Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Garrett Auzins
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and political unrest runs rampant throughout the history of civilisation. Rebellions, civil wars, revolutions, riots, and protests, usually resulting from inadequate governance, ethnic and religious tensions, and acts of aggression, are a recurring theme through human history. Looking at the present day, with gangs and/or terrorist cells running rampant and challenging authorities in the Middle East, Africa, and South America, the issue still ranks utmost importance in being addressed. From its inception in 1945, the United Nations has been crucial to the reaching of solutions of countries under duress. Peacekeeping resolutions have proven effective in the past, and the United Nations has proven invaluable in the push for such. However, the United Nations only proves itself as invaluable when not directly infringing upon the national sovereignty of those countries it involves itself with.

The United Nations should help to stabilise and an establish governmental sovereignty in regions that require such, yet only when issues reach to the status of threatening human rights. As stated in Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the United Nations “is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members”. As such, the United Nations must be able to respect the fundamental duties of the state: national sovereignty, territorial integrity and attaining the security and defense capability of the country. Afghanistan has been subject to past political and civil disruptions, with foreign powers, such as the Soviets in late 1979, launching invasions, terrorists, such as al-Qaeda, launching attacks, and tribal conflicts arising within borders, as can be seen throughout Afghan civil wars. Even today there tensions between tribes and religious sects, and recently there have been multiple suicide bombings aimed at the state of Afghanistan. Yet, within that context of the past and keeping with the present, the involvement of United Nations peacekeeping actions are crucial only when offering support and recognition of national sovereignty. While the United Nations may retain the right to intervene or authorise intervention when major human rights crises arise, the duties of dealing with civil and political unrest lie primarily with that of the state, with support from outside organisations becoming invaluable as an asset to aid the sovereignty of a nation.

And while the United Nations cannot directly intervene into the affairs of the state, the United Nations can take multiple approaches when it comes to supporting the state in dealing with unrest. It can negotiate peace talks with conflicting factions, offering a resolution without infringing upon the sovereignty of the state. It can help train and educate troops in keeping peace and military actions, which would help security and defense capabilities and provide the state a better means to deal peacefully with that unrest. And humanitarian aid serves as an indispensable aid that can decrease any unrest in a particular country. By acting upon these notions, the United Nations can help resolve unrest in particular countries without infringing upon the rights of the nation-state.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Angola
Delegate Name: Spencer Cassetta
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Throughout the global world of nations there are countries unstable under weak / corrupt governments struggling to maintain themselves and fighting civil and political unrest. Whether the country is full of people who are protesting wrongdoings of their government or anarchists and gang members fighting amongst themselves using man's natural desire for violence. The majority of the countries struggling with civil unrest are ill governed countries, which of some are newly independent, who have a history of violence and unstable governments (mostly in middle east, africa, and south america).

Ever since the UN was established in 1941 its been helping countries in distress with political and civil issues weather its violent protests or civil wars the UN has tried its best to help countries keep its peace between its people and the country. The UN has had many successes in peacekeeping in countries such as those in Africa and settling civil disputes in the middle east. The number of resolutions on the topic of civil unrest is too great to list, however the UN has passed 9 resolutions regarding Syria's civil disputes alone. The UN has sent peacekeeping forces to African nations such as Nigeria, Sudan, Liberia, Angola and many more along with a few middle eastern countries which are still trying to stabilize from terror. With time the UN attempts (and sometimes fails) to settle the civil disputes of countries without violence and bring peace to countries shattered with civil disobedience.

It is hard for the new nation of Angola to keep up with its fast growing economy in a society that is rattled unstable by the violence of the people. Angola has suffered (immensely) from civil violence of the people ever since it broke away from Portugal the people of Angola have been fighting amongst themselves. Angola has recently suffered and are still recovering from a 27 year long civil war that shattered all framework of the newly independent nation. Angola being able to settle its internal conflicts would lead to the stabilization of angola as a nation and would then be able to grow into a great nation which its people would not only survive but thrive in the fast developing world around it. What we want as a nation is the UN to help stabilize the civil situation in angola so we can become the great nation we deserve to be seen as. NATO should request diverse forces from a variety of nations that are well headed and militarized and send more peacekeeping forces to angola and its neighboring countries to control the populace of the civilly mad nations and help to restore order and legitimacy to the government by suggesting new policies of the nation in which the majority of the country would be happy by.

Angola expects help, once again, from Russia as they did in their revolutionary war and also sees in the future the cooperation of our neighboring war torn countries. Our people have potential beyond what the eye can see. Our people need guidance and help so we can work together and unite as one nation to take on the globe and start becoming more involved in foreign affairs. We anticipate the stabilization of the Angolan government in the years to come as well as the knowledge on how to handle civil disputes from our more mature neighboring countries.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Argentina
Delegate Name: Mike Miller
School: Royal Oak High School

This is a very broad topic. Let's start saying that. There is no specified city, no specified state. Just a generalization. We condone the use of brutal and violent force in dealing with civil and political unrest. In Argentina, we've had our fair share of political unrest. But we have dealt sufficiently with it.

Short of violence and peacekeeping, we would suggest holding regular elections for leaders and isolating the problem. Elections could take place every four, five, or six years, after having been agreed on by the people. By isolating the problem, we can quarantine whatever causes the political and civil unrest and make our nations as safe as they can be.

There is not a whole lot that the United Nations can do to cut down on political and civil unrest, seeing as we rely very heavily on the principal of national sovreignty to maintain members. We would like to stress that whether or not international organizations such as the United Nations try to deal with both of these kinds of unrest in their member countries, they need the member country that is affected by the unrest to give their consent before anything can be done. As far as we can tell, this committee will be based not on 'hows', but on 'if's.

We would like to see a resolution passed which would be effective in taking care of Political and Civil Unrest, but preserves every nation's right to sovereignty.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Australia
Delegate Name: Jesse Ernst
School: East Grand Rapids High School

The Commonwealth of Australia strongly believes in peaceful resolutions and believes that violent uprisings are detrimental not only to the people that are guilty but also to the thousands of innocent involved. As events in Ukraine which resulted in the death of 27 innocent Australians which directly affects and forces us to act in violent nature. The Commonwealth of Australia believes in peaceful solutions however if we are directly attacked we are not afraid to act with force

For almost all disputes within foreign countries The Commonwealth of Australia believes in peaceful solutions and International involvement especially in developing countries. The Commonwealth of Australia believes the UN has the right and duty to help people in any country that are being denied personal rights even if it is a developed country. The only successful form of political unrest in Australia was in 1808 before we were even the Commonwealth of Australia and was known as the “bloodless coup” because it was peaceful and only got rid of the Governor of South Wales not changing the political structure. The Commonwealth believes that if a situation can not be contained or rights are being denied it is the duty of the UN to find a solution whether militarily or peacefully.

The Commonwealth of Australia believes the way to establish a fair and secure way to tell the difference between a legitimate protest and an unwarranted assault is to have a non biased group of countries to examine the issues and come forth with a plan of action. The Commonwealth of Australia believes in the well being of people all over the globe and believes the power to protect these people lies in the hands of the United Nations.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Austria
Delegate Name: Ryan VanZalen
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Civil and political unrest has been at the forefront of today's problems. With the riots in Ferguson and protests in Hong Kong showing the power of domestic problems, and the civil wars in Syria and Ukraine showing the horrific bloodshed and anarchy that can result from governments unable to pacify or satisfy their citizens.

The U.N. is faced with making a decision on how to handle these delicate situations and how to be more prepared to handle issues like these in the future.We first must decide what the U.N. is allowed to do. Should they be allowed to supply governments with supplies or troops if they are too weak to handle the situation themselves, or should economic sanctions be the only appropriate method? Should the U.N. be able to intervene without the consent of the Nations involved? The second issue that rises is deciding which side of the conflict to help. If a government calls out for help pacifying its people how are we to be sure that helping this government will be the “right” thing to do? Do the people not have a natural right to overthrow their government if it is too corrupt? If it is a dispute between two countries, like that between Russia and Ukraine, how do we decided which side to intervene on. To what extent will the U.N. be able to involve itself without violating the sovereignty of a nation or its people?

Austria has not had much experience with civil unrest aside from a few instances such as the Vienna riots in 2000. Also in international conflicts Austria has a policy of maintaining neutrality that is written in its constitution. So we believe that if a legitimate government has trouble pacifying its population, has not committed any atrocities against its people, and requests help from the U.N. that there should be some intervention. Military intervention used only in the most extreme and severe circumstances. In the case of unrest between two nations a plan should be established to decided which nation is the aggressor, and then to decided what level of intervention should be used, again with military intervention being used only in the worst situations. Austria also believes that in cases where there is no clear aggressor in a conflict the U.N. should remain neutral.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Emily Zheutlin
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and Political has become an international issue that affects a broad spectrum of nations. International efforts do not continually work out because they cannot find a clear distinction between right and wrong; This is due to the willingness of the interested parties. Often times the resolutions result on a nationwide call for peace or a call for chaos. The largest outpouring of civil unrest in recent years, the Arab Spring, resulted in the international committee to not know the next order of action. The UN can push for democracy, but they cannot give their endorsements because it tends to discriminate against other parties or groups. The current issue of ISIS emerged from the Syrian conflict between the Sunni people and Shi'a people. Beginning with the anti-government protest and resignation of their president, Ukraine is involved in the ongoing civil war with the Russians. Russian President Putin, one of the key figures of the war, was suspected to have funded and aided the rebels and sent soldiers across the border to fight with their side.

Bangladesh believes that the United Nations should not intervene in domestic civil and political crisis. Traditionally, Bangladesh has abstained from voting on these types of resolutions with few exceptions. We hold that civil and political unrest within a nation-state should be settled by that nation-state instead of the international community. Bangladesh deals with civil unrest ourselves and we do not need the international community to get involved.

The United Nations should keep out of civil and political issues in a nation-state. We need to trust that each nation’s government can handle their political and civil disputes on their own accord. The only exception to this is in times of extreme human rights violations.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Belarus
Delegate Name: Sean Tarr
School: Royal Oak High School

The issue of political unrest is a significant one for all countries and the way the international community deals with it is very important. The country of Belarus believes the best way for the international community to deal with such issues is to allow the nation involved to resolve the issues amongst itself unless such involvement is specifically requested.

When dealing with domestic disputes within a nation, it is best left for the nation to deal with unless a nation outright asks for help. We do not believe it is right for the international community to press themselves upon a country and force their involvement, which would ultimately drive a nation away from the United Nations. If a nation is in need of help regarding civil disputes, they should be expected to request. Nations hold the right to deal with domestic issues on their own and not allowing a nation to do such is a violation to their national sovereignty.

Legitimate protests vary from unwarranted attacks in the sense that protests are peaceful and do not hinder the safety of others. If a group is gathering with violence or is impeding upon others safety it is not a legitimate protest group and must be treated as such. Nations must work to protect their people and if groups are preventing them from doing so nations should be allowed to deal with such groups appropriately.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Belgium
Delegate Name: Ellie Buchanan
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Civil and political unrest is inevitable in every country of the world. It is bound to happen during some point in history. The issues can be simple or complex, and occur in both developed and developing countries. In the last few years alone, there have been countless examples. The Arab Spring, the Syrian conflict, the emergence of ISIS, the war in Ukraine, and the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri are but a few. With such weighty issues comes a need for solutions. Because these problems are often large-scale, accurate solutions are not easy. This is where the UN must step in to help suffering nations.

In the past, the UN has done what it could to solve the problems created by civil and political unrest. With a range of issues, the UN attempts to help in many ways. Often, however, the main goal is to make peace or go to war. These are not always the best ways. Through simple measures, the UN can try to solve the pressing issues of civil and political unrest in a more manageable way.

Belgium believes to solve civil and political unrest, we must take simple measures to help societies of the countries experiencing domestic crises. The UN can donate money to educate people of the country experiencing unrest. If citizens attempt to rise up against their governments, with education these citizens may quell the choice to rise up. Belgium believes the UN should focus on measures to prevent future uprisings. To do this, the UN should address small issues that may not be big at the time, but could eventually trigger major crises within countries. When small measures are taken by educating the people, the UN could prevent further civil and political unrest.

Most nations will likely approve this idea our country proposes, because it solves small problems before they become big problems. Because problems are domestic, most countries will help resolve them. The only countries that may be against our mission are those who do not want to educate their people, either because they are a dictatorship or because the majority of their population is illiterate, and therefore education would be difficult. This includes many African nations such as Benin, Guinea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Their literacy rates are low, the four lowest in the world. If these countries get on board, the idea of educating the people causing unrest could be an effective way to bring an end to political and social unrest.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Benin
Delegate Name: Ryan Bills
School: Royal Oak High School

As a country very familiar with Civil and Political unrest the Republic of Benin very much believes that the more peaceful the reaction the more successful the resolution. However we also firmly believe that these are issues that should be dealt with by the countries at hand. The international community is at best a safe zone in which leaders can agree upon terms of dispute without fear of threat. We need to be a middle ground to these confrontations and not fan the flames of violence which are dangerous to all affected in the conflict.

