Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: John Foy
School: East Grand Rapids High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Brazil position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
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.
