PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Table of Contents

Letter from the Crisis Director Page 2

Letter from the Bashar Al-Assad Government Chair Page 3

Letter from the Free Chair Page 4

Background Page 5

Committee Structure Page 6

Topics of Debate Page 7

Committee Positions Page 7

Research and Awards Page 8

Crisis Military Guidelines Page 9

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Letter from the Crisis Director

Dear Delegates,

My name is Carver Murphy and I will be your crisis director for the Committee of PUNC IX. I am a junior here at Penn State pursuing a double major in History and Political Science as well as a triple minor in Chinese, Asian Studies, and Geography.

While I have always been interested in model UN, I had no experience with it in high school. When I got to Penn State, I joined the Penn State International Affairs and Debate Association (PSIADA). Since then, I have had the pleasure of helping to staff two crisis committees in PUNC VII and PHUNC 2014. My first experience directing a committee and acting as Crisis Director was the Congress on Peace in the Middle East: ISIS 2016 committee of PUNC VIII, last year.

I am excited to take on the challenge of running a joint crisis committee this year. I Model UN is a great way to have fun with international politics, public speaking, history, and current events. I hope all of you have fun, and learn, in the process of this committee.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions regarding the committee structure, research advice, etc. I am at your service and happy to help in any way I can.

Sincerely, Carver Murphy [email protected]

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Letter from the Bashar Al-Assad Government Chair

Dear Delegates,

My name is Oga Bat-Yeruult and I am excited to serve as your chair in the Assad Government Committee within the Syrian Civil War Joint Committee of PUNC IX. I am a sophomore at Penn State studying International Politics with a concentration in International Affairs along with Economics and a minor in Spanish.

I have been partaking in Model UN since I was a junior in high school and have continued on in the collegiate level. I joined the Penn State International Affairs and Debate Association (PSIADA) as a freshman and got a chance to co-chair in the Through Perestroika and Glasnost: The Warsaw Pact crisis committee in last year’s PUNC. It truly was a rewarding experience and I believe I learned a great deal on chairing a crisis committee.

While my main responsibility entails making sure committee runs efficiently and smoothly, I hope that you can be creative and have fun along the way. What I love about all the crisis committees we run at PUNC is that it really is up to you, as delegates, as to where committee goes. As the chair of the Assad Government Committee, I hope you are all able to work together to take down the and take control of the nation!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the committee, your role, or anything else, feel free to contact me. I am more than willing to help make this a great experience.

Sincerely, Oga Bat-Yeruult [email protected]

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Letter from the Free Syrian Army Chair

Dear Delegates,

My name is Tom Santee, and I will be one of your chairs for the Syrian Civil War Committee of PUNC IX. I am a sophomore at Penn State, pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I am also a midshipman in Penn State’s NROTC program.

While I have always had an interest in politics, I had no experience with it model UN in high school, as there was no school club, nor a way to know much about the concept in general. When I got to Penn State, I joined the Penn State International Affairs and Debate Association (PSIADA) because it seemed interesting. Since then, I have had the pleasure of helping to staff two crisis committees in PUNC VIII and PHUNC 2014. I staffed an India-Pakistan committee during PHUNC, which was my first real model UN experience. I was then crisis director of an Ad hoc committee during PUNC. I’ve also attended two conferences, NCSC and &MUN.

I am excited to be chairing one of the joint committees. I love being able to moderate discussions and am eager to see where you will go in committee. Model UN is an awesome way to express a love of history, politics, current events, and arguing to solve a problem, all while learning a thing or two about public speaking and working with others. I hope you will all have fun, and maybe learn a bit, through the course of our committee. I, for example, learned where was, for starters.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions regarding the committee structure, research advice, etc. I am at your service and happy to help in any way I can.

Sincerely, Thomas Santee [email protected]

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Background

Modern Middle Eastern History After World War I, the Middle East, much of which had been ruled by the Ottoman Empire, was divided up by the British and French. The Sykes-Picot Agreement, officially the Asia Minor Agreement, was the first step in creating the modern borders of the Middle East. However, the borders drawn by the Europeans were arbitrary and irrespective of the peoples, cultures, and nations on the ground.

