Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Aaron Baker
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Turkey position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
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.
