Arab League 2014

!

Background Guide

Arab League

!

!

! ! 1

BruinMUN 2014 Arab League

Arab%League%

!Dear!Delegates,!!I!am!absolutely!thrilled!to!welcome!you!all!to!UCLA’s!22nd!annual!high!school!Model!United!Nations!conference:!BruinMUN!!My!name!is!Hasmik!Hmayakyan,!and!this!will!be!my!sixth!year!involved!in!Model!United!Nations.!I!am!extremely!excited!to!meet!each!and!every!one!of!you!and!cannot!wait!to!see!in!what!direction!you!will!pull!our!committee.!!I!would!like!to!introduce!myself!in!order!to!create!a!warmer!environment!for!our!committee.!Being!a!secondIyear!Political!Science!major!and!Philosophy!minor,!I!have!learned!to!question!and!debate!almost! anything,!which! is!more! of! a! gift! than! a! curse.! Besides!my! academic! endeavors,! I! am! the!Director!of!!High!School!Recruitment!for!Model!United!Nations!at!UCLA!and!President!of!the!Olive!Tree!Initiative:!ArmeniaITurkey.!In!my!spare!time,!I!enjoy!drawing!and!practicing!various!forms!of!martial!arts.!I!also!have!many!unusual!interests,!a!few!of!which!include:!medieval!weaponry,!Soviet!Russia,!and!the!various!effects!that!drugs!have!on!the!human!mind!and!body.!!I! am!excited! to! see!how! the!Arab!League!will! unfold.! There!has!been!much!unrest! in! the!Middle!Eastern!region,!and!with!recent!developments,!I!am!sure!our!committee!will!find!various!topics!for!debate.!This!committee!will!surely!be!educational,!yet!interesting.!!I!hope!that!you!are!all!as!eager!as!I!am!to!partake!in!this!committee!!I!am!looking!forward!to!meeting!you!all!in!the!fall,!and!I!wish!you!all!the!best!of!luck!in!preparation!for!this!committee!!!Kindest!Regards,!!Hasmik!Hmayakyan!Chair,[email protected]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!

!

! ! 2


Topic%A:%Syrian%Civil%War%

!I. Background%

!a. Geography%

!Syria!is!located!in!western!Asia,!and!the!country!borders!Lebanon,!the!Mediterranean,!Turkey,!Iraq,!Jordan,!and!Israel.!Damascus!is!the!capital!and!Aleppo,!Hama,!Deir!azIZour,!Homs!and!Latakia!are!the! country’s! major! cities.! The! country! is! divided! into! fourteen! administrative! provinces.1!Syria!consists!mainly!of!an!arid!plateau,!but!a!quarter!of!the!territory!is!arable!agriculture!is!possible!in!around!25%!of!the!territory,!mainly!the!coastal!areas,!and!the!northIeast!and!south,!where!there!is!access!to!rain!and!rivers.2!However,!in!recent!years!both!water!sources!have!significantly!decreased!and! severe!droughts!have!made! life! very!difficult! in! the!agricultural! regions,! especially! the!north!east.3!!The! conflict! in! Syria! is! situated! mainly! in! the! western! portion! of! the! country.! Based! on! this!information,! most! of! the! territory! that! contains! conflict! is! currently! controlled! by! the! Syrian!government,!which!places!the!rebel!forces!in!precarious!positions.!However,!the!Syrian!government!was!pressured!by!the!international!community!to!relinquish!its!chemicals!weapons!to!be!destroyed,!and! the! president! permitted! international! inspectors! to! do! so! in! October! of! 20134.! Also,! the! UN!attempted!to!broker!a!peace!between!the!two!sides!in!early!2014,!but!that!had!failed5.!!Relations!with! Turkey! have! been! crucial! to! this! conflict.! Turkey! borders! the! northern! portion! of!Syria,!which!was!helpful!for!the!Free!Syrian!Army.!The!FSA!utilized!this!border!to!attack!cities!and!villages!within!northern!Syria,!and!later!retreat!to!Turkey.!The!FSA!also!moved!their!headquarters!to!Turkey.!During!this!conflict,!Turkey!has!played!an!important!role!for!the!FSA.!Lebanon!has!also!played!a!crucial!role!in!the!conflict.!Hezbollah!in!Lebanon!has!been!helping!the!Syrian!Army!regain!rebelIcontrolled!territories!as!it!fought!against!Islamic!extremists.!The!Syrian!government!has!been!able! to! regain! the! towns! within! Syria! that! are! near! the! Lebanese! border! due! to! the! help! of!Hezbollah.!!