The United Nations is only as strong as its members are willing to accept its influence. If we try to force ourselves onto a government all we would be succeeding in is driving the country away and lessening the influence of this noble organization. In short we can’t help it if a country won’t accept our help we must just let it be. The last thing the world needs is a country forthright leaving the United Nations and to be completely outside our realm of influence. My own country the Republic of Benin struggled for years with internal power struggles and infighting but eventual we were able to establish a republic that only gets stronger every day. These issues are most effectively handled by their own countries and unless serious evidence is found of the abuse of the peoples of said countries, whose lives it is our mission to protect- the U.N. can only play a supporting role.

In terms of the division of protest and public assaults this is a case where in the separation is simple. Are these displays peaceful displays of public opinion or violent displays of power? Going back to the people for whom it is our duty to protect, If they are being harmed our response must be negative. Murder is not protest it is only just that. In Conclusion the United Nations must only stick its nose where it is wanted lest we run the risk of losing all we stand for.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Bolivia
Delegate Name: Adam Gilmour
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

Around our world over the past several of years there has been a massive surge in the number of civil wars and political unrest. There was the Arab Spring in which nations all around the Middle East and southeastern Mediterranean became unstable as the people cried out for new, democratic governments. Even more recently has been the Israeli conflict in Gaza where Israeli forces launched major attacks against the terrorist group HAMAS in the Gaza strip, which left thousands of civilian’s dead along with HAMAS members. Civil wars have also popped up around the world, be it in Ukraine or Syria. The question many nations must ask themselves is, do we leave these nations to solve their own issues because of national sovereignty or is the price of lives too great to not intervene.

We, the nation of Bolivia strongly believe that a nation’s national sovereignty is one it’s most precious rights. Bolivia, along with any nation should have the right to deal with the issues inside that nation without fearing a misguided crusade from the worlds more imperialistic countries. Because of our strong standing on this issue we will continue to support a path of no intervention into nations that may currently suffer from civil or political dispute. An example of such a nation is Syria. This country and it’s fairly elected leader, President Bashar Al-Assad, have had to deal with both rebels inside their nation and western powers near and far; western powers that seem to dislike the stopping of an armed rebellion even though many of them have in the past dealt with rebels in the same fashion.

With our opinion stated above it is easy to see what course of action we believe should be taken. That is rather the lack of an action as our simple solution is to respect the rights of these nations and not interfere. It is not the place of United Nations to bully nations into submitting their beliefs so that western powers are happy. Rather, it is the responsibility of the United Nations to make sure that national sovereignty is not broken. The nations of the world must let other free countries resolve their own internal issues.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Bolivia
Delegate Name: Kelsey MacDonald
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

The nation of Bolivia feel that experimental treatments is a major goal for our country to reach. Unfortunately, our nation ranks nearly last among the western hemisphere countries, and our health system is limited. Although, our larger towns and cities have better care available, that is not the case for many of our smaller towns. However, the cities and towns that do not have a health system available to them, their medical facilities are very poor or non-existent. Thus, experimental treatments are not conducted in our country, as the resources are not easily accessible.

We hope, as the glorious nation of Bolivia, to fix that unfortunate circumstance. By using our allies within the United Nations we can hopefully provide experimental treatments to our citizens, and improve our health ranking for the good of our people. Unfortunately, most of our people are too poor to afford medical attention, but by improving experimental treatments we can find relatively cheaper solutions or medications for our ill. As a result, we can provide a more stable, cheaper, and better health system to Bolivia, and aid millions.

As we previously stated, our health system is unexceptionally low, however our determination to improve should be seen admirable and other countries should follow our lead in improving the health system for their people. We hope to find many effective and favorable solutions to our ethics of experimental treatments to ensure our people receive an acceptable health system.

Access to medical isotopes

The nation of Bolivia is currently working towards getting access to medical isotopes through our allies. We hope to receive isotopes from our fellow United Nation members, Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, and South Africa. Our nation is working hard to get a nuclear reactor to improve our health system. Our country has recognized the importance of medical isotopes and we are taking the necessary steps to have them accessible to us.

There's only a limited number of countries that supply isotopes and by getting a nuclear reactor, our glorious nation has taken an effective step towards improving our research and health system. We are concerned about the health of our people and by getting a reactor we are benefiting them marvelously and show our utmost dedication to getting a better heath system for them. This issue is necessary to be addressed, and we will do everything in our power to build a nuclear reactor.

Our country has proven to take the steps to improve our health system and we'd like to see these same steps be taken by other member in the United Nations who have yet not attempted to get a nuclear reactor. Our country believes that medical isotopes are highly important and necessary and we hope other countries believe the same. Medical isotopes greatly heighten our medical care and research.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: John Foy
School: East Grand Rapids High School

Throughout the world, there are corrupt and unstable governments unable to maintain order, and above all provide protection to its occupants. People who do not care about the effects their actions have on the world around them. Some men just want to watch the world burn. A majority of governments around the world that struggle with this issue are newly independent countries, with unstable governments, who need the help of the UN to prevent anarchy.

Intervention in a country's government should occur in two situations, when the rights of its people are being affected or if the government can not control actions that are harmful to its populous. On June 6th, 2013, one million people took the streets to protest the increase of the cost of bus fares in São Paulo. Within two weeks the protest morphed into a scene of trepidation over run-down public services, the cost of living, and, most importantly, the corruption within the local police forces and government. The following year Brazil hosted the World Cup. There were many protests leading up to it including when 2,500 indigenous people and militants confronted police in the capital, Brasilia. This came several days after an incident in São Paulo where 15,000 homeless citizens blocked one of the busiest roads in the already congested city during rush hour. These actions verified the thoughts of the country’s leader, that this would not be a peaceful World Cup. With the presence of 100,000 policemen and 57,000 soldiers to keep the peace, it would have been rare to see any protests. Although the protests were getting out of hand, the Brazilian government does not believe that it will ever be as bad as that again. 13,000 police officers have received training in facing down agitators of the peace without using excessive violence.

Unfortunately, the population of Brazil greatly outnumbers any number of police, so if the protesters become violent, they will call for the assistance of The United Nations to end the feud. As long as the protesters are peaceful, the Brazilian police will be very capable of handling any situation that arises.

In conclusion, as long as the protesters are peaceful, the police who are newly trained in handling protester without violence will be capable enough to handle any situation themselves. If an issue arises in which the the protesters become violent, foreign assistance will be needed, and The United Nations will send enough troops to keep everyone safe.

Works Cited

"Cheering for Argentina." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 31 May 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

"The Great Lakes Invitational Conference Association." The Great Lakes Invitational Conference Association. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

"United Nations, Main Body, Main Organs, General Assembly." UN News Center. UN. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Central African Republic
Delegate Name: Tom Muir
School: Williamston High School

The central African republic believes that dealing with civil and political unrest is a difficult issue that needs to be dealt with on a case by case basis. The central African Republic does not support intervention that is not in support of the civilian population. The Central African Republic also believes that the people who have lost their homes and livelihoods should be put first.

Unfortunately the central African republic has a lot of history with political and social unrest. When the central African republic gained independence from France in 1960 it has been in a state of on and of political and social unrest. The central African republic also is currently in a state of social unrest with rebels in the capital. Foreign intervention can be a good tool for restoring stability to a country. With this said foreign intervention comes at great cost to the sovereignty of a nation and should be an absolute last resort after all other options have failed. The first priority of any international is to intervention should be to stop human rights violations and extremist groups. After a state of lasting peace and calm the foreign powers should leave as soon as possible. Foreign intervention is a powerful tool that must be internationally overseen and managed.

The Central African Republic is a strong believer and supporter of United Nations peacekeeping efforts. The Central African republic believes that the best thing that the United Nations can after both sides have reached a ceasefire is broker peace talks between the existing government and the rebels. This is the only way process that both sides will reach a long lasting and permanent solution to the conflict.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Chad
Delegate Name: Abigail Choffel
School: Grand Rapids City High School

Civil and political unrest is a problem that has been plaguing the world for centuries. Not only has this lead to countless acts of violence, but it has posed a vital question to the United Nations: what should be done about such an extreme, on-going problem? That is where the natures of political and civil unrest comes into play and muddies the waters. More often than naught, the situations of unrest are extremely dangerous and delicate, making it difficult for effective intervention to take place. One of the most recent examples of political and civil unrest is that of Arab Spring, which was a conglomeration of movements that took place across much of North Africa and the Middle East. Beginning in December of 2010, these movements not only resulted in toppled governments, but in some cases extreme violence as well. The Syrian Civil war is yet another example of dangerous unrest, where the Syrian government used brutal chemical weapons on those who were uprising. As stated before, this creates difficult questions for the United Nations. How can the United Nations uphold its polices of human rights and democracy, as well as keeping those assisting in the conflicts safe? Furthermore, are the instances of peacekeeping failure enough to detract from the thought of giving direct aid?

The Republic of Chad, a nation which has been subjugated to many instances of both civil and political unrest, believes that it is the duty of the United Nations to aid those nations in which peace is diffracting. As a developing nation, the Republic of Chad is familiar with the problems that arise with an ever growing nation. For example, the Republic of Chad experienced a brutal civil war from 2005 to 2010. During that time, the United Nations sent in Peacekeepers to help aid those effected by the war, and assist in the resolving of the dispute. This proved to be extremely effective, leading the Republic of Chad to believe that Peacekeeping to be one of the United Nations most effective methods. This can also be seen through the success in United Nation Peacekeeping in Mali, Liberia, and East Timor. Methods short of Peacekeeping that the Republic of Chad feels can be effective in methods in times of political and civil unrest are those of economic sanctions, as well as United Nation monitored negotiations between feuding parties. Communication between areas of unrest and the United Nations is essential. Therefore, Chad believes that regardless of whether or not the United Nations is intervening in the crisis, a full report on what is happening in that region of the world should be made, so the United Nations can better understand the issue.

However, another question that these difficult situations pose is where are the limits? How far can civil and political unrest go before the United Nations must get involved? On that note, the Republic of Chad feels that an independent nation should be able to handle its own issues up until the point where the majority of its citizens face a real and oppressive threat to their wellbeing. Until then, the United Nations should respect the sovereignty of each individual country, unless specifically asked to intervene. When faced with the issue of a government rejecting United Nations aid, the Republic of Chad feels that the United Nations should once again assess the extent of the crisis, and take the course of action that would benefit the largest number of people living in that area. Essentially, it should be taken on a case by case basis, but with the wellbeing of the citizens in mind.

Civil and political unrest has been a constant problem plaguing the world for centuries. The Republic of Chad feels that it is the duty of the United Nations to uphold its policies on democracy and human rights, and assist in solving this problem in any way possible, whether that be Peacekeeping, economic sanctions, or peaceful negotiations. It is the wellbeing of the citizens that is the top priority.

Works Cited

Copyright © United Nations 2014. "Success in Peacekeeping." 16 November 2014. United Nations Peacekeeping. <http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/operations/success.shtml>.

—. "What is peacekeeping?" 16 November 2014. United Nations Peacekeeping. <http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/>.

General, United Nations Secretary. Civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict . 6 January 2014. <http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F68%2F696>.

Operations, United Nations Peacekeeping. LIST OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS . 16 November 2014. <http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/operationslist.pdf>.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Chile
Delegate Name: Brendan Jackson
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

We, the state of Chile, are proponents of peacefully resolving the various instances of political and civil unrest in the modern world. In the past, there have been many, many examples of situations of unrest that have been handled incorrectly-such as the brutality of police against peaceful protesters in the Southern United States during their civil rights movement-that we can learn from, and thus handle better in the future. These instances of unrest should be addressed by the United Nations cautiously, to prevent the situations from being mishandled. Unfortunately, it can be difficult at times to differentiate between legitimate protests that are causing unrest and unwarranted assaults on public order. The best way we can see to distinguish between these extremes is by evaluating whether or not the item being protested poses a legitimate threat to an important piece of society, or the well being and freedom of a group of people. If the U.N. can use this test to determine what is a true protest, they can then support it, as long as appropriate forms of protest are utilized.

As a nation in which civil and political unrest were rampant during the 1960’s and 1970’s due to major shifts in the economy and ideology of the entire country, we have a view of unrest that is very comprehensive of the need for protest. We have experienced turmoil in many different forms, and the devastation it can cause, and we believe that it should be kept to a minimum. Thus, we recommend that the U.N. help to resolve political and civil unrest as quickly as possible, with measures as far as sending peacekeepers to the affected areas.