Between WWII and the 1970s, the states of the Middle East slowly gained their independence from the European powers. As they became independent, many of these states fought border wars as they tried to encompass all of their people in one state or simply grab land for oil. While to list every conflict would be ludicrous, notable major conflicts include the series of wars between after its formation in 1949 and the surrounding Arab countries. In 1979, a revolution toppled the Shah of Iran and created an Islamic state. In the 1980s, Iraq and Iran fought a bloody war for 8 long years. In the 1990s, Iraq invaded Kuwait and was expelled by an international coalition. In 2001, Afghanistan was invaded in an attempt to expel the Taliban. In 2003, Iraq was invaded and Saddam Hussein’s regime toppled.

Much of 20th century Middle Eastern politics is defined by autocratic leaders propped up by the United States or USSR. While the Middle East played a large part in Cold War politics (not always a peaceful one), the region took a turn for the worse as the Cold War ended and Islamic extremism became the new world focus. The Americans would get a taste of this decades after the Soviets did in Afghanistan. In the last few decades, extremism has rooted itself into safe havens across the Middle East. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Iraq became a power vacuum. Here, and in many other pockets across the Middle East, extremism and instability found a home.

Brief History of the Syrian Conflict In 2011, massive protests swept across the Middle East. They toppled decades old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and led to substantive changes in several other states. They attempted to spread democracy to a region ruled by autocrats. In Syria the protests turned into civil war, killing thousands and displacing many more. The government response was swift and very similar to the 1982 crackdown in Hama under Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez. The massacre killed tens of thousands and ensured the family’s continued rule for decades.

Setting the Stage The war is relatively in its infancy. It is spring 2012, less than a year after the war began. The Free Syrian army, based in ar-Raqqah, have seized control over much of the northern part of the country; they have elected a Chief of Staff and Commander-in-Chief, as well as established regional commanders. Assad’s government continues to operate from secure

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE areas inside the capital of Damascus and controls most of the land in the country. Many Syrian politicians and generals have been killed, defected, or are missing. Kurdish forces have seized control over much of the Majority-Kurdish land and are determined to protect their countrymen. Stalemates in Homs, Hama, Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir az-Zor have turned large parts of these cities into rubble. Neither side seems to have a strategic advantage at this point.

Committee Structure

Structure and Purpose of the Committee The exciting nature of this committee is that it is in fact two committees. Instead of competing solely within your committee, you will also have to compete with another that you cannot see. On one side, the Free Syrian Army seeks to bring down the regime and build a new Syrian state. On the other side, the Assad government seeks to defeat the rebels and stabilize the country. The structure of this committee means that cooperation and ambition are equally important; finding the balance is the biggest challenge.

Sessions While the topics of debate outlined above and at the end of this guide are the main themes of the committee, actions taken by committee members will shape the committee and debate. There is no “crisis map” and while Crisis will provide provoking crises, it will also react to the actions taken by committee members. The pace of the committee and debate will be overwhelmingly be based on the actions taken during sessions. This is intended to allow delegates the freedom to be creative within the scope of the committee.

Crisis Crisis will act as all domestic, non-state, and state actors not represented in committee. For example, some important entities represented by the crisis team are: The people of Syria, the Iraqi government, all extremist groups, Russia, China, the United States, Europe, and the United Nations. Your primary method of communication with crisis will be with notes; however, you may request to meet with an attaché outside of the room or request they enter the room. In this case, a crisis staffer will represent the requested person.

Portfolio Powers The committee positions below have been selected because they are some of the top leaders on their respective sides of the conflict. Generals have full control over their troops and any personal wealth they have, politicians have full control over their personal wealth and any government connections they may have, and intelligence operatives will have access to any intelligence their home country is able to find. These positions are all subject to the support of their troops, the people, any superiors they might have, and the politics in the room.

