UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SUPERHUMAN ACTIVITIES STUDY GUIDE Yavuz Ülker Yiğit Ülker Under-Secretary-General Secretary-General Vefa Lisesi Model United Nations Conference March 31st – April 3rd, 2017 Istanbul, Turkey LETTER FROM UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL Most distinguished delegates of the United Nations Commission on Superhuman Activities, It is my utmost honour and supreme pleasure to welcome you all to the very first session of Vefa Lisesi Model United Nations Conference 2017. I will be serving as the responsible Under Secretary General of United Nations Commission on Superhuman Activities (UNCSA). To very shortly introduce myself, my name is Yavuz Ülker, I am currently a senior in Cağaloğlu Anadolu Lisesi. This will be my fifth very joyful and successful year of doing MUN and I am proud to participate in this year’s VefaMUN. With the concept of fictional committees in MUN Conferences becoming more and more preferable, this year’s VefaMUN decided to host a committee in a similar aspect. Having realized my personal interest both in comics and in global politics, I have got together with the Secretariat to craft an ambiance that will allow its participants to debate professionally and have fun simultaneously. The expectations I have from the delegates in this committee to firstly do their research well. The Study Guide is a great material to begin with but by no means to limit your research. Since we will be simulating a committee that is set in an alternate reality, I recommend you to expand your imagination, think beyond politics and expect the unexpected. Apart from the work, VefaMUN will be an amazing conference for all of us. Observing the enthusiasm and diligence of the Academic and the Organization Team, it is easy to say that we all are going to leave the conference with a vast amount of aspiration. I would like to stress my thanks to the Secretariat and the Secretary-General himself. It was surely a hard process to create such an extensive Study Guide for the conference. Despite working in harsh circumstances, we dealt with all subjects and prepared the Study Guide you are reading now. I am looking forward to seeing you all, living the extremity of joy together, and saving the world while starting long-lasting friendships. Yavuz Ülker Under-Secretary-General responsible for United Nations Commission on Superhuman Activities 1 1) Introduction 2) Definition of Key Terms 3) United Nations Commission on Superhuman Activities 4) Fictional Universe a. General Overview i. World War II Era ii. Post-War Era iii. Modern Day b. Timeline of Events 5) Superhuman Regulation Protocol a. Background b. The Problem of Vigilantism and the Avengers 6) Conclusion 7) Further Readings, Recommended Media & Useful Links This document is based on characters and events published by Marvel Comics and prepared with the purpose of explaining the working of this committee. No copyright infringement is intended. 2 “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” - Benjamin Parker 3 Introduction For many years, the fictional world of superheroes and their adventures have become a big area of interest for many people. The concept of heroism was brought to pages with different kinds of people showing different kinds of powers, therefore creating an ideal world presenting what people could do when they scrape themselves from negativity and unite to solve a common problem. In that aspect, comic books have started taking the role of reflecting simple circumstances of a normal life by creating dilemmas among the fictional characters, bringing people together and presenting many concepts such as love, friendship, war, fear and so on. Displaying the good nature of heroes and their accomplishments in their early times, comic books have changed their attributes throughout the years as a result of global shift. Getting more and more realistic by nature, the books changed the qualities of our heroes as they found themselves in global crises, intergalactic wars, political issues and social unrest. The enemy was nowhere to be seen anymore as it used to be; there were now many different threats which could instantly turn into big problems, threats that our heroes could not overcome only with physical showdowns. In a dark and gritty world, compromising was not something they could run away from. Friends clashed with friends, societies plunged into fear and compelling villains arose. The line that separates the good from the bad, the right from the wrong and the hero from the villain started to get blurry. Consequently, the perception of heroism has experienced a paradigm transformation and necessity of such acts got questioned. Possessing tremendous abilities and powers have become controversial in society. People who managed to dodge the consequences of their actions and do not face the proper judgment for them have come into the focus of the global authorities. Heroism found itself mixed with vigilantism and a clear distinction was absent. Resultantly, having a superpower turned into a worriment rather than what their bearers choose to do with them. Because each