BACKGROUND GUIDE THE THIRD CRUSADE- SIEGE OF ACRE (JULY 1191) 26 - 28TH OF MARCH 2021 MEDITERRANEAN MODEL UNITED NATIONS s e c r e t a r i a t @ m e d m u n . o r g h t t p s : / / w w w . m e d m u n . o r g TABLE OF CONTENTS p.4 Acknowledgements p.5 Future Crisis Staff Members p.8 Function & Composition of the Committee p.11 Scenario Background p.11 Historical Context p.13 Current Situation p.14 Relevance of the Topic p.15 Maps & Graphs p.17 Committee Objectives p.18 Committee Matrix p.20 Committee Actors - Saladin's Forces p.24 Committee Actors - Richard's Forces p.28 Works Cited p.29 Your Chairs Chairs: Nour ALJOWAILY and Hayaan CHOUDARY Topics : War for Control of Jerusalem. The Strategy and Supply of a Campaign. The Balance of Economic, Religious, and Pragmatic. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to the MEDMUN Crisis Staff 2019 for preparing a draft version of the Function and Composition of Committees section of this background guide. FUTURE CRISIS STAFF MEMBERS Samuel Hodman is a second-year student at Sciences Po Campus de Menton and an American national. Samuel is excited to expand on his Model Congress and MUN experience by stepping into the role of Crisis Director for the 2021 Conference. When it comes to MEDMUN, he is passionate about how politics, warfare, and developmental economics are evolving - both globally, and more specifically in the Middle East (obviously.) He hopes to make this year’s crisis experience immersive in all these fields, and encourages delegates to put their machiavellian minds to work! Samuel believes that, even if limited, Crisis is an excellent way to bring the complexities and dynamic nature of MENA issues - in the world of the past, present, or future - to a more understandable, more human scale. With MEDMUN 2021, he hopes to make the best of this opportunity, and immerse this year’s delegates in a truly unique experience! He wants to challenge his delegates and staff researchers to deeply understand each crisis on the human scale and tactfully imagine the consequences of every action. Above all, he hopes to make each crisis personal and informative, so that MEDMUN 2021 can be enriching for everyone. Samuel looks forward to diving into the world of the future with you and he is especially enthused to see where the delegates take the New al-Andalus 2035 Crisis. Laura Fairlamb is an American second year student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton in the Dual BA with Columbia University. She is currently pursuing a major in Politics and Government at Sciences Po and plans to major in Human Rights when she moves to New York next year. In Menton, she is particularly passionate about tying her studies to action by volunteering with refugees and advocating for their rights. Outside of class, she enjoys sharing meals with friends, playing soccer, and soaking up the sun at Sablettes. Laura's MUN experience comes from her role as a crisis staffer for MEDMUN 2020 and her work prior to Sciences Po as the Secretary General of her High School MUN club where she participated in local conferences as well as those in Venice, Italy and Querétaro, Mexico. Laura is forever grateful to MUN for introducing her to the world of International Relations. She looks forward to sharing this love through her role as a Crisis Staffer. Gabrielle (Gigi) Hodes is a first-year student in Menton and is currently enrolled in the Dual BA program with Columbia University. She was born in Manhattan, New York, and lived there until she was 10, when she and her family moved on a sailboat and spent almost two years sailing around the Caribbean, finally settling in Panama. She lived there for seven years before coming to France for her university studies. MUN has been a passion of hers for the last four years, and she has participated in ten conferences in places like Buenos Aires, The Hague, Cartagena, and now, the Mediterranean. Apart from MUN, she enjoys dancing, reading, and hanging out with friends, but she particularly loves debate because she loves to understand how different people think and form their opinions. She is very excited to be part of the Crisis team for this year’s MEDMUN conference. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. See you in the spring! Angelina Gutierrez is a second year, Swiss-Costa Rican student studying economics at Sciences Po Paris, campus of Menton. Born in Venezuela and later moving to Costa Rica where she attended the French Lycée in San Jose, she considers these two countries to be central to her identity, alongside Switzerland, of course. When not in class, Angelina can be found coheading the campus environmental association, swimming in the sea and enjoying the great outdoors. She’s passionate about the MENA region, especially as it relates to economics, politics or the environment. Fluent in French, Spanish and English, but always eager to try something new, Angelina works on her Arabic and Italian to better immerse herself in the Mediterrenean culture. She’s very excited to participate for a second year as a crisis staffer in this amazing MEDMUN 2021 experience! Sofie Højstrup Overgaard is a second year student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton. Born and raised in Denmark, she early on gained an interest in global politics, which she developed further when she helped found and run her high school's MUN club. She participated in many conferences around Denmark and Germany, and also helped start up her school's very own conference. Her interest in global politics is also what brought her to Menton, where she hopes to embark on new and exciting experiences as part of the crisis team. In her spare time, she enjoys spending her time at Sablettes listening to her friends play guitar, or on a quick run through the beautiful city. Vanessa Wedick is a Canadian second year student in the Dual BA between Sciences Po, Campus de Menton and the University of British Columbia. Born in Vietnam and having lived in the United Arab Emirates, Spain, India and Canada, she has had the privilege of experiencing numerous diverse cultures which has helped develop her keen interest in global affairs and the MENA region. Participating in MedMUN last year and having done eleven previous conferences across Canada, Model UN and crisis hold a special place in her heart. Some of her best high school memories are from crisis committees that allowed her to think unconventionally, strategically and enjoy fruitful debate. Vanessa hopes to recreate this experience for MedMUN delegates this year. Zaidie Long is in her second year at the Menton campus of SciencesPo Paris and is part of a dual degree program with the University of California, Berkeley. While she has participated in MUN in the past, she is excited to be part of the Crisis team for the first time this year. From Portland, Oregon in the United States, Zaidie also lived in Taiwan for a year, where she built friendships with students from all over the world, and hopes that MEDMUN can be an opportunity for participants to do the same. Zaidie is interested in international relations, environmental economics and policy, as well conflict and behavior, and has considered pursuing a career in diplomacy, although she is glad she has a few more years to think about it. She has been interested in the Mediterannean and Middle East in international politics since high school, although it was often overlooked in her classes in the US, and she wishes she’d been able to attend an event like MEDMUN at that time. She hopes that, through reflecting real world dynamics in embellished Crisis scenarios, delegates can gain a better understanding of the politics of the region, of negotiation and diplomacy in general, and build skills that will be applicable no matter the career they decide to pursue. FUNCTION AND COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE As delegates, you are the main actors in this conference. Your individual actions will dictate the outcome of the simulation. Because of this, it is necessary to be well informed about your roles and capabilities during the crisis. It is important to note that MUN Rules of Procedure do not apply in crisis committees and that debate should be fluid and fast- paced, with the chair facilitating these exchanges. As the crisis staff, we will be providing you with information, called updates. This can be classified into press releases in which information is released to all committees, memos, in which we will provide information or advice to one committee, digital updates that are sent to you through your chairs, or individual intelligence briefs for you or your committee. We expect you to react to our updates and create your own output, which includes: Press releases (unilateral or multilateral): One or more delegates makes a statement on an issue or event, and transmits it to the crisis staff for distribution to all committees. Individual Action Orders: A request made by a delegate for an action to be carried out on his or her behalf. (For example: The Minister of Intelligence asks the crisis staff to bribe the bodyguards of the president, or the Minister of Defense asks to move 5000 troops to surround the city of Alexandria.) Communiqués: A formal message sent from one delegate or committee to another delegate or committee. Committee Directive: An entire committee collectively makes a major decision. (For example: Signing a treaty, making trade agreements, etc.) Additionally, committee interaction is necessary.