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Dealing with Crisis In dealing with Crisis, be precise, clear, and provide all the necessary information through notes or booklets. Please address communications to Crisis and write your position clearly and prominently for ease of return. Confusion on the part of Crisis can only be detrimental to your ends. Please write clearly and keep notes orderly and professional. The easier it is for Crisis to understand what your intentions are, the faster and more accurately they can be addressed.

Topics of Debate Major Topics 1. Stabilizing the country – The country is in crisis. Refugees are beginning to pour over the borders at alarming rates. The inherent nature of a civil war is that it is unstable. Can you ensure stability and peace in Syria? 2. Extremism – Defeating extremism is a complicated endeavor; the committees will need to combat extremist forces on the battlefield, but also the root cause of the extremism and the conditions that created opportunity for it. Can you defeat extremism and bring order to Syria? 3. Government Reform – This war began as a call for democracy in the heart of the Arab Spring. Each committee stands on opposite sides of this argument – or do they? What measures will you take to build a strong government that can maintain control of the country?

Committee Positions

Syrian Government 1. General Fahd Jassem al-Freij (Defense Minister) 2. Ismael Ismael (Finance Minister) 3. Walid Maulem (Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister) 4. Suleiman al Abbas (Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister) 5. Gen. (Chief of the General Staff) 6. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar (Interior Minister) 7. Maj. Gen. Shoaeb Suleiman () 8. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Qasem (Republican Guard) 9. Maher Al-Assad (Commander of 4th Armored Division) 10. Alexi Petrovich (FSB Liaison) 11. Brig. Gen. Hayel al-Assad (Military Police Commander) 12. Brig. Gen. Talal Makhlouf (Republican Guard)

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

13. Brig. Gen. Rukin Mohamed (Republican Guard) 14. Brig. Gen. (Republican Guard) 15. Brig. Gen. Jawdat Ibrahim Safi (Regimental Commander, 4th Armored Division)

Free Syrian Army 1. Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Bashir (Chief of Staff) 2. Brigadier General (Former Chief of Staff) 3. Col. Riad al-Assad (Commander-in-Chief) 4. Col. Khaled Al-Haboush (Regional Commander, Damascus) 5. Col. Abdel Jabbar al-Oqaidi (Regional Commander, Aleppo) 6. Col. Afeef Suleiman (Regional Commander, Idlib) 7. Capt. Qais Qataneh (Regional Commander, Daraa) 8. Nicolas Venetti (CIA Liaison) 9. Col. Anas Abu Malik (Regional Commander, ) 10. Col. Qassim Suad al-Din (Regional Commander, Homs) 11. Abdul Razzaq Tlass (Brigade Commander) 12. Abdo Hussameddin (Former Deputy Oil Minister) 13. Imad Ghalioun (Former Homs MP) 14. Nawaf al-Fares (Former ambassador to Iraq) 15. Lt. Sharif Kayed (Regional Commander, Daraa)

Research and Awards

Guiding Research Questions To prepare for this committee, it is less important that you know your personal history than your state’s history. 1. Be familiar with basic Syrian foreign affairs, history, and aspirations. 2. Be familiar with the basic history of the Middle East. 3. Be familiar with the geography, ethnicities, and religions of the Middle East, particularly Syria.

Wikipedia is a perfectly good source to find information on your positions, especially because many of them are rather obscure. If you want further information, I suggest you follow the citations Wikipedia provides. These will take you to various sources that can be great places to find extensive information for this committee.

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

However, recognizing that research may be very difficult for many of these positions, general knowledge of the situation in Syria is all that is required. You are not expected to be an expert on Syrian affairs. You will be provided with the minimum information you need to know about See the awards criteria below for more information.

Crisis Military Guidelines

To make this crisis simulation run smoothly, quickly, and efficiently, these guidelines will help explain how crisis will handle military situations and actions. Please read it in its entirety and ask questions if you have them to ensure there is no confusion.

