Topic: 2025 – Reducing Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
Country: Iraq
Delegate Name: Sarath Badithala
Disarmament and International Security Committee
Reducing the Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
The Republic of Iraq
Sarath Badithala
Forest Hills Eastern High School
The recruitment of citizens by terrorist groups has been an important problem that challenges global peace and security. Groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS have been using global problems such as instability and poverty to gain more followers. Iraq has dealt with this problem before with the rise of ISIS in 2014, which drew followers from both within and outside the country. Such instances caused the United Nations to adopt treaties such as the UNSC Resolution 2178 (2014) to reduce terrorist recruitment. However, terrorist recruitment is still an imminent threat to society; terrorists have been using social media to attract followers. This poses a threat to global security and is one problem that has to be addressed by the international committee.
Iraq views terrorist recruitment as an imminent threat that undermines global security. To address this problem, Iraq implemented solutions both internationally and domestically. Domestically, Iraq has strengthened border security and worked to dismantle terrorist networks. The Iraqi government has also worked with local civil service organizations to counter terrorism from within the country. Internationally, Iraq has supported initiatives of the United Nations, such as the Counter-Terrorism Committee. Iraq also collaborated with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, sharing intelligence and participating in missions on the battlefield to eventually take down ISIS. While Iraq has made progress against terrorist recruitment, there is still work to do since terrorists are always finding new ways to attract followers, undermining global security.
Iraq urges the international community to start taking serious efforts to reduce terrorist recruitment. Iraq believes that collaboration between nations and the sharing of intelligence is truly necessary to stop the recruitment of people. Some solutions that can be implemented include increased education of the youth about terrorism, disrupting online propaganda, and increasing economic opportunities to decrease instability. When citizens can lead healthy and satisfactory lives, they do not need to join terrorist groups, which is exactly what Iraq suggests the international community do. Furthermore, Iraq advocates for a larger intelligence sharing framework to understand the moves of terrorists better and to take them out more quickly, compared to a nation’s efforts on its own.