As stated above, we are firm believers that the U.N. should take action to resolve civil and political unrest as quickly as possible. This should be done via any reasonable means, barring actions that violate rights or international law, or that infringe upon the countries involved unnecessarily. For example, it would be unacceptable for the U.N. to attempt to cease protests in an area by preventing any food from entering, as it would be not only cruel, but also a gross violation of the rights of the people involved. However, measures such as negotiating with the parties involved to expedite a compromise should be not only acceptable, but encouraged. If, for some reason, a party should choose not to negotiate with the U.N., or any other civil institution, the U.N. should further assess the situation, and attempt to ease tensions before attempting negotiations again. If the situation continues to deteriorate, the U.N. should deploy peacekeepers.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: China
Delegate Name: Alexander Raveane
School: Roeper School

In our world today, there are countless examples of the devastation and chaos that can be caused by political and social unrest. In Iraq, for example, this type of unrest led to the rise of the Islamic State, one of the most brutal terrorist organizations the world has ever seen. In the People's Republic of China, separatists in the Western regions of our country continually commit terrorist acts against the people of China. The most recent example of unrest in China, the situation in Hong Kong, most exemplifies how dangerous this can be. Western backed protesters have risen up in such numbers that they are obstructing the everyday functions of the city. This type of unrest is completely unacceptable to China and it must be stopped at all costs.

There are several different steps the international community can take to deal with political and civil unrest. Above all else, however, China would like to remind the international community that the sovereignty of the nation experiencing unrest must be respected. If the government of the country refuses any international assistance, the international community should respect this and not intervene in the conflict to promote their own interests. If, however, the nation dealing with this unrest requests international assistance, there are several different steps the United Nations can take.

The first and most favorable option is to support a program of national reconciliation within the country. If the nation experiencing unrest is open to this, the international community would be able to aid the nation in addressing the needs of the people and restoring national stability. Of course, in doing this, nations must not pick sides in the conflict that support their interests, they must work together to help the nation that is experiencing this unrest. In the case of nations like Iraq or Nigeria, however, the situation has become so chaotic that it requires more than national reconciliation. In these cases, China would be open to providing funding for the national governments of both countries to defeat the terrorist organizations that have fragmented their countries. If the UN approaches the issue of political and civil unrest as described, the sovereignty of all nations will be respected and we will be able to make substantial progress in restoring stability to the nations affected.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Wilson Wolf
School: Fishers High School

Colombia feels that peace keeping is the best course of action when it comes to civil and political unrest. It believes that protecting the rights and interests of the people living in the areas where there is unrest is the most important thing. Colombia feels that the most effective way of dealing with political and domestic unrest is international pressure on the countries if peacekeeping is not going to be effective. This would provide an incentive for the countries involved to come to a speedy and peaceful solution.

The threshold for intervention should be when innocent people are being harmed and/or when human rights are being violated. The UN should deal with governments that reject intervention efforts with international pressure and if need be economic sanctions. Colombia has and ongoing situation with unrest. The conflict started in 1920 when there were disputes over the Samapaz and Tequendama regions. In 1948 Jorge Galitán was assassinated and that lead to rural warefare between the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party. As the Colombian Conservative Party started to decline, many communist focused groups started to appear. There are many organizations throughout Colombia that are fighting and some of their reasons for doing so vary. Unfortunately the only way to deal with some of these organizations is armed conflict. The most prevalent group that is fighting is the FARC. They believe they are fighting for the poor in Colombia. They want to provide social justice through communism. Colombia is fighting to maintain order and stability for the rights ant interest of its citizens. As a republic, Colombia does not feel that communism is a beneficial governmental system.

Unfortunately, there is a fine line in between legitimate protesting and assaults on public order. Colombia believes that if protesters are peaceful and provoked by the government help is required. If the protesters are peaceful and there is no provocation then there should be no intervention and finally if the protesters and/or the government are being violent the outside aid is required.

In conclusion, Colombia feels if the protesters are peaceful and there is no provocation from the government, then there should be no intervention, if the protesters are peaceful and the government provokes the protesters intervention is required and if the protesters and/or the government are being violent the outside aid is required.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Congo
Delegate Name: Conrad Elliott
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

The Democratic Republic of Congo understands first-hand the effects of political and civil unrest, as our nation has experienced a multitude of conflicts such as civil war and the assassination of our political figures. As a result, we feel that when dealing with the unrest of the people, that the measures taken to stop the conflict should incite pressure. Whether it is with violent or peaceful protest, the government in question must communicate with its citizens and attempt to come to an understanding.

On the topic of violent unrest, the most important priority for any government is to keep peace among the citizens to prevent any unnecessary injuries. This is often unavoidable, however the line must be drawn when illustrating the time for intervention. This can effectively be done by hearing out what the people have to say in as peaceful an environment as possible to create an environment of trust among the citizens and its government. Peace keepers may be strategically placed to keep any violent parties at bay while an agreeable solution is created.

As is blatantly obvious to the world, many protests ride the line between peaceful and violent, and it is difficult for any officers or peace keepers to maintain order without overstepping their boundaries. There is no guidebook for reacting to these sorts of situations, so to combat the possibility for a sour outcome, the Democratic Republic of Congo feels that the best possible solution to dealing with an unsatisfied public is to keep all parties calm and collected.

In conclusion, the DRC feels that should a protest or gathering of people have peaceful intentions that the government to which it is directed should be obligated to hear them out and come to a solution. Should a protest turn violent, however, the government should be able to make their own decisions on how to deal while attempting to maintain a mutually peaceful environment. Should an entire government become corrupt, it is in the UN's best interest to recruit other countries and governments to apply pressure to that government through sanctions or potentially more direct methods.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Cuba
Delegate Name: William Pettinger
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Civil and Political Unrest are major issues in many nations. Civil unrest is a state in which a portion of the population is in disagreement with the ruling power and causes disruptions in everyday life by staging protests, terrorist attacks, riots, and widespread crime. Civil unrest can be caused by wars, natural disaster, and famine. Developing nations are particularly susceptible to civil and political unrest as they do not have strong institutions to resist civil and political unrest. They do not have economic institutions strong enough to survive economic hardships nor do they have powerful enough governments to resist militias and crime cartels. They may not be able to feed themselves during famines or recover from natural disasters.

Some developed nations have civil and political unrest due to extreme situations or under oppressive governments such as China.

Cuba dealt with civil and political unrest during its colonial period until its glorious revolution. It was oppressed by the evil spanish empire that enslaved its people and drove the country into the ground. Then the Americans conquered Cuba and promised democracy but turned it into another exploited territory of theirs until its supposed “Independence” where America installed dictators to continue to exploit the Cuban people. The Cuban people overcame their disadvantage to revolt against the Americans and establish their own communist state. Cuba repelled America’s attempt to recolonize Cuba.

Civil and Political unrest can be solved by a communist system of government. With one true and ruling party than can be no political disagreement. An altruistic communist government can provide for all their citizens needs. A well organized communist system also provides adequate food supplies, medicine, internal administration, and defense. Cuba has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Communism prevents class struggle and stops unrest from the totally destitute and homeless.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Connor Miller
School: Mattawan High School

The Democratic Republic of the Congo acknowledges the complexity in dealing with issues of civil and political unrest. In many of these cases, intervention by the United Nations is limited to whether the UN can determine which of the often many parties involved in a conflict are deemed, for the lack of a better descriptive term, “right,” as opposed to “wrong.”

With over two hundred ethnic groups cohabiting a sovereign territory of 2,345,409 km2 just south of the geographic center of the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo understands issues of political and civil unrest adequately enough to share its solutions on this topic. Starting in 1965, the general Mobutu Sese Seko spearheaded a nationalist force in the D.R.C. with Belgian military aid in a coup d’état to remove the then-prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. Mobutu established a single-party state in the Congo, whose name he changed to the Republic of Zaïre. Mobutu was criticized for his public executions of rival political leaders, embezzling as much as US$4-5 million from banks during his presidency, causing mass human displacement and death due to sanitary issues and violence, his extreme nepotistic patronage, and ruling for thirty-one years without free or multi-party elections. His administration saw inflation in the domestic economy to such a degree that mints began printing five million zaïre banknotes. When Mobutu was finally removed from power after the Congolese Civil Wars and replaced with Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the current constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was established. This issue is the object of numerable international focuses because of the involvement of the United Nations, the United States, the Kingdom of Belgium, and the nine African Union member states involved in the Second Congo War. Specifically, the United States and Belgium, both recognized as freely-elected, democratic states with developed economies and lacking any significant human rights offenses, offered military and economic aid to Mobutu’s regime, due to only to Mobutu’s anti-Communist policies.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo would find it appropriate if the UNGA Special Political and Decolonization Committee were to establish a policy coinciding with “The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region” passed on 24 February 2013. The Democratic Republic of the Congo further advocates for UN Peacekeeping missions and economic aid to any countries that request said aid from the international community. The United Nations should only intervene when any party threatens the security of civilians.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Ricardo Ayala
School: Grand Rapids City High School

Whenever there is a war the two sides call their allies to take part. The allies were previously chosen by various treaties and international dependences but when it comes to the United Nations, where should it stand and what should it prioritize?

The nature and scope of the United Nations is international. Thus, its priorities should be set on the common good for the whole international community. If barred from using armed intervention and peacekeeping the UN is represented as stagnant. Without being able to employ either of these two actions no authority or aid is being granted to areas of unrest. The UN should be allowed to employ those actions and then based on the well being on the international community, decide which party to ally with and put an end to the disputes.

The country of Denmark has had its own struggles with political and civil unrest. In 2005 a series of offensive cartoons were published in a prominent newspaper. The cartoons were very offensive to the Islamic population because it contradicted fundamental beliefs of their religion.

The incident still attaracts attention and scorn from Muslims in Denmark.Denmark was able to deak with the riots and protests without need of foreign intervention. This is a recent case for Denmark but does not reach the complexoty of the ones stated in the article.

The UN should always seek the interest of the world before focusing on one countries issue.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Renae Mroczek
School: Mattawan High School

Egypt recognizes that a decision must be reached regarding the course of actions that should take place in response to civil and political unrest within a country. The United Nations must be cautious on their intervention because some political uprisings need to occur in order for changes to take place. In Egypt, the 2011 revolutions led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak who ruled for almost thirty years and allowed for the election of Mohammad Morsi and then Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The power of the people to influence their government in the way that they fell they should be treated needs to be preserved.

On the other hand, dangerous terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, ISIS, and Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis should be dealt with. ISIS continues to gain power as other militant groups join them to unite their forces. In Egypt, Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has already pledged their allegiance to ISIS. These kinds of events should raise concern among the global community due to the threat of their increasing power. This is the kind of event that should warrant involvement of the United Nations.

Egypt proposes that if an act of civil or political unrest, such as the actions taken by ISIS, threatens the citizens across a vast area regardless of nation borders, then the United Nations should attempt to intervene. However, uprisings such as what occurred in Egypt in 2011 should be allowed to take place due to the fact that they can result in increased rights for the people. The right of the people to protest a government’s grievances against them needs to be preserved in order for progressive changes to take place.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Justin Hamburger
School: Roeper School

The nation of Ethiopia has a long history of civil unrest. In the1970's because the people of the Ethiopia got mad that there was little economic and political change when drastic reforms should have been made. Our people were also very upset over the inflation and corruption in our nations government at that time. The nation of Ethiopia suggests trying to listen to the requests of its people before taking any other action in civil unrest.

The 1970s were a phase of Marxist rule in Ethiopia. The civil unrest ended after a coup had been executed, but the people who said coup killed there political enemies and ruled by their own accord; not what our people wanted. Currently, we have a democracy. However, as a nation experiencing multiple famines in the last century, we have had our share of civil unrest. The United Kingdom placed economic sanctions in 2005 upon the nation of Ethiopia. Consequently, such sanctions hurt our people and did not help solve the civil unrest.

Currently, Ethiopia is in a period of civil unrest. In August of 2014 athletes from the Ethiopian junior Olympic team fled the event in order to seek asylum in the United States. Their intent was to avoid returning to the civil unrest in Ethiopia. In conclusion, the nation of Ethiopia is open to suggestions for the international community regarding how to currently, and in the future, end civil unrest in our country and world-wide. As see Ethiopia is open to all options on the table, peaceful preferably.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: France
Delegate Name: Patrick Jarvis
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Nearly every nation has seen the effects of civil or political unrest in some form or another. Some movements take the form of peaceful protests, as do many currently taking place in the Western world. Some, however, take the form of violence, whether it be a guerilla campaign, a revolution, or a mob riot. These violent campaigns especially have immediate negative consequences, such as loss of economic production or loss of life. There must be distinctions, however between the value of these campaigns, both peaceful and otherwise. For instance, a peaceful protest could be held in support for or against minority rights. Likewise, a violent movement could be in support of expanded political rights, or lessened political rights. The way to handle these situations is unclear. In which situations should rebels or agitators be supported, and in which should they be opposed?