At the beginning of the committee, you will be given a piece of paper that outlines your military as follows. I will use the U.S. (not a delegate at this committee) as an example. Land/Army: 3,000 100 Air 3,000 Navy 10,000 Reserve 1,000 (Baltimore)

Land Forces Land forces will be represented in units; each of these units is 1,000 men. The forces marked land are your total number of active armed forces. You may deploy these immediately. The total number of units listed in this category is the total number of units and their locations (locations are in parentheses). It is not the case that 1,000 of the 3,000 units are in Baltimore. It is the case that 1,000 of 4,000 units are in Baltimore. (The United States here has 4,000,000 men because ([1,000 + 3,000] *1,000 = 4,000,000). If troops do not have a location marked next to them, they are in your respective capital.

Air Forces Air forces are proportional to other delegates and are roughly based on 37.5 aircraft per unit. That being said, crisis will simply consider them as single units. The air forces will be 1) used for air strikes and 2) used to support land forces; their number will essentially weight a land army the way a grade in a 4 credit course weighs more on a GPA than a 3 credit course.

Naval Forces Naval units are represented as total ships in a country’s navy. Naval forces can be deployed immediately in the way that land forces can.

Reserve Reserve forces are measured in the same way as regular land forces. The reserve troops are not active (and therefore not a burden on your economy or society), but can be activated immediately. At this point, they will be transferred and added to the number of active armed forces.

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Recruitment At the outset of the simulation, no country is drafting troops. If you wish to do so, send an order to crisis saying “draft to active duty” or “draft to reserve”. As the simulation progresses, units will be added to whichever you choose. You may switch the destinations of these new units at any time. You may also end recruitment at any time. At the outset of the committee, unless otherwise specified, units are assumed to be in the capital of your country. Additionally, any units that are drafted will be drafted to your capital and will require specific orders of movement if you wish to deploy them elsewhere. In the example above, the United States has 3,000 units in Washington D.C., 10,000 units ready to be activated (they will appear in D.C.), and 1,000 in Baltimore.

Movement To move units, use the following formula “move/attack _____ from _____ to _____”. This will let crisis know how many units you want to move/attack, where from, and where to. If the United States says “move/attack 500 from Washington to Baltimore” then crisis will change their total in Baltimore to 1,500. If they then order “move/attack/withdraw 250 from Baltimore to Philadelphia” then the new total in Baltimore will be 1,250 and in Philadelphia it will be 250.

Battle If a battle occurs, it will either be announced as a crisis or in a private note depending on the scale and whether or not the international community would be aware of it; the amount of information released may also depend on these conditions. The number of units lost will be reported in either case (unless those numbers are unavailable due to bad intelligence, etc.) If it is a private note, you will receive the total remaining number of soldiers.

For instance, if the United States orders 250 troops to “move from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and lay siege to the city”, but meets resistance in between, there will be a battle of State College. If 50 units are killed here, then the United States will now have 200 units in State College. If the crisis lists the result of the battle as stalled, the units will not continue on to Pittsburgh. If they win, they will continue to Pittsburgh as ordered. Their final status will be reflected in any crisis notes or updates. A note would read something like this: “Your 250 units headed to Pittsburgh encountered an enemy force at State College. You took losses of 50,000 men (50 units). Your 200 units are now continuing on to Pittsburgh.”

At this point, the soldiers will continue to Pittsburgh and you can assume they have arrived there unless otherwise notified. They will remain there until they receive further orders. After all is said and done, this is what an update (which can be requested at any time and will also occasionally be provided without request) would look like for the United States:

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PUNC IX: THE PENNSYLVANIA UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Land/Army: 2,500 100 Air 3,000 Navy 10,000 Reserve 1,250 (Baltimore) 200 (Pittsburgh)

Economy You will be given a sum of your available cash. At any point in time, you may request updates, ask about the state of your economy, and ask how much things will cost. At the beginning of every session, you will receive new money from taxes. I hope that this will help you as a delegate interact smoothly and efficiently with crisis throughout this committee. Please feel free to send questions/concerns to Crisis at any time. Good luck and have fun.

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