Genghis Khan War Council Background Guide
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Genghis Khan War Council Background Guide Chairs: EagleMUNC Paul Howard Website: Boston College Model [email protected] www.EagleMUNC.org United Nations Conference March 17-19 2017 Taylor Belval Genghis Khan Letters from the Secretariat Delegates, It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to EagleMUNC V! My name is Kerianne DiBattista, and I am the Secretary-General of EagleMUNC V. I am a senior at Boston College in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Economics. I am originally from Long Island, NY, and I have been participating in Model UN conferences since I was in tenth grade, rising to become Head Delegate and Secretary-General of my high school conference. At BC, I travelled to several conferences with our MUN team and I have participated EagleMUNC since my freshman year. As you begin your EagleMUNC V experience, I implore you to explore the conference theme, "The Interplay of Power and Ethics," and make your EagleMUNC experience the best it can be! Thank you, and I'll see you at EagleMUNC! Best Regards, Kerianne DiBattista Secretary-General, EagleMUNC V Dear Delegates, It is my great pleasure to welcome you to EagleMUNC V! My name is Jack Massih and I am the Under Secretary-General of Political Affairs. I am a senior at Boston College studying Political Science and Economics. I began participating in MUN my sophomore year of high school and have been hooked ever since. I joined the EagleMUNC team as a freshman for the first year we moved off BC’s campus and into Boston, and it has been a joy to witness the conference continuously grow and evolve since then. The Political Affairs team has been working incredibly hard to prepare for the most innovative and exciting conference in EagleMUNC history. I am looking forward to seeing all of your creative and thoughtful responses to the diplomatic predicaments and crises you confront over the weekend. Best, Jack Massih Under Secretary-General Political Affairs, EagleMUNC V Genghis Khan Introduction from the Chairs Dear Delegates, Welcome to EagleMUNC V! My name is Paul Howard and I am happy to serve as the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee this year. I am a senior at Boston College studying Business with concentrations in Marketing and Management & Leadership and a minor in Environmental Studies. I have been participating in Model United Nations since my freshmen year of high school. My experiences at conferences have taught me about many international issues and how to interpret, analyze, and react to them. I have also learned numerous public speaking skills and how to listen to others’ arguments and present my own. It’s a great organization to be a part of and I encourage you all to remain involved at your schools. During my time at Boston College I have been on the Secretariat of EagleMUNC III and IV and have loved watching the conference grow into what it is today. I hope you all have a fantastic time this year and are looking forward to the debating as much as my co-chair, Taylor, and I are. In our committee at EagleMUNC V, you will be serving as members of Genghis Khan’s political and military council, the Kurultai. The year is 1218 and I, Genghis Khan, have just called you to council after learning that ambassadors which were sent to the Khwarezmian Shah, Muhammad, have been killed. This is an outrage and affront to the honor of every person in our great empire. We need to devise a way to punish the offenders for their betrayal and make sure this never happens again. I look forward to working with you all as we wage war against these murderers and keep our empire great and prosperous. If you have any questions prior to the conference, I encourage you all to reach out to me via email. I look forward to meeting you at EagleMUNC V! Regards, Paul Howard Boston College, 2017 Genghis Khan Dear Delegates, Welcome to EagleMUNC! My name is Taylor Belval and I will be the co-chair for this year’s Ad Hoc. I am a freshman at Boston College studying marketing. I have been involved in Model UN since my freshman year of high school and have participated in around 10 conferences. Model UN has really helped my confidence in public speaking. My favorite thing about MUN is definitely how creativity can completely change the course of committees. Last year, I attended EagleMUNC as a delegate and caused a small amount of mayhem in the Security Council. At BC, I play on the Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee team. I am also a member of EagleOps which works with BC’s marketing team during sporting events. Good luck with your