MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Welcome Delegates, Our names are Angie Lo and Mary Lee, and we are the Secretaries-General for the UCI Model United Nations 2020-2021 school year! This year, we are excited to host our first ever collegiate-level online conference, ZOTMUN, and thrilled to have you all join our new journey. We have worked hard to make this conference happen, and we hope that everyone will have a fun and engaging time in debate. Angie is a fourth year Sociology and Political Science double major. She has been involved in MUN since freshman year of high school and loved her experiences there so much she has continued being a part of MUN throughout all of her college years. Throughout her time at MUN at UCI, she has been Assistant Director and Director for General Assembly, Under Secretary-General of Mains, and now has been Secretary General for the past 2 years. When not busy with her school, research, MUN and work, she likes drawing and playing video games. Mary is a third year Criminology, Law and Society major. She has been involved in UCIMUN since freshman year of college and loved her experiences here by far. Her favorite part of actively being involved in MUN is cooperating with other students to contribute to raising awareness of global issues and international affairs. In UCIMUN, she has been an Assistant Director of the Legal Committee and Director of the SPECPOL Committee. Outside of UCIMUN, she is actively involved in research and a networking organization on campus. In her leisure time, on the other hand, she likes listening to music and watching YouTube videos. By now, we have spent more than 7 months in this unprecedented time due to Covid-19. Between the pandemic and the social unrest, however, there has become a need to be able to adapt to these new circumstances. Therefore, our theme for this conference will be “adapting to a changing world,” reflecting our new normal that we have restlessly been trying to get familiarized with. Through ZOTMUN, we hope to give everyone a unique opportunity to learn how to adapt and, most importantly, rise to the challenge through dedication and resilience. Although this will be our first college-level conference in an online format, we are determined to give everyone the best experience at the conference as always. We will provide delegates with an opportunity to get engaged in high quality debates and immerse themselves in an intellectual discussion of issues that are relevant to the community and others around them. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us or our directors anytime between now and the day of our conference—we will be happy to assist you with anything in any way we can. Thank you for your time in advance. We look forward to seeing you in November! Sincerely, Angie Lo and Mary Lee Secretaries-General MUN at UCI Secretariat 2020-21 [email protected] 1 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Salutations! My name is Kimo Gandall and I am the Director of the Security Council. This will mark my ninth year of MUN, and as such, I am quite seasoned in these affairs, participating from the more broad General Assembly committees, down to midnight-crisis sessions counseling the Pharaoh of Egypt. In high school, I traveled internationally to Bath in England, gaveling for the Security Council. Nationally, I’ve competed in the Forensics National and State Championships, and qualified for the Tournament of Champions. It is with these experiences that I advise delegates, many of you are struggling, to remember that it is the maxim of the victor to never give up: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance…” Romans 5:3. Of course, many of these experiences have helped shape my paradigm. Indeed, as a political science major, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, mover in local politics, and gaming nerd, I’ve incorporated these experiences into my career at UCI. In June of 2018, I was approved to begin drafting my undergraduate thesis Parliamentary Procedure as a Function of State Hegemony, which focuses on the intersection between procedural rules and the corresponding effect on policy and coalition building. Additionally, I am Chief Justice in UCI’s Student Government. This topic synopsis will guide delegates through a conflict many might find obscure: the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. To navigate our ever changing world of international affairs, ranging COVID-19 to new border wars, delegates are advised to not only understand their explicit national policy, but the individual and unique interests of their state. Delegates must balance that interest, moreover, with the fundamental prerogative of all states to search and pursue peace. The intent of this committee is to reflect on a world with often diametrically conflicting narratives; indeed, it is very possible that many delegates may even know loved ones affected by the crisis. The idea of diplomatic detachment, however, is that we can not only escape the noise of rhetorical judgement and focus on the truth, but as the Greeks may have called it, reiterate the teloes of the United Nations: peace. War is never a necessity, nor is it inevitable. Another way can always be found: the way of dialogue, encounter and the sincere search for truth. - Pope Francis, 2014, speaking at the International Peace Meeting. Sincerely, Kimo Gandall, Director Security Council [email protected] 2 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Hello! Greetings! Salam! Barev! My name is Krystian James Hawk Ibanez. I am the Assistant Director of the Security Council for this year but my role within MUN at UCI has changed dramatically over the years. I have held the positions of Director, USG of Specials, USG of Crisis, and Travel Team Coordinator. I was a part of the program for all five of my years at UCI and even helped to usher in the current era of our program. I have participated in fifteen conferences over the course of my career and received numerous Outstandings and Commendation Awards. As a delegate, I have argued on behalf of small island nations in the South Pacific, championed revolutionary nuclear policies amongst global elites and formulated novel humanitarian tactics amidst an international refugee crisis. As a facilitator, my team and I challenged the status quo in central Africa, introduced a plague-like scenario into a civil war and successfully staged a non-violent governmental takeover in the name of national security. My resume in the Model UN debate format is perhaps shorter than those of some of my team members but my connection to the global community and my devotion to international study is immense. This conference marks my return to the program after graduating this past June with my Bachelor of Science in Biology. In addition, I supplemented my degree by taking many International Studies courses and am familiar with the workings of international politics, specifically with those of Asian countries. Currently, my time is occupied by my work in the South Orange County medical community, several philanthropic efforts targeting vulnerable communities across the United States, and more fanciful pursuits of an aspiring young creator and artist. Throughout the current COVID-19 global health crisis, I have done everything in my power to not only better myself but learn from those whose experiences are different from my own. This has led me to be transformed by empathy, careful thinking and selfless caring. These simple ideas (that are exemplified by the ideas of compromise, understanding and compassion) carry on into how I expect all of you to behave within committee and is something I will be looking for in your research. Like with any issue this volatile, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is one of great cultural, national, and ethnic significance and needs to be handled appropriately. Since the beginnings of this conflict in 1988 all the way through the 1994 ceasefire, the Four Day War in 2016 and even into the current aftermath of the September 2020 crisis, this issue has remained largely off the international radar despite its polarized narrative. In any violent altercations between previously Soviet nations, it is important to maintain the underlying causes for such a fervent course of action. The Nagorno- Karabakh region is disputed between not only the Armenians and the Azerbaijani but also the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh. This para-governmental authority that has shifted back and forth between these three parties opens the door for discussion focusing on the logistics around claims of legitimacy to the region, humanitarian and civilian rights violations throughout the conflict, and even warrants a conversation around the responsibility of foreign powers in the lead up to this crisis. That all is to say: this topic demands attention and care that many other topics do not require. I highly encourage all delegates to be cautious and calculating when proposing courses of actions and when pushing for specific policies. Specificity and foresight will be key to be successful. Goodluck with your preparation and I look forward to discussing this with you all. Sincerely, Krystian Ibanez, Assistant Director Security Council 3 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE ZOTMUN | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Introduction The region of Nagorno-Karabakh, nestled in the caucasuses between Armenia and Azerbaijan, de jure recognized by the UN as part of Azerbaijan, but de facto semi-autonomous and part of Armenia, has been the center of ethnic conflict since the end of the 18th century (Pashayeva, 2009, pp.