Topic: Situation in the Middle East
Country: New Zealand
Delegate Name: Noah Alderton
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All New Zealand position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses a threat to the global community. New Zealand has seen first hand the expansive influence the Islamic State can have with the spread of propaganda. In an effort to combat ISIL, New Zealand has authorized 143 personnel for the purpose of training Iraq security forces at the Taji Military Complex. With the assistance of Australian forces, our two nations have jointly trained approximately 3000 Iraqi Security Forces personnel. It is fundamental that the Security Council take immediate action to create a peaceful solution for the region.
The nation of New Zealand believes the number one priority of this Security Council is to limit the number causalities as a result on the conflict. While it is important to stop all fighting in the region, at this point, it is more achievable to simply limit the number the impact the fighting has on civilians. Currently, New Zealand believes the best way to assist in the fight against ISIL is to provide additional training for the ground forces currently combating the group. It is important that the international community takes a passive role in the actual combat, as it is important to not repeat of the situation following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where the military of Iraq was not properly equipped and trained for the rising terror threat. Furthermore, it is important to limit the international influence of the Islamic State. The Islamic State has a very strong social media presence, as well as a powerful propaganda capability. It is fundamental to limit this ability in an effort to prevent more individuals from traveling to the region for the purposes of fighting with ISIL. A component of limiting their influence is to limit their financial capacity. The United States Treasury Department estimates that ISIL makes $500 million annually in oil sales. While the coalition airstrikes have begun targeting the group’s oil reserves, there have not been significant reductions in the amount of revenue ISIL is making from oil reserves.
It is in the belief of New Zealand that the best way to combat the instability in the Middle East is to provide substantial support to the militaries currently combating the Islamic State. The joint effort between the Australian and New Zealand governments to train the Iraqi Security Forces has proven to be highly successful. It is in our belief that expanding the training operations with more nations would benefit the efforts to provide stability to the region. While New Zealand does not actively participate in airstrikes against the Islamic State, we are not opposed to other nations actively using their air forces to strike military targets. Eventually, it should be a goal to unify these nations conducting airstrikes to provide better coordination in the fight against ISIL. However, recently these military air strikes have been abused, and have resulted in many civilian casualties. In the city of Aleppo alone, 275,000 civilians are being threatened by these air strikes everyday. The use of airstrikes in civilian sectors need to be immediately suspended to allow for humanitarian aid to be accessible to the people of Aleppo and to prevent any more innocent civilians from being killed. The current state of this region of the world is devastating, and it is the role of the Security Council to provide a comprehensive solution.
Works Cited
Bockemuehl, Carsten. “UN Security Council: New Zealand Must Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with the Victims of War Crimes.” Amnesty International NZ, Amnesty International New Zealand, 28 Jan. 2016, www.amnesty.org.nz/un-security-council-new-zealand-must-stand-shoulder-shoulder-victims-war-crimes.
“Counter Terrorism.” New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, www.mfat.govt.nz/en/peace-rights-and-security/international-security/counter-terrorism/.
Cullinane, Susannah. “New Zealand Confirms Iraq Troop Deployment.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Feb. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/02/23/asia/new-zealand-troops-iraq/.
Greenwood, Phoebe. “Rape and Domestic Violence Follow Syrian Women into Refugee Camps.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 25 July 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/25/rape-violence-syria-women-refugee-camp.
“How Much Does Targeting Oil Sales Hurt ISIS?” CBS News, CBS Interactive Inc., 11 Dec. 2015, www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-makes-40-million-monthly-oil-revenue-selling-to-syria-bashar-al-assad-government/.
Leslie, Demelza. “Brownlee to Attend Intl Meeting on ISIS.” Radio New Zealand, Radio New Zealand, 21 Oct. 2016, www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/316259/brownlee-to-attend-intl-meeting-on-isis.
McInnis, Kathleen J. “Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State.” Federation of American Scientists, Congressional Research Service , 24 Aug. 2016, www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/r44135.pdf.
Moir, Jo. “John Key: Australia Has Every Right to Launch Airstrikes on Islamic State.” Stuff, Fairfax New Zealand Limited, 9 Sept. 2015, www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71905536/john-key-australia-has-every-right-to-launch-airstrikes-on-islamic-state.
Nichols, Michelle. “New Zealand Pushes to Break U.N. Security Council Deadlock on Syria.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 12 Oct. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un-iduskcn12c2qh.
Paton, Callum. “New Zealand Isis Supporter Shouts Allahu Akhbar as He Is Jailed for Spreading Torture Videos.” International Business Times RSS, IBTimes Co., Ltd., 23 June 2016, www.ibtimes.co.uk/new-zealand-isis-supporter-shouts-allahu-akhbar-he-jailed-spreading-torture-videos-1567035.
Trevett, Claire. “John Key: Softer Stance Matches New Zealand's Position on Bashar Al-Assad's Regime.” The New Zealand Herald, NZME. Publishing Limited, 28 Sept. 2015, www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11520282.
“UN Security Council: Syria.” New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 8 Oct. 2016, www.mfat.govt.nz/en/media-and-resources/ministry-statements-and-speeches/un-security-council-syria/.