individual with these powers was now a threat, not an embodiment of hope once they used to be. Is it genuinely possible to see such great power free from great responsibility? What kind of a morality can we talk about if we do not deal with the outcomes of our acts? Because heroism today is lack of such view of liability considering that super-powered people operate candidly for their own personal agendas or against what they call “common threats” such as public villains; since they leave a huge trail of destruction behind them, ignore sovereign borders and feel no obligation to look back. In this context, this problem itself is situated within the shifting dynamics of international responsibility and political instability.1 1 Backe, Emma Louise. “The Politics of Peace in Captain America: Civil War”. The Geek Anthropologist. https://thegeekanthropologist.com/2016/05/19/the-politics-of-peace-in-captain-america-civil-war/ 4 This urge to control and oversight enhanced individuals come with a greater obstacle: trampling civil liberties in order to achieve security. “The issue has generally been portrayed in broad terms as being a debate between the rights of the individual (to freedom of action and expression etc.) on one side versus the rights of society at large (to safety from danger or harm) on the other. Does the super-powered individual (mutant or otherwise) have an absolute right to their abilities or does society have a right to constrain or at least monitor them and their expression of those abilities?”2 This particular problem has become the main argument of this fictional committee as it contains elements of international diplomacy and has the potential to cause contradictions among many individuals as well as authorities, which creates a splendid atmosphere for the delegates to simulate debating and mutual cooperation. It is the definitive goal of this committee to sustain professional dialog despite oppositions and to preserve an agreement that binds all the parties involved in this problem. 2 http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Registration_Acts 5 Definition of Key Terms enhanced individual: An enhanced individual or a superhuman is a legal adult who possesses at least one skill, power, ability, talent, biomechanical improvement or enhanced weaponry that provide capabilities far beyond the range attainable by normal human beings. The mentioned powers and skills can be both inborn or later acquired through experimentation, mutation, genetic alterations or extraterrestrial elements. For instance, an athlete is a normal human in extraordinary physical condition, such as a weightlifter or boxer. A peak human is a person who keeps his bodily functions at the maximum level of human condition, meaning that the person is fast enough to catch-up a moving vehicle or hold his/her breath underwater for minutes. But a person who can lift a car or fly is considered as a superhuman. vigilante: A vigilante is often described as a person who commits an act as a law enforcer without any legal authority. Groups or individuals who execute vigilant activities often try to justify their actions by claiming that legal agencies are insufficient. Violence is a common element in vigilantism. mutant (homo superior): A mutant is someone whose genetic feature allows him/her to naturally develop superhuman abilities. Mutants are born with a genetic oddity called X-gene and manifest their abilities during puberty. atlantean (homo mermanus): The race of aquatic humanoids who reside in the lost city of Atlantis. The total population of homo mermanus has been estimated at over 1,000,000 globally. paramilitary organization: An organization with a partly militarized force. Paramilitary organizations share similarities with professional militaries but often not listed in any state’s formal armed forces.3 collateral damage: A general term for deaths, injuries, or other damage inflicted on an unintended target.4 3 "paramilitary". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. June 2011 4 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral%20damage 6 United Nations Commission on Superhuman Activities The Commission on Superhuman Activities is an intergovernmental body acting concurrently with the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is exclusively dedicated to providing oversight and regulation for the deployment of enhanced individuals with the purpose of reducing regional and international incidents. The Commission addresses emerging issues, focus areas and new approaches to questions affecting the situation of superheroes, that require timely consideration. The outcomes and recommendations of each session are forwarded to Security Council for follow-up. Consisting of 8 member parties, the Commission works with both member states and global non-state actors such as the Avengers, SHIELD and the X-Men. Apart from previous years and sessions, the Commission is going to be responsible for implementing the newly written Superhuman Regulation Protocol (SRP) which will establish the registration process of superpowered individuals and group as well as supervising their actions.