclusion of minority groups from political power, and a lack of economic opportunities (Government of Canada, 2018). According to researcher Ezeh Chinonso Kennedy, “The absence of local authority can bring about the growth of safe havens for powerful non-state elements, such as organized crime, human and drug traffickers, and violent extremists. As a result of these fertile circumstances, irregular warfare can be expected to grow and develop into widespread conflicts.” Additionally, religion can be part of the factors which have contributed to the rise in irregular or asymmetric warfare (Chinonso Kennedy, EuroAfrica Media Network, 2017). When used by terrorist groups in Northern Africa, asymmetric warfare can have a wide range of impacts on economic growth, investment, and tourism. According to The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics, terrorism has the “tendency to physically destroy productive assets as well as redirect resources away from productive uses.” This includes the loss of productivity of those injured, the loss of physical capital, a reduction in the gross domestic product (GDP) and the loss of foreign direct investment. Job loss leads to widespread unemployment which creates poverty and is used as a tool for recruitment by terrorist groups (Elu and Price, The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics, 2015). However, it is not just about the loss of economic output that is affected by terrorism in the area. The 2018 Global Terrorism Index found that terrorist attacks have become more frequent and deadlier in Northern Africa. For example, Egypt had one of the deadliest attacks in North Sinai. Around 311 people died when members of the Islamic State group detonated an explosive device and opened fire on the Al- Rawda mosque. In Libya, 141 people were killed when the Misrata Brigades group attacked Brak al-Shati Airbase near the city of Brak (Institute for Economic and Peace, 2018). The impact of these attacks is also a form of asymmetric warfare. Smaller groups can target a country’s expansion and growth, while also spreading fear among its citizens. These groups frequently utilize asymmetric warfare as a tactic in order to combat larger and well-equipped government forces, as well as to promote fear among the population. Common asymmetric tactics deployed by terrorist groups are suicide bombings, ambushes and the planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in well- travelled areas. These types of attacks which require few combatants, usually result in few casualties, and can be conducted by individuals with little-to-no training. Furthermore, the terrain is often used as a force multiplier by terrorist groups in busy cities or forested in the gross domestic product (GDP) and the loss of foreign direct investment. Job loss leads to widespread unemployment which creates poverty and is used as a tool for recruitment by terrorist groups (Elu and Price, The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics, 2015). However, it is not just about the loss of economic output that is affected by terrorism in the area. The 2018 Global Terrorism Index found that terrorist attacks have become more frequent and deadlier in Northern Africa. For example, Egypt had one of the deadliest attacks in North Sinai. Around 311 people died when members of the Islamic State group detonated an explosive device and opened fire on the Al- Rawda mosque. In Libya, 141 people were killed when the Misrata Brigades group attacked Brak al-Shati Airbase near the city of Brak (Institute for Economic and Peace, 2018). The impact of these attacks is also a form of asymmetric warfare. Smaller groups can target a country’s expansion and growth, while also spreading fear among its citizens. These groups frequently utilize asymmetric warfare as a tactic in order to combat larger and well-equipped government forces, as well as to promote fear among the population. Common asymmetric tactics deployed by terrorist groups are suicide bombings, ambushes and the planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in well- travelled areas. These types of attacks which require few combatants, usually result in few casualties, and can be conducted by individuals with little-to-no training. Furthermore, the terrain is often used as a force multiplier by terrorist groups in busy cities or forested areas. The ground in cities offers terrorist groups the ability to blend in with the crowd and multiple escape routes via public transport. Combat in forests allows terrorist groups to hide and is difficult for large militaries to operate in as space is often limited (McKillop, Global Research, 2014). For example, in January 2019, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ambushed a well-armed patrol of UN peacekeepers in Mali, killing ten soldiers and injuring 25 more. This attack happened in a remote area where the peacekeepers were unable to maneuver their armoured vehicles easily, and as a result, were unable to escape (The Jerusalem Post, 2019). Governments in Northern Africa have deployed multiple tactics to combat the use of asymmetric warfare by terrorist groups. Countries such as Egypt have begun to adopt a strategy called the “Indian method” which is named after tactic deployed by India’s military to counter extremist activities within its territory. This method involves countries taking offensive and defensive measures. The aggressive measures include enhancing troop mobility, organizing soldiers into small, agile teams, updating weapons and machinery and building enemy profiles which enable the military to understand the enemy psychologically. Some defensive measures are adopting technological force multipliers, using propaganda to cause an internal collapse of the enemy and expanding information networks. Mostly, to stop terrorist groups from using asymmetric warfare to their advantage, countries need to adapt and modernize their forces (Sudhir, CLAWS Journal, 2008). B) Current Issues Afghanistan: In 2001, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) militarily intervened in Afghanistan in order to remove the Taliban (which has been deemed a terrorist group by countries around the world) from power and to restore democracy. However, while operating in the country, NATO forces struggled to combat the Taliban’s use of asymmetric warfare. The group utilized asymmetric warfare

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