In the former French protectorates of Mali and the Central African Republic, violence on ethno-religious divides has recently prompted French military action, per UNSC resolution 2149, in order to restore (in the case of Mali) political stability to the country. In another former French protectorate, Tunisia, Unrest in 2010 and 2011 resulted in a peaceful transfer of power from a dictatorship to a more modern, free and open democracy, which is supported by France.

France is interested in the support of dissidents who are not campaigning against a person or group of people, but rather in favor of advancing freedom through peaceful means. France would advocate the creation of a multinational board to assess world conflicts, protests and rebellions and recommend a response to the international community, be it support or opposition.

France expects support from countries such as The United States, Canada, Iraq, The United Kingdom, and Ukraine, and expects opposition from countries such as Sudan, Syria, Iran, China, and Russia.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Georgia
Delegate Name: Timothy Bennett
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Civil and Political unrest is an issue that has long plagued the Republic of Georgia, and has had serious ramifications for the world as a whole. Throughout history, boundaries have been compromised, structural integrity of nations has been questioned, all leading to a chaotic and unsafe world. Greater powers all too often assume that they are impervious to justice, leading to events such as the February occupation of Crimea. Civil unrest is a much harder struggle for the United Nations to intercede in. Boundaries of countries, and rights of nations must be protected, but lives should be saved, and peace preserved whenever possible.

With the Russian occupation of Crimea, and Georgia's own provinces, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, is has been proven that measures must be taken to ensure limitations upon the greatest global powers. Despite all Georgian efforts to define borders and limit the destruction of lives and property in these regions, Russia has broken forty two of these agreements and the United Nations has not intervened, leading Georgia to wonder whether the United Nations continues to be an effective peacekeeping force. The United Nations is duty bound to aid in in preventing destructive unjustices occuring on a global scale.

The Republic of Georgia feels it is necessary for the United Nations to withhold intervention in events of civil unrest unless it is absolutely required. The independence of nations must be recognized and preserved, and unless a significant number of lives are lost, the United Nations should not intervene. The Republic of Georgia stands by all those who support the intervention of the United Nations in Political circumstances but wish the United Nations to refrain from involvement in matters of Civil Unrest.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Ghana
Delegate Name: Isaiah Mendoza
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and political unrest are difficult situations to deal with because no one can say surely who is at fault. Typically, one must try to decide for oneself who is more in the wrong, and which side is more justified in the conflicts that arise. Not always do armed conflicts arise due to unrest, although in two particular situations, those in Syria and Ukraine, armed conflicts have, and have caught the attention of the global community. Other occasions of unrest, such as protests over Hong Kong’s elections for the city’s chief executive, or the shooting of Michael Brown in Missouri, United States simply cause protests and polarization of those with opinions on the issue. Whether it creates protests or armed conflicts, civil and political unrest is a call for help by the people in the nation-state in dealing with injustice. Those with opinions on the issues causing unrest need the help of their nation and the global community.

The Republic of Ghana believes that unrest must be dealt with in order to keep citizens safe and content. Unrest often leads to violent reactions, especially if the dissenter’s views are not heard. Any unrest should be dealt with as quickly as possible because violent uprisings are dangerous to bystanders as well as those attempting to keep the peace. Ghana believes in multilateral approaches peacefully resolve unrest. According to UN resource statistics, Ghana contributes 2,969 peacekeepers to the global community, doing its part to help deal with civil and political unrest in the world, while other nations contribute as little as one peacekeeper.

Ghana proposes that member-states should first attempt to deal with unrest as quickly as possible, but consult with other states in the region on how to deal with the unrest. Civil and political unrest can be combated as soon as it arises. Together, the member-states of the United Nations can work together to quell issues of unrest. Dealing with unrest starts with hearing the citizens. When the citizens are heard, the citizens are happy.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Guatemala
Delegate Name: Brandon Buxton
School: Mattawan High School

Over the past ten years, a huge increase in armed revolts has occurred as citizens become more informed and have the opportunity to easily contact each other through social media. This puts sovereign and legitimate states at risk, and threatens the safety of the international community.

For 36 years, the Republic of Guatemala was engaged in a vicious civil war. This war caused irreparable damage to the nation of Guatemala, and was caused by internal strife within the country, led by military factions. Multiple corollaries can be found throughout the world today, including countries involved in the Arab Spring, multiple African states, and Ukraine. A unified effort is required to assist the sovereign nation in such a situation, along with evaluating the legitimacy of any protests against it. While the right to protest is essential to any populace, Guatemala feels the circumstances surrounding each incident should be examined before international action is sought.

Within Guatemala, the United Nations took action by forming the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) to assist in rebuilding the country after 36 years of civil war.

This ten-year mission included experts in human rights, legal matters, indigenous affairs, and policing who ensured compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights. Peacekeepers assisted in the demilitarization of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) and surrender of weapons. Through the actions of MINUGUA, the Republic of Guatemala has been able to rebuild and avoid even more prolonged bloodshed caused by revolts against the standing national government.

Guatemala embraces the idea of implementing a system similar to this in other nations affected by prolonged political and civil crises, while providing the means for evaluating whether international involvement is truly needed.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Haiti
Delegate Name: Sam Schroeder
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Haiti knows firsthand the negative effects the UN peacekeepers can have on a country and strongly disapproves of their efforts in resolving civil and political unrest. There are many problems with civil and political unrest throughout the nation and sometimes it can be difficult for the UN to decide which side to support. Many times in a civil or political unrest crisis there are two extremes to a problem and it is not always easy for the UN to determine which extreme is more correct than the other and where to stand on the problem as well as how to deal with the issue.

Armed intervention or peacekeeping is a dangerous option as the power of authority can easily be abused. Haiti believes that the UN needs to expand their ideas on dealing with political and social unrest because of the numerous negative effects the UN peacekeeping movement in Haiti has had. Although the use of force is useful for some aspects such as controlling gang violence and restoring order in times of anarchy, it has a negative effect on the people when the authoritative power is abused and new problems are created trying to fix the old problems. While attempting to help unrest in Haiti, the UN did not take into account the importance of their sanitation. Ironically enough as they are trying to restore order, by intervening in Haiti the UN only created more problems such as introducing the outbreak of cholera due to the faulty sanitation of their operation bases.

Haiti believes the only option in solving political and social unrest is to focus on ways of helping that do not include armed forces and violence. To resolve these problems Haiti believes the international community should provide aid in the form of donations or missionaries that will help the unrest in a positive way as opposed to military forces that could possibly provoke further violence on civilians and introduce further problems to an already crippling society.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: India
Delegate Name: James Ross
School: Vicksburg High School

Dealing with civil and political unrest is a major concern for the people of India. After events such as the 2002 Gujarat riots, where many innocent Indian civilians died, the people of India believe the international community should use peacekeeping measures to help resolve domestic and civil crises. India also feels that armed intervention should only be used to solve disputes when it is absolutely necessary. After experiencing the Gujarat riots in 2002, the people of India believe that the threshold of international involvement should only be used if aid is asked for by the nation in question.

India also feels that the United Nations should deal with governments that reject international intervention by respecting that country's national sovereignty and only intervening when asked for aid. The United Nations should allow the nation’s government to handle the situation unless the conflict spreads to other nations and affects its people in a negative way. India believes that the United Nations can distinguish between legitimate protest and unwarranted assaults on national order by the level of violence the protesters are enacting upon the citizens and government of their country. If the level of violence cannot be handled by the government of that nation, India believes that the United Nations should be allowed to intervene if asked for aid in hopes of trying to find a solution to the conflict as diplomatically as possible. India also stresses that the use of military intervention only be used when absolutely necessary in hopes of achieving international peace.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Joshua Cambri
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

The ongoing protests all around the world have and will influence how a country is viewed and if these protests are influential enough, they will change a country and shake its foundations from the ground up. The most notable example would be America, whose formation was based off of peaceful protest and a desire for change. However, the most recent example would be protests in China where thousands of Chinese in Hong Kong protested for their rights for democratic elections. Civil protests have been the bane of many governments unwilling to change and because of this, the international community looks upon the countries going through these issues with uncertainty.

The state of Indonesia is no exception. Since our annexation as a country, we have experienced a couple political upheavals. One our first important ones being a failed coup leading to General Suharto becoming our president in 1967. Then in 1998 during a time of economic crisis in our state, president Suharto was overthrown for President B J Habibie. Our state soon after experienced more political turmoil in 1999 when East Timor voted for independence. Their independence was supported by the U.N. and because of this incident, the state was able to deal with the corruption surrounding the case and make peace with East Timor. Our state has dealt with the issue of political and civil unrest for quite some time with many militants in our country but, yet our state is able to make deal with these groups and tries to promote peace when we can.

The state of Indonesia believes in national sovereignty in dealing with matters of domestic civil and political unrest. However, the state also believes that U.N. intervention can be an important tool for settling these disputes before they become an issue for the international community. Our country will promote democracy and Islam as options to help resolve domestic disputes in other nations.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Chase Vandenberg
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and political unrest is an international issue that can affect any state. Very rarely is there a distinctive reason why there is any civil or political unrest within states. As a result of these difficulties, it is hard for the UN to intervene on these issues. The success of these issues rely on the readiness of the state to accept help. The options to help are limited in number and they tend to either be about a general call for peace or the threat of coercive measures. This leaves the questions of how much interference the UN should have over civil and political unrest.

We, the Islamic Republic of Iran, believe states should settle their own civil and political unrest. For many years Iran has been opposed to any form of interference on these issue. It should be left up to the state to settle these disagreements. If a state is unable to settle a civil or political dispute, they should look to other states in their region for help. The West does not need to involve themselves in regional disputes. Peacekeeping within other states should not become blurred with peace enforcement.

It could be a danger to the state at hand if interference from the United Nations was allowed. If a state creates a problem, it should take care of the problem. No nation should have the right to decide what is right and what is wrong in another nation. The UN should not have the right to determine the fate of an issue it has nothing to do with. The problem of a nation should be discussed and settled within the state it takes place within. We should not allow for the UN to force interference.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Iraq
Delegate Name: McKenna Kluemper
School: Fishers High School

Iraq is currently dealing with political and civil unrest. We feel that progress is being made, and therefore do not support the use of international military force to solve issues. We have requested the aid of both The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, however we have not requested military action. We believe that unrest should be dealt initially by the discretion of the nation.

Iraq is of the opinion that the use of force in international matters is severely overused. There are many alternatives to violence that would be a more responsible means of resolving political unrest. There are many economic actions that are just as, if not more, effective in creating change. This can be done through imposing sanctions or banking restrictions. Those are deterrents that would have the same effect in stopping unrest, while ensuring that unnecessary violence is not committed. Iraq does not support the use of violence to fight violence, for this sets dangerous presidents for military supremacy. There is also the option of removal from international organizations.

There is then the issue of international intervention. It is important for this intervention to respect the national sovereignty of all nations. To interfere within a country without that countries explicit consent is a gross overstep of the United Nations’s authority. Therefore Iraq believes that this intervention should be limited to situations in which the country in question requests aid in dealing with the problem. This will ensure the cooperation of the nation and the incoming aid.

The first and most important step is for the United Nations to work with the respective government to identify legitimate movements. If this is not possible, than the United Nations has the responsibly to investigate and conduct extensive research in order to understand the goals and motivations of the movements at hand. Then the issue of intervention can be discussed. Though the criteria for intervention should be assessed from multiple angles. Such criteria could include the size of the movement, severity of the issue, whether the movement is violent or not, whether the movement has the potential to become violent in the future, if negotiations are underway, if negotiations have been suggested or denied, and the history between the government and the protesters.

The cessation of political and civil unrest is an important issue, but it is also often a very delicate issue. This is why Iraq firmly supports the national sovereignty of all nations.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Jonathan Pearcy
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Israel has seen and felt the effects of civil unrest, and knows how quickly this unrest can turn to violence. Peaceful protest quickly gives way to armed revolt, and this process can easily destabilize a country; however, there is often a grey area in these conflicts, where neither side is obviously right. In these cases, choosing the wrong side, or any side, can be disastrous, and can seem as though the international community is condoning whatever that side does. The United Nations cannot choose sides in these kinds of conflicts, as, no matter the outcome, they will have angered part of the population.

The United Nations should not interfere with a country's internal affairs simply for having civil unrest. This goes against the charter of the United Nations, which, under Article 2, states,

“Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter.”

Unless the unrest begins to affect countries other than that of which it originated in, the United Nations has no reason to intervene, and should let it take its course.

Unless this unrest has a serious risk of spilling out of its borders and destabilizing nearby countries, the United Nations should not intervene. If the conflict does begin to spill over its own borders, military aid should be offered to its neighboring countries. This military aid should only be used to contain the conflict, not to interfere with it. Any military force sent into an unstable area should be made up of soldiers from countries isolated from the dispute.