preparation, I cannot wait to meet you all! Best, Taylor Belval Boston College, 2020 Genghis Khan History: Between 1206 and 1227, Genghis Khan, a native of present day Mongolia, created the largest contiguous empire in human history.1 The Mongols first emerged as a powerful tribe around 1130 but then were scattered into clans after being defeated by the Tartars in 1160. These clans experienced large amounts of conflict and therefore the Mongols were kept weak and divided. One of the clan leaders, Yesugei, in 1167, had a son named Temujin.2 This son was deserted by his tribe, along with his mother and siblings, at nine years old when his father was poisoned and died. At the age of 16, he enlisted the help of his father’s old friends when his wife was captured, and he used these allies to become a well-known, powerful figure on the steppes of Mongolia. He quickly became the head of the family and was even suspected of killing one of his step-brothers who stole a fish from him. With his childhood friend, Jamugha3, he was able to take control over most of the Mongol clans. Around 1206, after some setbacks, Temujin took the title 1 History.com Staff. "Genghis Khan." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. 2 http://www.allempires.com/article/?q=The_Mongol_Empire 3 http://historiarex.com/e/en/333-genghis-khan-1162-1227-temujin Genghis Khan Chingis Khan (Genghis Khan).4 This made him the Great Khan or the supreme leader of all the Mongol people. Genghis was a brilliant strategist and forced people to listen to him. This was accomplished by his aptitude for psychological warfare and creating high amounts of terror among his opponents. However, he was also a compassionate leader and sought surrender wherever possible, not wanting to perform violent acts with no justification. Military Strength: Around 1187, Genghis decided to unite more of Mongolia after his longtime friend, Juamugha, attacked his troops,5 and in order to do this he created an army of more highly trained warriors. This army was mounted on horseback and capable of moving 60-120 miles per day which was unheard of for any army of comparable size. This was possible partially because each Mongol warrior maintained three or four horses which they could switch between over long journeys.6 This provided a large advantage in being able to wage quick, accurate strikes against enemy forces and cover large amounts of distance in minimal time. The army was also organized by a simple, traditional decimal system which consisted of groups of tens, hundreds, and thousands of men regardless of ethnic origin.7 This division of troops is contributed to much of the Mongol military success as orders were able to be delivered to specific units efficiently and rapidly. Even though they were a highly mobile military, the Mongols were still 4 "Genghis Khan: Terror and Conquest." Infobase.com. A&E Television Networks, 1997. Web. 05 Sept. 2016. 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamukha 6 Morris, Rossabi (October 1994). "All the Khan's Horses" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 2007-11-21. 7 Amy Chua. Day of Empire: How hyperpowers rise to global dominance, and why they fall. New York: Random House, 2007. p.95 Genghis Khan skilled in the art of siege warfare and could construct simple yet effective machines such as trebuchets and catapults. A more cruel tactic employed by the Mongol army during battle was the kharash, which entailed gathering residents or soldier previously defeated. This crowd served as a human shield which would push forward to take the brunt of the enemy long-range weapons and to break down obstacles so the Mongol army could move forward unimpeded.8 Campaign in China: In 1206, at age 40, Genghis began looking toward China. His gathering of the Mongols to prepare for this venture was the largest in history. In 1210, he sent envoys to the Jin Empire. The envoys were captured and killed. This was an unforgivable thing for Genghis and he decided to invade in 1211 after meditating and saying that he was told by the gods that it was the right thing to do. His forces easily got past the Great Wall and laid waste to most the of the Jin Empire in northern China. Campaign in the Middle East (Current Issue): After campaigns in northern China, he sent envoys to the ruler, or Shah, of the Khwarezmid Empire, Ala ad-Din Muhammad, in the Central Asia/Persia area. In 1218, the 8 http://mongolmania.weebly.com/ Genghis Khan envoys were slaughtered there as well. At the time of this committee, there is no clear successor of the Mongol Empire should something happen to Genghis Khan, and decisions are being made regarding what to do regarding the slaughter.