Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the Disarmament International Security (DISEC) of Ivy League Model United Nations Conference 2011. My name is Sam Schear and I am a junior here at Penn. I am currently studying History, Political Science, and Judaic Studies and am also studying abroad this fall in Tel Aviv.

A little more about myself: I have been a resident of Washington D.C. all my life, although raised a New York sports fan, and have yet to become accustomed to the inhumane Philadelphia sports we experience here. To try to distract myself from this, I have been involved in several extracurricular activities at Penn. Namely, my freshman and sophomore years, I was very involved in Hillel and Israel activist groups on campus. Last summer, I spent most of my time serving as Director of Calleva Outdoors, where I spent the day teaching kayaking and mountain biking. When I am not cooked up in one of Penn¡¯s lovely libraries, I try and sneak out for any outdoors activities.

Of course, I have dedicated much of my time over the summer and this year to preparing the best study guide I could write for this conference. I hope you will find it useful as you begin to research these topics and eventually as you work with other delegates to design innovative resolutions. Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions. I am excited to meet you all soon.

Cheers,

Samuel D. Schear

Chair, Disarmament and International Security
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVII

 

Dear Delegates,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) for the twenty-seventh session of the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC). As always, DISEC will take the lead in discussing the most fundamental and pressing problems facing the international community today.

This year DISEC will address the issues of International Piracy and Islamic Terrorism with a particular focus on the Indian Subcontinent. Both topics focus on complex issues with strong destabilizing effects on the global community that I know will challenge your debate and problems solving skills. As moderator I am excited to oversee such fruitful debate.

On a personal note, I am a senior in the College of Arts and Science studying political science and history. I plan on spending the upcoming summer abroad in Gaborone, Botswana working at the Kamogelo Orphans and Vulnerable Children¡¯s Project. As both a delegate and a chair, I have participated in Model UN since high school. I have held a number of previous positions with ILMUNC serving as an ASG, USG for the General Assembly, and most recently as Business Director. I am excited to now continue my relationship with ILMUNC by working with the delegates directly. The staff of DISEC and I are working to make this the best ILMUNC yet.

I look forward to meeting you all. Feel free to contact me for any questions.

Best,

David Peters

Moderator, Disarmament and International Security
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVII

Topic A

Maritime Piracy

Maritime piracy is one of the largest threats to international security. The United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982 defines piracy as: "(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed: (i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; (ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State; (b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft; (c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b)." Although 72% of reported pirate attacks occur while the vessel is anchored in port or in territorial waters of a specific countries, the ones that occur in international waters are more difficult to regulate since prosecuting individuals captured in international waters is more complex. Fighting piracy may take more that international conferences and legal frameworks. Nearly two decades after UNCLOS, piracy and private attacks against ships continue to be a serious threat to maritime peace and impose even more costly consequences to the shipping industry. Maritime piracy is particularly extreme on the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Somalia and on the South China Sea. Maritime piracy is a global issue and the Disarmament and International Security Committee must find a global solution for it.

Topic B

Terrorism

Terrorism is defined as the "calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear." In the past decades, Islamic terrorism has grown into a global concern that threatens international security. Islamic terrorism is the use of violence and terror in the name of Islam. The objective of Islamic terrorists is to protect the Islamic faith, culture and teachings against Western influence. The terrorists believe that Allah, through the Quran orders them to take up arms and fight to resist Western influences on Islamic culture. Regardless of the reasons, terrorist attacks take the lives of thousands of innocent civilians every year. The Disarmament and International Security Committee must discuss solutions to the ever-growing issue of Islamic terrorism.