b. Historical%

!The!Syria!we!know!today!emerged!after!the!defeat!of!the!Ottoman!Empire.!In!1616,!the!Ottomans!seized!control!of!Syria,!along!with!present!day!coastal! strip!of!North!Africa!and!parts!of!Europe.6!Because!Syria!was!under!Ottoman!rule,!nonIMuslim!communities!were!divided!into!various!millets,!which! allowed! these! communities! a! certain! degree! of! the! autonomy! over! their! own! affairs.7!But,!these!communities!were!obligated!to!follow!Muslim!jurisprudence.8!Due!to!its!military!superiority!and! degree! of! religious! tolerance,! the! empire! controlled! the! region! for! a! few! centuries,! but! the!Ottoman!Empire! soon! faced!political! stagnation! and! a!decline! in!military! and! economic! strength,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Bosman, Marieke. “Briefing Paper 30: The NGO Sector in Syria—an Overview.” INTRC: June 2012. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 "Syria: Mapping the Conflict." BBC News. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 5 "Syria Profile." BBC News. N.p., 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 6 Leukefeld, Karin. "Syria: A Historical Perspective on the Current Crisis." Global Research. N.p., 1 May 2011. Web 7 "Syria." Syria. N.p., 1 Jan. 1999. Web.!8!Ibid.!

!

!

! ! 3


which!led!it!to!lose!territories!in!the!Balkans.9!Ottoman!rule!ended!after!losing!to!the!Allied!forces!in!World! War! I.10!As! a! result! of! the! war,! the! British! and! French! partitioned! the! empire! between!themselves.!!!Over!the!next!decade,!the!former!Ottoman!provinces!were!arbitrarily!and!artificially!divided.!While!the! Allied! forces! were! in! Paris! negotiating! their! plans,! the! Syrian! Provisional! Congress! elected!Prince!Faisal!as!king!of!Syria!in!1920.11!The!British!promised!Faisal!Arab!independence!in!return!for!his! help! against! German! and! Ottoman! rule.12!However,! British! and! French! diplomats! secretly!agreed! in! 1916! to! divide! up! the!Middle! East! provinces! of! the!Ottoman! Empire! between! the! two!countries!under!the!SykesIPicot!Agreement,!which!would!put!Syrian!under!French!control.13!While!Syria! was! religiously! and! culturally! diverse,! there! emerged! a! collective! “resistance! to! European!control”! under! Faisal’s! regime,! and! this! provided! the!Allied! powers! the! incentive! to! expel! him.14!Hence,!Faisal’s!rule!over!Syria!ended!after!a!few!months!when!his!forces!lost!against!the!French.15!After!this!battle,!Syria!became!France’s!mandate.!!French!attempts!to!exploit!the!sectarian!rifts!within!Syria!created!resistance!to!their!rule.!The!Sunni!Muslims!in!Syria!started!the!PanIArab!nationalism!movement,!which!the!French!perceived!it!“as!a!threat!to!their!authority,!as!well!as!to!the!Christian!and!heterodox!Muslim!communities!(Druze!and!global! Alawites)”.16!This! motivated! the! French! to! weaken! Arab! nationalism! by! persuading! the!minorities! to! their! side! and! “carving! out! a! series! of! separate! political! units”.17!For! instance,! they!created! the! states! of! Aleppo! and! Damascus,! which! houses! the! district! of! Homs! and! Hama.!Furthermore,!Alawite!and!Druze! territories!were! isolated!and!protected!under!French!protection!“for! the! better! part! of! France’s! tenure! in! Syria”.18!Despite! all! these! efforts,! nationalist! agitation!continued! to! increase! against! French! rule.! This! led! the! British! to! pressure! the! French! into!evacuating!their!last!troops!on!17!April!1946!from!Syria.19!!!