Israel expects strong opposition to these ideas from countries with large amounts of civil unrest, who want military or other support from the United Nations. However, Israel expects more stable and established countries to support them.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Italy
Delegate Name: Serin Joice
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and political unrest has become and continues to be a historical and current international issue that affects a broad range of nations. Even though the UN makes efforts to clear the conflicts, they can’t find a clear distinction between right and wrong, due to the opposing views of the interested parties. Often times the resolutions result in a nationwide call for peace or use of military tactics to control the situation. The largest outpouring of civil unrest in recent years; the Arab Spring, which began on December 18th, 2010 and spread throughout Arab League and its surroundings, resulted in the international Special Political and Decolonization committee not knowing the next order of action. The UN eventually ended up passing a series of resolutions that were implied to specific situations in each country and established a “no fly zone” and authorized a “all means necessary” to protect the civilians.The UN can push for a democracy, but it would discriminate against other parties or groups. The current issue of ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, emerged from the Syrian conflict between the Sunni people and Shi’a people. Another issue is the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which started with anti-government protests and the resignation of the Ukrainian president early 2014. One of the key figures of the war, is Russian president Putin, who is suspected of funding and aiding the rebels, even to the extreme of sending Russian soldiers across the border to fight with their side. Political and civil unrest issues happen often worldwide, and there are certain protocols as to how to handle such conflicts and when the UN is needed to intervene.

Italy has a democratic form of government since the conclusion of World War 2. Emphasizing labor and social issues as a focal point of Italian government, Italy has been recognized to have an international reputation for social peace. Police enforcement also plays a key role in Italy’s government, national police are given power to enforce rules and keep the public under control. This allows for civil and political unrest to be controlled, but if police force is abused, the public is protected by provisions of the law. Italy has made efforts to associate with labor unions, this has resulted in less frequent and less disruptive strikes and protests. Almost all organized public protests have been carefully managed, and are announced well in advance. While Italy has a number of national governments, only rarely has regime change resulted in violent civil unrest, they are able to preserve the unity and peace in their country.

On the topic of how the UN should intervene in other countries for civil and political unrest, it should be a well thought out approach that would best handle the situation. As seen in democratic Italy, a communication between the government and the public can lead to compromises that reduce the civil and political unrest. If the political or civil conflict reaches a level of harming other countries or a large amount of people, then UN military action may need to be enforced. Otherwise, many conflicts can be solved through peaceful protests and a compromise between the government and the public. If the conflict surpasses a level that the local government can’t control, then international involvement is required to stop the conflict from expanding. If a country refuses international efforts to intervene, then the country has made a decision to deal with the situation on their own and are trusting that they can handle the situation. If the conflict begins to affect other countries and becomes into a worldwide problem, then the UN has to intervene. Currently, the UN deals with peacekeeping issues by trying all means to solve the situation with the least amount of military involvement. But, even in situations like the Ukraine/Russia conflict, military involvement is necessary to preserve peace and ensure that the conflict doesn’t expand to affect a broader range of countries. Depending on the conflict and how the countries involved want to take action, the UN can either intervene or not intervene as long as the conflict doesn’t expand or cause chaos.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Jordan
Delegate Name: Jordan Smith
School: Williamston High School

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has a history with civil and political unrest. Our country experienced a series of protests that began in January of 2011 and resulted in the firing of many government officials. Protesters wanted King Abdullah II to step down as ruler and protests began getting more violent. With the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions the people of Jordan saw change and wanted to acquire it. With the Arab Spring protests Jordanians were encouraged to join by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Jordanian Brotherhood has formed its own political party, the Islamic Action Front, which has the largest number of seats of any party in the Jordanian parliament. The Brotherhood claimed its acceptance of democracy and the democratic process but only within their own groups. There is a high degree of dissent amongst Brotherhood leaders who do not share the same values, which undermines its acceptance and commitment to democracy. This has created disunity in the country and more political unrest.

King Abdullah II has planned to take quick, concrete and practical steps to launch a genuine political reform process. The reforms should put Jordan on the path to strengthen democracy and provide Jordanians with the dignified life they deserve. In the past King Abdullah has responded with action to political protest. Jordan is in debt, very instable and lacks unity. Jordan needs financial aid and support from fellow United Nations. Members of the Arab Springs’ protests created instability throughout the Middle East and north Africa, this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

The Kingdom of Jordan supports reform. Because of the refugees fleeing to our nation and the instability in the region of the Middle East it is incredibly difficult to address this problem. Jordan encourages Middle Eastern countries to consider reform; with the help and support from fellow UN countries we can ease the political and civil unrest in our region. Jordan believes that we must meet the needs of the people to survive as a peaceful country. Nations in the Middle East and North Africa must listen to our people and create resolutions that help the people and the nation as a whole.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Kazakhstan
Delegate Name: Kennedy warfield-shelton
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

Political and civil unrest is an international issue that affects all nations. The Kurds are a people without a politically recognized homeland. WIthin this broad group of people of diverse tribal associations, and religious practices. In many ways they have been able to maintain a strong peace between our citizens.

Kazakhstan believes that it is most important to maintain the peace so that peace can be reflected on its on people. We are interested in protecting the rights of our citizens and those living in places where there is political unrest. Kazakhstan proposes to make positive movements toward uniting the country by actively participated in world politics that make people safe. Allowing all countries apart of the UN to become apart of making the world a safer place for its citizens.

The threshold for intervention should be when people who are innocent are being harmed or are endanger of losing their civil rights. Kazakhstan is a supporter in allowing the UN to help with dangerous situations happening in other countries.

In conclusion, Kazakhstan feels that if there is no real threat to society and its countries people and that possible protesters do not pose a threat, there would be no need to intervene. But, perhaps if protesters do pose a threat and the government aid is not strong enough, that it is okay for the UN to step in and provide help to political unrest.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Kuwait
Delegate Name: James Kelly
School: Mattawan High School

During the Iraq-Kuwait war (1990) the United States along with the United Nations aided Kuwait to rid Saddam Hussein from our land. After Iraq won the war, Hussein forced his way into Kuwait and depleted the country of our wealth. The exiled royal family of Kuwait started and international campaign to take back our land. The United Nations Security Council soon after passed 12 different resolutions demanding Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, but none were successful. Over half of our population fled the country during the seven month occupation. Saddam Hussein forces were vigorous in their attempts to leave Kuwait with absolutely nothing and they accomplished just that. This horrific event occurred 24 years ago, and our nation is slowly recovering. The State of Kuwait feels that it is our responsibility to make sure that no country ever feels the effects from a war that we experienced not so long ago. Today extremist groups and world powers are keeping the United Nations on their toes, and this is the time to take action and restore peace.

The international community has seen world power invasions, extremist groups, sanctions, and multiple terrorist acts in the past year. These acts have mainly gone unanswered by the United Nations. While sanctions were placed against Russia when they invaded Ukraine, this hardly slowed their advances, as they have recently led another invasion into Ukraine. They have brought tanks, anti-aircraft artillery, thousands of troops, and much more across the border into the unstable Ukrainian nation. This is slowly turning into the same nightmare that our country had to face. In 1990 just over 1 million Kuwaiti citizens had their ethnicity and culture, challenged and destroyed. Now over 42 million Ukrainian citizens may face the same horror. Another international conflict is the Islamic State or ISIS has made its presence known in both Syria and Iraq. ISIS has directly challenged the United States and the United Nations. While airstrikes are being used to keep ISIS at bay, they are still making over a million dollars a day, and are expanding their weapon barracks. These two issues affect the State of Kuwait and nearly every country around the world. Because of this the United Nations should take immediate action against these forms of evil.

The Delegation of Kuwait believes that military action should not be implemented unless it is an absolute necessity; however, every action should be taken by the United Nations to limit a country's capability that has committed international crimes. Sanctions are a great way of limiting a countries capabilities. The best sanctions to limit a country and their power are too limit their revenue. The best way to limit revenue is to make trade illegal with the country at fault.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Liberia
Delegate Name: Robert McCarrick
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

Liberia is currently the victim if political and civil unrest due to the Ebola outbreak following two consecutive civil wars. The U.N. is doing the best it can in order to maintain relative tranquility. Initially after the second civil war they sent 15,000 military personnel and 1,115 police forces to maintain peace. That number has since declined as there has been less and less need for them to maintain a presence in Liberia as the new government has stabilized.

However with the new Ebola outbreak in west Africa, Liberia being in the epicenter, the U.N. is now needed more than before in order to maintain the peace. With almost 7,000 confirmed cases and almost 3,000 killed,its worse than when the disease was first discovered, sending Liberia into a state of emergency. However with the U.N.'s involvement the cases are being found faster and people are being treated faster and with a higher degree of quality. Thus the spread of the virus has slowed and more and more people are surviving the infection. The Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, (MSF), who employs thousands of medical workers across west Africa, has confirmed that the situation in Liberia is getting better and has seen a ‘significant reduction’ of new Ebola cases.

Liberia thinks that the U.N. Should come to the aid of any and all countries in order to maintain the peace whenever the lives of innocent people are in danger, whether it be from disease or civil wars or any other sort of hazard to the people of the world.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Libya
Delegate Name: Keilyn Broussard
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

We, the country of Libya, are struggling to control civil and political unrest. During our Civil War in 2011, former president Muammar Gaddafi was faced with rebellion by the anti-Gaddafi National Transitional Council, and our country was slip between the Gaddafi loyalists and rebels. His government eventually became corrupted and violent, and Gaddafi was to be put under arrest for crimes against humanity. Near the end of 2011, all pro-Gaddafi cities had been captured and Gaddafi himself, while attempting to escape, was murdered. Ever since then, our country has been in violent conflict.

Our Parliament is working tirelessly to gain control and create order within our country. We are dealing with a string of militias and faux governments at the moment, including Islamist groups controlling the city of Tripoli and the New General National Congress. The United Nations has currently been helping with the predicament since 2011 for civilian protection, but problems still persist and multiple people have been killed due to air strikes, beheadings, and other violence of that nature. Currently, Libya is in shambles.

As previously stated, the United Nations is already working with us to recover from our Civil War. This task, called the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, aims to:

"(a) restore public security and order and promote the rule of law;

(b) undertake inclusive political dialogue, promote national reconciliation, and embark upon the constitution-making and electoral process;

(c) extend state authority, including through strengthening emerging accountable institutions and the restoration of public services;

(d) promote and protect human rights, particularly for those belonging to vulnerable groups, and support transitional justice;

(e) take the immediate steps required to initiate economic recovery; and

(f) coordinate support that may be requested from other multilateral and bilateral actors as appropriate."

We thank you for the patience you have been showing us, and we hope to completely fix this problem with your help in the near future.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Lithuania
Delegate Name: Jacintha Glover
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

Civil and political unrest has become an international issue that will begin to affect a wide array of nations, and regions. International efforts do not always continually help due to an unclear distinction of right and wrong; this is due to the willingness of interested parties to help.

Lithuania is under the opinion that the use of force in international matters is severely overused. There are many alternatives to violence that would be a more responsible means of resolving political unrest. There are many economic actions that are just as, if not more, effective in creating change. This can be done through imposing sanctions or banking restrictions. Those are deterrents that would have the same effect in stopping unrest, while ensuring that unnecessary violence is not committed.

There is also the possibility of international intervention. The United Nations and other helping nations need to respect national sovereignty if countries wish to solve their unrest on their own. There has been civil disobedience within Lithuania but it is limited and peaceful. Our demonstrations call to mind government policies on pensions, social benefits and education. They are generally centered around minority groups, especially the ethnic Poles but these demonstrations are regarded as advancements in government processes. They do not appear to be major issues of civil unrest. They are also too few and too rare to be considered problematic. But we recognize the need to help other nations with these issues if they choose to call on us.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Luxembourg
Delegate Name: Tanvi Sharma
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg believes civil and political unrest affect all nations across the world. This is true even for nations that currently are not dealing with this problem. Because of the global nature of our society, chaos in any nations and regions has consequences all over the world. This was demonstrated in the Arab Spring of 2010. Revolutions in Tunisia cause the same to happen all over the Middle East. The same is true all over the world. In the summer of 2014, protests and riots in Hong Kong sparked and international debate on the seemingly excessive force governments tend to apply when it comes to protesters.

The United Nations has a responsibility to keep the peace around the world. While this can include armed peacekeepers, there are other routes the UN would be more apt to take. Sending in advisors and councilors, prohibiting the use of violence on peaceful protesters, and imposing sanctions on nations who do not follow these guidelines are among some alternatives to armed peacekeepers. Luxembourg has few problems with civil and political unrest. While protest are common, they are peaceful and the government believes that it is imperative to respect their right to protest. Luxembourg believes the ideally United Nations should also follow these principles.

It is not for the UN or its member states to dismiss a protest as unwarranted. So long as the participants remain peaceful, it is the United Nations’ duty to protect their rights. However, the UN must also respect the wishes of the government of the state involved. It would be unacceptable for the UN to breach their national sovereignty. Every case of civil or political unrest is unique and the limits and barriers for all parties involved must be reevaluated each time.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Morocco
Delegate Name: Chloe Jacobs
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Morocco believes that the intervention with armed measures would not help to decrease the political and civil unrest in the regions. In fact, Morocco believes that armed intervention would only escalate the political and civil unrest. The current crises in the interested states makes peacekeeping measures risky and dangerous. In fact, the recent acts of ISIS leads Morocco to oppose all peacekeeping efforts for the protection of those participants and to limit the ability of the groups from promoting their barbaric tactics.

Morocco would support independent and neutral negotiations between the groups and the regions. Morocco recognized that this will be a difficult process but must be attempted for the sake of the affected states and citizens. Morocco recommends limiting the issues of negotiation to focus the states on a limited goal and thereby seeking to prevent countries from bringing in other issues which would cloud and halt negotiations.

Morocco believes the threshold for international involvement has been met by the escalation of civil and political unrest in the various states. Rather than only one issue at the center of the unrest, more and more issues surface, along with more and more rebel groups. This all increases the violence, unrest, and fear among citizens.

Morocco encourages the UN to first impose financial sanctions on the states which refuse to participate in negotiations. If the financial sanctions do not render participation, the UN may consider utilizing the states and regions who will participate to impose “neighborhood” pressure as a united group against the rogue few.

As a monarchy, Morocco has seen political and civil unrest over the past 40 years, including the development of dozens of political parties which have formed to further their individual causes. Morocco has a strong commitment to all the parties to form and be heard which keeps lines of communication and negotiation open.

Morocco recognizes the difficulty in recognizing true political and civil issues with those that seek only to further the issues of small interest groups. Morocco believes the commitment to hear all the issues an address them individually will help to filter the legitimate issues from those that are not. Also, the true commitment and participation from those interested in establishing a peaceful region will help flush out real issues.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: New Zealand
Delegate Name: Adam Decker
School: Vicksburg High School

New Zealand is one of the worlds most peaceful countries and has generally low crime rates. The delegation of New Zealand believes that political unrest and human rights go hand on hand due to its belief of peaceful protest and rights of justice. Internal disruption within a country can be caused by a government neglecting its citizens and refusing to meet its people’s needs. A goal of the United Nations is to improve human rights and the special political committee can adhere to this idea by organizing boards that represent the general public. However, with enforced human rights it is crucial to have a fortified legal system.

New Zealand’s experience of political unrest comes from the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty gave Britain Sovereignty over New Zealand and granted the Māori natives the rights of British subjects.This treaty is considered to be the founding document of New Zealand as a nation and is celebrated as a holiday. Even though approximately 540 chiefs agreed to this treaty it has still sparked much debate and confusion in todays times. This disagreement is due the major differences between English and Māori translations of the treaty. New Zealand's government has worked with Māori groups to peacefully solve this age long dispute.

New Zealand’s military is a peacekeeping body in the pacific and has most recently been involved in the iraq war. Recognizing the fact that many undeveloped countries lack the resources to form a military or protection group, it is important for developed countries to take a role in protecting other nations from threats. The transformation and growth of a developing country can be a difficult process with many challenges. The United Nations can secure these countries futures and prevent them from being oppressed by other nations.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Amelia Cottrell
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Civil and political unrest has become an international issues that affects a large variety of nations. International efforts do not continually work out because they have a cumbersome time finding a clear resolution between right and wrong, due to the willingness of interested parties. Often times the resolutions result in a nation wide call for peace or call for chaos. The largest outpouring of civil unrest in recent years was the Arab Spring, this resulted in the international community to not know the next order of action. The UN can push for democracy, but they cannot give their endorsements because it tends to discriminate against other parties or groups. The current issue of ISIS emerged from the Syrian conflict between Sunni people and Shi’a people. Beginning with the anti-government protests and resignation of their president, Ukraine is involved in the ongoing civil war with the Russians. One of the key figures of the war is the Russian President, Putin, who is suspected for funding and aiding the rebels and even sometimes sending Russian soldiers across the border to fights.

Nigeria does not support the United Nations becoming involved in domestic civil and political crisis. Nigeria is able to use its history as a tactic for the future, because of the Nigerian civil war. The conflict of the war was the result of economic, ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions mainly between the Hausas of north and Igbo of the southeast of Nigeria. The war went from July of 1967- January of 1970. Nigeria was victorious, but unfortunately the war resulted in many casualties. The war was the first black-on-black genocide in postcolonial Africa. Also Nigerian constitution states that there will not be state religion, confirming freedom of religion and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religious belief. If the United Nations were to become involved in domestic and political crisis it would cause conflicts between the christians and the muslims and we would not be following the Nigerian constitution. We believe we should be settled by a nation-state instead of the international community.

Civil and political issues in a nation-state should not be involved in the United Nations. As a developing nation with advanced government we have experience in our country from our past civil war. We also have a constitution with statements we need to abide by. The slight exception to this statement is in time extreme human rights violations our way of handling civil and political issues may be altered. Overall though, Nigeria does not suggest the United Nations in being involved in domestic civil and political crises.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: North Korea
Delegate Name: Joe Zalewski
School: Royal Oak High School

Political unrest is a very prominent problem in today's international community. Dealing with this political unrest is very delicate ordeal. Peacekeeping is a very good technique for handling political unrest domestically. As for international aid to resolve political unrest, the international community should provide a safe neutral zone for leaders of the two sides of a conflict to meet. Other than that, the international community should not involve themselves in the domestic disputes of a nation.

Countries have the right to deny international intervention in their domestic unrest, and no actions should be made by the UN against nations who deny international intervention. Sovereignty is violated when the international community intervenes with domestic disputes.

The difference between a legitimate protest and unwarranted attacks on public order are two things; the hostility of the protesters and the size of the protest. Protesters that are particularity violent cannot be recognized as a legitimate protest. When they are violent, they become more along the lines of a terrorist organization. Also, the size of a protest determines it's legitimacy. A four person protest can not be considered political unrest.Therefore, for a protest to be legitimately called a protest it must have adequate size and must be nonviolent. Protests are no the only form of political and civil unrest but are the most common. As stated before, terrorism is another form of political and civil unrest.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Norway
Delegate Name: Reuben Glasser
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

The country of Norway wishes to help the world with civil and political unrest. In particular, the problems in Ukraine, Syria, and Hong Kong are issues in which the country of Norway sees and is deeply concerned about. Norway feels that the following issues are three major problems concerning the topic of civil and political unrest and must be addressed.

Norway wishes to stop the push of ISIS in the Middle East. We support the United States actions of bombing the ISIS front and protecting citizens in the Middle Eastern region. We suggest funding commences to support these Middle Eastern nations to fight back ISIS, so that, ultimately, Western intervention is no longer necessary. Norway proposes that the UN funds this program. The program would help the Middle Eastern nations threatened by ISIS to become more economically stable as well as fund national armies to fight off ISIS. Other problems in the Middle East such as scrimmages on border fronts need to be diplomatically resolved. These meetings would be voluntary but participation would be highly suggested.

Concerning the problem of Ukraine, Norway suggests diplomatic meetings are held between Ukraine and Russia until Russia feels that they can once again move their military out of Ukraine. The meeting would consist of Ukraine representatives, Russian representatives, and the UN. Also terrorist groups in Ukraine should be disbanded or eliminated.

The issue of Hong Kong is a problem facing the governmental type. Norway is a democratic nation and supports the forming of other democratic nations. We support Hong Kong’s actions and suggest meetings take place until the problem is resolved. The meetings would consist of the UN, Hong Kong diplomats, and mainland China representatives.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Oman
Delegate Name: Ryan Collison
School: Mattawan High School

Oman feels that maintaining peace in the world is one of the most important things for improving the state of the world as it is now. With so many different races and groups of people who all identify themselves differently from others, it is near impossible to satisfy everyone exactly as they please, though nations should strive to prevent unrest from rising so that the future of this world remains bright and prosperous.

Oman has had its fair share of civil unrest that it had to deal with. During the Arab Spring in 2010, many North African and Middle Eastern countries were faced with protests and uprisings from their citizens, making demands for reformed government, higher wages for working class individuals, and constitutional rewrites, among other things. In Oman specifically, protesters were demanding salary increases and also lower living costs, alongside reforming how the cabinet members served. The government of Oman handled all these protests peacefully without once initiating violence on the protesters, which was a very smart move. Violence against them would likely have pushed the protesters to demand more than what they already were, something no government would like to do.

The current situation in Ukraine should be handled very carefully and diplomatically. The Ukrainian people are already upset about the Russian Federation annexing Crimea and also funding and aiding the rebels, and the United Nations would not want to push Russia to attack Ukraine outright. What the UN should do to help assuage the civil unrest in Ukraine, as well as any other country in the world, is impose sanctions on any country with legitimate unrest, the degree of which would be determined based on the specific situations.

No matter what, sending armed forces to deal with civil unrest should not be considered. War is the worst option to handle protesters as it only paints the United Nations in a bad light. Civil unrest should be handled purely diplomatically and peacefully to prevent further angering those who are being legitimately oppressed.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Noah Alderton
School: Fishers High School

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a strong believer in the peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations. As the number one contributor of troops for the United Nation’s peacekeeping operations, Pakistan understands the positive effect the U.N. peacekeeping missions have. There have been a number of instances where Pakistan has faced civil and political unrest, including the secession of Bangladesh and martial law being declared several times. Despite a number of instances of civil and political unrest, Pakistan has been able to solve its former issues with limited international intervention.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan strongly opposes the use of United Nation’s resources to resolve civil and political unrest in a nation. U.N. involvement in a nation’s internal affairs is a violation of that nation’s sovereignty, and goes beyond the responsibilities of the United Nations. Chapter I, Article 2, Section 7 of the Charter of the United Nations defends this notation that the U.N. should not intervene in the domestic affairs of its member states.

<i> Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter;</i>

The United Nations is a neutral organization that has no right to decide which party is correct within a conflict of a nation. The purpose of the U.N. is to maintain peace, which Pakistan is a strong supporter and enforcer of. The U.N. can, however, negotiate peace talks and deals between the conflicting parties. Acts such as these do not violate a nation’s sovereignty, and aid in the deescalating of tensions. The United Nations can also provide humanitarian aid to the refugees of any unrest within a nation. It is the responsibility of the nation in question to resolve any internal crises. For example, in the present Syrian conflict, it is the responsibility of the Syrian government to stop the ongoing rebellion occurring there. The international community has no right to intervene in Syria. Outside intervention in Syria would just complicate the situation. The United Nations along with the international community need to respect the sovereignty of Syria along with other nations facing civil and political unrest.

There are a number of actions that the United Nations can take to help resolve any internal civil and political unrest occurring in a nation. Organizing meeting between the conflicting parties of unrest would allow a possible resolution to be created allowing for stability to return to the region. Actions such as peace talks are often quite effective, and are an excellent way to resolve unrest without infringing on a nation’s sovereignty. Peace talks are also preferred to military action as they prevent further violence from occurring. Often in civil and political unrest, there are many refugees. The United Nations should continue to provide humanitarian aid to those refugees. Providing humanitarian aid is the best way the U.N. can combat the impact of unrest on the citizens of the particular nation. By providing humanitarian aid and creating peace talks, the United Nations is doing the most it can to resolve civil and political unrest as the Charter of the United Nations authorizes.

Works Cited

"Charter, United Nations, Chapter I, Purposes and Principles." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.

"Pakistan at the United Nations." Pakistan Mission to United Nations. Pakistan Mission to United Nations, 2014. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.

"Pakistan." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.

"Pakistan Country Profile." BBC News. BBC, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Syed, Baqir S. "Pakistan Backs Syrian Govt, Opposes Foreign Intervention." Dawn. The Dawn Media Group, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Portugal
Delegate Name: Kelly Higgins
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

Unfortunately, in the case of civil and political unrest, each side has an opinion on why they are right and each side will stand up for their beliefs. The nation of Portugal strongly agrees that in is within the UN’s duties to maintain peace between feuding nations. As earlier stated each side in feud has their own opinion, but whose obligation is it to decide which group is in the wrong? The UN, because of its nature of neutrality, has no place to decide such a major debate.

In the country of Portugal we have faced our own civil unrest in recent years, including many protests which have been controlled by the police force and not needed the intervention of an outside force. Many nations do not maintain peace so quickly and face and inadequate resolution put in by a corrupt and one-sided government. But at what point is there a requirement for the UN to step in and create peace (while not favoring a certain side)? This is the decision that needs to be made in the Special political and decolonization committee. The nation of Portugal believes that the best role for the UN during a feud is the middle man, the one controlling outbreaks of violence and hate in both nations.

Overall, the nation of Portugal believes that the UN needs to keep peace between nations, while keeping in mind that we cannot single out one side or the other to defend.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Rwanda
Delegate Name: Zakary Zazula
School: Vicksburg High School

After the Rwandan genocide in 1994, dealing with civil and political unrest has become a major concern for the people of Rwanda. The people of Rwanda believe that the international community should implement the use of peacekeepers to solve domestic and civil crises and only use military force when it is absolutely necessary. Diplomatic solutions should be implemented first before any armed action is taken to quell the conflict.

Also, the Rwandan genocide has made it clear to the people of Rwanda that the threshold for international involvement should be when countries the assistance the most. If the offer for UN intervention is rejected by a nation's government, the UN should respect that nation's sovereignty and let their government handle the situation. However, if the conflict spreads to neighboring countries, Rwanda suggests that the UN takes measures to quell the conflict before it spreads further to even more nations. This ensures safety for the citizens and the governments of all countries that are involved in the conflict if the violence gets out of hand.

Rwanda believes that the UN and/or its member states can distinguish legitimate protest movements and unwarranted assaults on public order by the level of violence the protestors are enacting upon their country. If the violence get to be where the nation's government can no longer handle the situation, the people of Rwanda suggest that peacekeeping methods be instilled in order to try and calm the conflict with consent of the country in question. The people of Rwanda also reiterate that the use of military intervention should only be used when absolutely necessary and it is the only remaining option for silencing the crisis at hand.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Somalia
Delegate Name: William Kelly
School: Grand Rapids City High School

As stated in the introduction of the official prompt text: Civil and political unrest is an international issue that affects a broad range of nations, both developed and developing, for a variety of reasons that can be complicated or simplistic, legitimate or unreasonable, progressive or regressive. The Delegation from the Federal republic of Somalia is very deeply moved and agrees with the text in this statement. As a country-nation that many in the mainly European and American west would consider to be developing, we are very familiar with the concept of Civil and Political unrest. The state of Somalia is undergoing what historians have already coined the Somali Civil War. Starting January 26th, 1991, this war continues to ravage Somalia and heed its growth into the high ranks of the African Union and Arab League.

There should be no threshhold for international involvement. If a UN commitee has decided that a certain amount of force needs to be used to solve a problem, then that force is the amount that should be used. A special UN comitte should be formed by the G8 whos main goal will be to put an unbiased view on whether an uprising is a legitamate protest or a form of terrorism. The international community should also begin putting threshholds over which multibillion dollar corporations can not jump over. As is known by all delegates at this meeting, corporations can bend entire developing countries to their will, starting unrest and causing revolts (Such as the sugar plantation industry in Hawaii). This is unacceptable, and Somalia is deeply alarmed by it.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: South Korea
Delegate Name: Lake Wann
School: Fishers High School

The Republic of Korea has had much experience with conflict of this type, in it's dealings with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and strongly believes that political unrest should be dealt with in a series of steps, beginning with nonviolence and leading to violence only when necessary. This plan would start with peaceful negotiations to attempt to prevent violence and further destabilization in the area in question. The Republic of Korea knows firsthand that violence should not be the immediate answer, as this has shown to only make the situation worse off for the countries that are at unrest. If negotiations are ineffective or the countries at unrest are unwilling to comply, then the Republic of Korea strongly suggests economic sanctions be used in an effort for the countries in unrest to comply, but if the countries seem to be unaffected by the sanctions, then the Republic of Korea suggests force be used to make the countries comply.

Civil unrest should be treated in a different manner. The Republic of Korea suggests that civil unrest be handled through peace talks, in order to prevent the situation for becoming worse, or in some cases, to prevent casualties. The Republic of Korea strongly suggests that other countries take this approach when faced with civil and political unrest. Dealings with civil unrest should avoid becoming violent at all cost, as failure to do so could incur severe civilian casualties, and make the conflict grow worse.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Spain
Delegate Name: Lia Bommarito
School: Williamston High School

The United Nations are repeatedly called to solve political and civil unrest in many countries and regions, as it is something they are famous for solving. However, the UN’s system of dealing with these situations is often flawed or uncertain. It is regularly the difficult system of deciding which parties are wrong or right depending on each country’s decision on the topic, and figuring out how to solve it without taking each party of the conflict’s voice away. Oftentimes the countries or regions involved in the conflict refuse help that is offered from the United Nations.

Spain’s position on civil or political unrest is sometimes wavering and uncertain. It is hard to distinguish between giving regions the rights they deserve or giving them rights that might make well-kept balances topple down easily. An example of this is the movement of independence in Catalonia. The Kingdom of Spain recognizes its recent conflict with political unrest in Catalonia in the past year. Catalans have been holding illegal votes for the independence of its region. If Catalonia were to become its own state or region, that might give the domino effect to the rest of small regions in Europe (Scotland, Venice, Veneto) and even out of Europe (Kurdistan) for them to separate from their respective countries. If they were to separate, the countries would slowly be smaller and smaller until Europe in particular would look like a crumbling cookie.

Spain feels that the United Nations must use their power wisely. It is often hard to distinguish if civil unrest is a peaceful and accountable protest movement or an assault on public order. Spain believes that to distinguish between these, the United Nations must focus on the reasons for protest and compare them to protests in the past. The best way to ensure something is legitimate is to look at history similar to that something. Spain also believes that to settle unrests, many actions can be done by the United Nations. Oftentimes, it is necessary to bring in armed forces. Armies are not always violent, and can make peacekeeping less difficult for all parties. The United Nations is also responsible for bringing humanitarian efforts into countries dealing with civil unrest because these regions are often warzones. Finally, the United Nations should also intervene between countries and keep in check each country’s right to sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. In whole, Spain believes that the United Nations must involve themselves in the affairs of countries in all ways for the greater good of all involved.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Sri Lanka
Delegate Name: Gabriel Weeldreyer
School: Mattawan High School

Sri Lanka has had a history with civil war, unrest of the greatest kind. After becoming independent from Britain in 1948, a conflict erupted in 1983 between the republic government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). The conflict continued for two decades until a cease-fire was signed in 2002, but the cease-fire was quickly broken, with violence between the two increasing in 2006. The civil war ended in 2009 when the government announced that the last of the LTTE was defeated.

In a war situation, the Sri Lankan government was forced to make some difficult decisions regarding the warfare against Tamil soldiers in refugee areas; however, Sri Lanka has replaced nearly 85% of the people dislocated by the war. Measures have also been taken to reinstate economic stability after such a devastating conflict, and the remaining issues fall mostly with the political roles of Tamil representatives in government and dealing with human rights violations that occurred during the conflict.

In dealing with a civil war, Sri Lanka realizes the need for international aid during times of civil and political unrest. The Sri Lankan delegation believes that the international community should provide resources to aid governments in dealing with such conflicts, and should stand behind the threatened country politically and economically. Sri Lanka welcomes the idea of international peacekeeping, as provided by India in its own conflict, but also recognizes the potential such involvements have to further the conflict between opposing forces in a situation of unrest.

If a government resists international aid in a time of unrest, Sri Lanka believes forceful involvement should be avoided until absolutely necessary, as beginning a three way conflict in an attempt to end a conflict that was two way can be even more detrimental than the original two way conflict itself. However, if a situation of civil or political unrest begins to threaten the stability of the nation on an international stage, then measures should be taken to intervene, as it is in the best interest of the world. Sri Lanka recognizes as well the need for a decision by the UN regarding legitimacy of a protest movement causing unrest, and believes that, before any aid is given, the UN must decide which party involved in the conflict is acting in the best interests of the country and the world.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Sudan
Delegate Name: Casey Distin
School: Forest Hills Central High School

The United Nations has deployed two Peacekeeping operations in Sudan; UNAMID and UNMISS. Both of which to resolve domestic political and civil unrest. The resolution 1996 (UNMISS), was established in 2011 after the birth of South Sudan. The objective was to consolidate peace and security and to help establish conditions for development. "The United Nations is still crucial here because we still need it in South Sudan to help people,” Sudan Foreign Ministry spokesman Mawien Makol Arik said. The resolution 1769 (UNAMID), was adopted in 2007. This operation in Darfur, Sudan has the protection of civilians as its core mandate, but is also tasked with contributing to security for humanitarian assistance, monitoring and verifying implementation of agreements, assisting an inclusive political process, and contributing to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. The Sudanese Government agrees to full cooperation of UNAMID within the framework of resolution 1769. Therefore it can be concluded that Sudan feels the best course of action for civil and political unrest is Peacekeeping, due to their own experiences with such.

The UN can differentiates a legitimate protest from a unwarranted assault on public order based on hostility of group and the cause leading to the formation of the group. If the group is very violent, they can be more related to a terrorists organization. If the cause of the groups formation is due to the provocation of a government, then the group is most likely legitimate.

Sudan believe the International Community should judge their intervention of a country's government on two questions; are human right being violated? And are innocent people being harmed? Sudan says that if the UN is rejected by a country to intervene the UN must let this government be as long as these two factors are abided.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Sweden
Delegate Name: Clayton deJong
School: East Grand Rapids High School

For the country of Sweden, the problem of civil and political unrest is one that threatens the peace of their nation and the rest of the world.

The Stockholm riots in the spring of 2013 are a historical example of when civil unrest was present in Sweden. The Swedish government’s response was to repress the violence caused by the protesters and to not condone the use of destruction and violence by the rioters. Sweden did not consider this set of protests a legitimate movement, but a threat to public order because of the violence caused by it. Sweden’s position on international civil and political unrest like this is to maintain peace within the country, which means suppressing violent riots like the Stockholm riots of 2013. Violent and destructive protests are considered a threat to international prosperity and to Sweden.

Because of Sweden’s desire to keep peace, it would like to discuss the end of violent protests that cause destruction. To Sweden, a reasonable protest movement is not one with the power of violence behind it, but the power of peace and logic. For this reason, Sweden does not approve of things like the military dictatorship that has formed in Egypt because of the violent uprising against the former leader. Other violent protests in North Africa and the Middle East are opposed by Sweden as well. Sweden believes that a better solution is to listen to peaceful protests like the anti-racism protests in Sweden in the end of 2013. These protests were held peacefully and helped spread anti-racism ideas like a good, peaceful protest should.

Other western nations such as Finland, Norway, and Denmark are likely to be like-minded on this issue and against violent protest and want to see the overall reduction of violence through peaceful methods. Sweden would like the brutality of violent protests to end by peaceful measures enforced by the government and an international effort.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Kelsi Conroy
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

Rebellions, civil wars, revolutions, riots, and protests, usually resulting from inadequate governance, acts of aggression, and ethnic and religious tensions, are a recurring theme through human history. Switzerland’s position on civil and political unrest is that countries in need of that help should be able to get it; as long as it doesn't endanger people to get the help where it needs to be.

While Switzerland doesn't deal with much unrest within its borders, we recognize the fact that some countries do need help with their unrest situations. The United Nations are repeatedly called upon to help solve the unrest in many countries and regions, while others refuse the help that it offered to them by the United Nations. Switzerland believes that the United Nations should give aide to any country or region in unrest that asks for it. We also believe, the UN needs to be careful with supplying aide due to the fact that it is often hard to distinguish if civil unrest is a peaceful and accountable protest movement or an assault on public order. Switzerland also believes that the United Nations should deal with governments that reject international intervention by respecting that country’s national sovereignty and only intervening when asked, unless the conflicts spread to other nations and affect its people in negative ways. We firmly believe the use of military intervention should only be used in extreme and necessary circumstances in hopes of achieving international peace.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Syria
Delegate Name: Humzah Azeem
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Countries all around the world have experienced civil and political unrest for years. It is inevitable in a nation. Even the most seemingly stable countries experience this turmoil. People have looked at our nation, the Syrian Arab Republic, as a target for political and civil instability, but these happen to be falsities. Unrest is something that occurs everywhere, and is there something that any nation can do to stop it? If any one nation was going to do it, it would most likely be the United States, but even they are experiencing domestic turbulence as of now. The Syrian government has been attempting to take care of the issues within our borders for years now, but other nations continue to condemn our actions, even if they are completely reasonable. The Syrian Arab Republic is made out to be the bad guy, but every other nation in the world would handle security threats as they please, it just happens that the rest of the Middle East is in a state of confusion, leading the World Powers to believe that we need assistance as well. All of this unrest occurs due to citizens thinking that they have the right to rule the nation, when in fact, that is the government’s job. They do not realize that the government has their best interest in mind, and that we have experience in leading some people who are possibly in delirium.

The sole purpose of the United Nations is to promote peace, and effectively take care of issues that have become internationally recognized. However they have their limits, as it is not within their jurisdiction to invade, and disregard the national sovereignty of any nation. This is easily the most fundamental principal that they have, and it happens to be the reason that the 2012 proposition by Kofi Annan did not pass in respect to our domestic “problems”. Anyone who attended the conference that discussed Annan’s six point plan was an enemy to the Arab world. In the end, President Assad was forced to accept an altered version of the plan. President Assad agreed to rid the nation of his chemical weapons in 2013, in agreement with the Russians, but only if the U.S would halt their military actions against the Syrian Arab Republic. As of recent however, the United States has begun violent actions once again, and it is unacceptable. If anything, the UN should place sanctions on the U.S as they are simply becoming a busybody, who is not even in the best of shape itself.

The UN should simply respect the independence of the nation states and their decisions regarding their own people. Some nations have different standards than others, and the cultures may conflict, but when more powerful nations attempt to force assimilation; that is when problems and conflict start to occur. So if the United Nations did exactly what it is supposed to do and simply lightly suggest ideas, that would be fantastic, leave it up to nations to do what is best for their people.

The Syrian Arab Republic expects cooperation from allies Russia and China, as well all of its fellow Arab nations. Opposition from the ridiculously belligerent nations such as the U.S, the United Kingdom, and France. It is unbelievable that there would be opposition to national security, however the West will always find a way to make Muslim nations seem at fault.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Tunisia
Delegate Name: Ellie Katz
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Tunisia acknowledges and agrees with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As the Arab League deals with displays of unrest, Tunisia believes that the implementation of democracy and the reassertion of liberty is necessary to maintain peace. Although Tunisia has struggled with civil and political unrest in the past, it is currently taking steps to create a humane and just democracy that will work to maintain the freedoms and natural rights of its people.

The results of the Arab Spring in 2010 are being dealt with domestically, and Tunisia feels that international intervention is unnecessary at this time. Tunisia asks that foreign nations, especially Western countries, respect its decision to deal with its issues independently. After experiencing revolts such as the Arab Spring, Tunisia has taken to the reshaping of its government in order to provide a better country for its people. The United Nations fully supports Tunisia's transition to a democracy and is willing to provide any and all help to the Tunisian government if requested. The effects of the Arab Spring have ultimately been positive for the country, leading to a much needed push in the direction of a civil and fair government. In this new democracy, human rights are to be respected, and conflict will give way to peace.

Tunisia guarantees its people's right to peaceful protest, however, it struggles, at the moment, to find a balance between policies that would honor the “spirit of the revolution” and at the same time fulfill the nation's duty to ensure social order.

In short, Tunisia is working to maintain civil and political peace within the country as it transitions to democracy, but requests that Western intervention cease. It is currently attempting to find a balance between citizens' right to protest and ensuring national social order. In its new, democratic government, Tunisia will observe and acknowledge the civil and political rights of its people, and will work to create a safe, just, and free government for its citizens.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Aaron Baker
School: Roeper School

The world is more globalized than ever, creating a collective inclination to work together to solve problems. While this is generally a worthy trend, sometimes the problems selected are not of great relevance to the whole international community. Civil and political unrest are commonplace in the history of nations and the process of their politics. Today we see issues of unrest all over the world, in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the United states. The question of the international communities’ capability and responsibility must be weighed with the standard of national sovereignty, and the severity of the unrest and the government’s reaction.

The international community should not authorize the use of force through sanctioned war making or the use of peacekeepers, in circumstances of normal civil and political unrest. It would be nonsensical to intervene in Ferguson Missouri, or in Hong Kong. The respective government’s responses to the unrest has not been egregiously violating human rights, and the unrest has not been unbearably violent. Civil and political unrest that takes the form of protests and political movements are not matters to be dealt with by the international community. Even if a nation or the international community is inclined to take sides, with the government or protesting faction, it must remain untouched by serious measures. Suggestions can be out of goodwill by nations or regional bodies through diplomatic channels. International summits or bodies can be established with the purpose of dealing with unrest.

Most cases of unrest and protest fit into this category; generally peaceful and not necessitating international efforts. There are cases when issues of civil and political unrest get out of hand and merit a response from the international community. The need for the international community to intervene predicates on the level of violence existent in the civil and political unrest. Turkey believes there exists merit to the R2P, or the Right to Protect doctrine. Humanity’s condition is a global concern. Thus, when a state acts maliciously and violates human rights to a large degree in the name of quelling unrest, or fails to prevent the violation of human rights in its border’s, than an international response is merited. As R2P states, economic and diplomatic measures must be attempted first, and if those fail after significant effort, military force is evaluated as a last option.

This has become the case in Syria, where what started as civil unrest against the government has digressed into an odious dictator slaughtering his people. With 200,000 dead and growing, and millions displaced, Syria requires international attention. The current coalition working to fight ISIS must be expanded to fighting Assad’s regime. Israel is yet another example in which unrest merits international attention. Palestinian unrest and political demands are met with unacceptable violence by the Israeli government. In extreme, violent cases of unrest, governments are not always the culprits. In Yemen, Houthi rebels express their political unrest with the Yemenis government through violence. However, the Peace and National Partnership Agreement signed on 21 September 2014 addresses the problem sufficiently. Through this process, the government will transition to accommodate the demands of the Houthi’s and violence will cease. This is an illustration of a situation of unrest that merits international effort, but does not require more coercive measures. Turkey will support a resolution that balances the issue of national sovereignty with the severity of violence and violations of human rights in states impacted by unrest.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Ukraine
Delegate Name: Jacob Milam
School: Williamston High School

The most pressing issue related to this matter is would be that it is hard to intervene without using force, also that some countries reject the UN’s offer to help. Peace is hard to achieve, and for some reason the world likes to take the easy way out, that is why we have war. But today I would like to avoid the easy way out and get it done the right way. This is an issue that affects everybody in the world not just one country, even if it is not directly in your country it still affects it. Maybe one country is on the brink of a civil war and you sell/buy from that country that can greatly affect your country. Even if you are on opposite ends of the earth we are still on the same earth.

This directly effects my country because it is happening in my country right now. Crimea is being invaded by Russia for its warm water ports and natural energy. This affects other European countries and some middle eastern countries as well because we trade and sell/buy oil from and with them. We are ready to fight back and this could easily lead to a civil war, which I assume we would all like to prevent, and we can do that but we all need to work together to accomplish a common goal.

Ukraine has not rejected the UN’s help but other counties will, and that is fine with Ukraine because that’s their choice, but we can still provide aid to their people who are helpless or did not have a say in the government’s role or the rebels choice. Our first priority as the united nations is to save lives. Most countries will not reject our help and for those countries we need to have a plan of action. Ukraine proposes that we try to find a peaceful plan before it comes to war which should not be last resort it shouldn’t have to ever come to war. But I know that that’s not an option yet so we have to plan for the worst so if it does come to that then we should not join in the fight otherwise WW3 could erupt, so Ukraine suggests that we only supply materials and open up shelters or send in non-militery workers unless it comes to the worst.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Anisha Nagpal
School: Grand Blanc High School

Over the past 20 years, the United Kingdom has participated in resolving several international disputes under the leadership of the United Nations. These involvements include military assistance in Yugoslavia (specifically Bosnia), defeating the anti-government rebellion during the Sierra Leone Civil War, participating in a UN-sponsored attack and subsequent occupation of Afghanistan, and enforcing the Libyan No-Fly Zone to prevent air-attacks on anti-Gaddafi forces. From the era in which the United Kingdom was formed to the present, the country has developed strong relationships with various states across the world.

The Commonwealth of Nations, which originated from the British Empire, currently consists of 53 member states. 16 of these states are Commonwealth Realms and recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their reigning Constitutional monarch. The Commonwealth’s objectives were first outlined in the 1971 Singapore Declaration that pledged the institution to uphold and promote world peace; representative democracy; individual liberty; the pursuit of equality; opposition to racism; a war against poverty, disease, and ignorance; and free trade. Through the United Kingdom’s cooperation with the U.N. and the culture of progress established by the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Kingdom supports an extensive threshold for international involvement in respect to peacekeeping and human rights.

At the 2005 United Nations World Summit all member states unanimously agreed to the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) proposition. In the World Summit Outcome Document, this doctrine not only affirms that each individual state has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, but also should a state “manifestly fail” to uphold the commitment, the global community has a Responsibility to Protect those affected by any consequence of the failure. The United Kingdom has realized the need for this commitment and works to promote the tenets of R2P domestically and internationally.

Overall the United Kingdom strongly supports the use of the United Nation's resources to resolve civil and political unrest. The United Kingdom is the third largest contributor to the UN Peacekeeping budget and supports operations to resolve conflicts that threaten R2P.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: United States
Delegate Name: Alex Rosencrance
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

In the 21st century, the problem of dealing with civil and political disobedience inside of a country has no easy answer. As member nations of the United Nations we all swore to protect the basic freedoms and rights of all people, but what are we to do when one of our members disregards these rights? Are all people across the globe entitled to a free and democratic society, even if their culture does not support that?

As a member of the United Nations we all swore to uphold national sovereignty and to not do anything that would infringe upon the rights of any one nation. However when civil rights are being violated during peaceful protests, then it is time to step in. Lets take the situation in Ukraine for example. Almost everyone in the country wants to be separate from Russia, but the Russians keep sending supplies and troops to aid the “rebels”. The United States feels that in this case we would need to step in to ensure that a fair election is held, and that the peoples right to protest is not violated. The United States was built on the ideas of peaceful protest, and we believe that everyone should have this right.

Even though The United States does place a high price on National Sovereignty, we firmly believe that we must step in if rights are being violated. If countries are violently putting protests down, we as members of the United Nations, as well as members of the human race need to do what ever we can to ensure everyone has rights. However we do not feel that every time there is a protest, the UN should be involved. If a country can handle a protest without there being a major violation of rights, than the UN has no right to intervene into the conflict.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Venezuela
Delegate Name: Luke Brittan
School: Mattawan High School

The delegation of Venezuela understands that the world is in a state of unrest now more than ever. Nations and regions all over the earth are in constant conflict. From east to west, the world contains countries facing conflict of some sort and both violent and non-violent unrest as a result.

Venezuela is no stranger to domestic and national unrest. From the beginning of the modern age of the country in 1958, protests and riots have been more common than in other countries. Due to economic crises in the 1980s and 1990s, there were a series of deadly riots and attempted coups in Venezuela. In 1989, the Caracazo riots killed estimates of up to over two-thousand civilian casualties. The political instability and economic downturns resulted in the election of Hugo Chavez and the writing of an entirely new Constitution that focused on the natural rights of humans and the responsibilities of government in Venezuela. With such a history on the topic, Venezuela feels that outside participation of the United Nations through peacekeeping and armed intervention is perhaps the best possible solution for many of the cases.

Many times, the UN doesn't have enough context of the problem to understand the situation completely, but the enforcement of upholding natural human rights should always be kept. In Venezuela's situation of unrest, the United Nations intervening could've stopped the political problems much more quickly. It's very apparent that some sort of action should be taken in the crises of both Syria and Ukraine.

The Ukraine situation is extremely confusing at this point, but the fact that humans are not receiving their natural rights is reason enough to intervene. In the situation involving the Syrian civil war and the terrorist group ISIS, the backing of forces pushing for a liberal democracy that could give equal human rights to everyone is agreeable to Venezuela, as it is to the UN itself.

In the end, Venezuela believes that peacekeeping in countries facing unrest that endangers human rights seems to be the best solution. If the problem requires armed intervention, in addition to peacekeeping measures, to keep human rights upheld, then the UN should be willing to aid with armed forces. Overall, the UN should take action, including using peacekeeping measures and even armed intervention, in any case that threatens the natural rights of every human being. Venezuela desires to move forward in the current situations and will work with any country with similar views.

Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Vietnam
Delegate Name: Harrison Bishop
School: Vicksburg High School

It is Vietnam’s position on the subject of dealing with civil and political unrest that the United Nations and its member states can distinguish between legitimate protest and unwarranted assaults on public order by looking at a few things that have happened within the involved country or countries.

Firstly, has the offending party done enough to aggravate the protesters to the actions that they are currently taking? Secondly, have the protesters engaged in protests against the offending party, or the government in general? Thirdly, have the protesters engaged in widespread violence, or have the protesters themselves been mostly peaceful? If the answer to the first question is that the offending party has been assaulting the human rights of the people or giving unfair privileges to those that have supported the group, then the protests are legitimate, and should probably be supported. If the protesters have only protested against the offending party, and the government is involved then the United Nations could oversee negotiations that could otherwise be unfair because of the bias that the government may have against the protesters. However if the protesters have been engaged in widespread violence, then first, peace should be established by temporarily establishing a neutral area within the country, then establishing contact with the protesters to test if they are open to peaceful negotiations. If they are not then the United Nations should see if human rights are being horribly violated by the offending party, in a way that would make peaceful negotiations temporarily impossible.