c. Political%

!In!1946,!Syria!gained!independence!from!France.!The!Arab!Socialist!Ba’ath!Party!was!then!founded!by! Michel! Aflaq! and! SalahIalIDin! alIBitar.20!Two! years! later,! an! army! officer! named! Adib! alIShishakhli! gained! power! in! a! military! coup! and! after! three! years,! dissolved! the! political! parties!within!Syria.!In!1954,!a!coup!was!led!by!army!officers!against!AlIShishakli.!Because!of!this!coup,!the!power!transferred!from!the!army!to!the!civilians!in!1954.21!!Syria! and! Egypt! soon! joined! the!United!Arab!Republic.! After! this! short! union!with! Egypt,! Syria’s!parliamentary!system!was!replaced!by!a!centralized!presidential!regime.!This!was!done!by!Egypt’s!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9!"The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire." The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire. N.p., n.d. Web.!10!Woodward, David R. "The Middle East during World War One." BBC News. BBC, 3 Oct. 2011. Web.!11 Ibid. 12!Leukefeld, Karin.!13!Fildis, Ayse T. "Middle East Policy Council." The Troubles in Syria: Spawned by French Divide and Rule. N.p., Winter 2012. Web.!14!Ibid.!15!"Syria: History." GlobalEDGE: Your Source for Global Business Knowledge. N.p., n.d. Web 16!Fildis, Ayse.!!17!Ibid.!18!Ibid.!19!Leukefeld, Karin.!20 "Syria Profile." BBC News. 21 Moubayed, Sami M. Damascus Between Democracy and Dictatorship. Lanham: U of America, 2000. Print.

!

!

! ! 4


president,!Gamal!Abdel!Nasser,!who!dissolved!all!of!Syria’s!political!parties,!which!disappointed!the!Ba’ath!party.!In!1961,!Syrian!army!officers,!who!were!dissatisfied!by!the!Egyptian!domination!of!the!United! Arab! Republic,! gained! power! in! Damascus! and! dissolved! this! union! between! Egypt! and!Syria.! In! 1964,! the! Ba’ath! Syrian! Regional! Branch! (Ba’ath! Party)! came! to! power! through! a! coup!d’etat,!but!the!leaders!of!this!party!were!overthrown!two!years!later!by!a!coup!led!by!Salah!Jadid.22!!In!1970,!General!Hafez!alIAssad!gained!power!by!overthrowing!president!Nur!alIDin!alIAtasi,!and!imprisoning!Salah!Jadid.!A!year!later,!Assad!was!elected!for!a!sevenIyear!term!as!the!president.23!He!held!this!position!for!about!30!years,!until!his!death.24!After!his!death,!the!Ba’ath!Party!maintained!its!position!as!the!main!political!power.!In!Syria,!a!virtually!singleIparty!state,!the!only!way!that!the!citizens! could! approve! a! President! was! by! referendum.! This! changed! in! the! 2012! multiIparty!parliamentary!election.!!When!Bashar!alIAssad,!HafezIal!Assad’s!son,!came!to!power!as! the!President!of!Syria,!he! instilled!hope! into! the! Syrian! people! that! there! will! be! democratic! reforms.! The! Damascus! Spring! soon!began! in!2000.!This! constituted!of!political! and!social!debate,!which!was! strictly!enforced!during!Hafez! alIAssad’s! regime.! The! Damascus! Spring! encouraged! open! political! discussion! amongst!civilians.! Forums! began! forming,! in!which! people!were! able! to! debate! social! and! political! issues!within!private!houses.!Important!figures,!such!as!Riad!Seif!and!Haitham!alIMaleh!were!amongst!the!people!mobilizing!this!movement.!Of!these!forums,!the!most!famous!were!the!Jamal!alIAtassi!Forum!and!the!Riad!Seif!Forum.25!In!2001,!the!Damascus!Spring!ended.!Ten!activists!were!arrested!simply!because!they!wanted!democratic!elections!and!advocated!civil!disobedience.!Unfortunately,!Bashar!alIAssad!didn’t!maintain!his!promise!for!reform!and!very!little!change!has!been!seen.!!

d. Economic%

!Syria!is!a!developing!country!with!an!economy!based!on!agriculture,!industry,!oil,!and!tourism.!The!two!main! sectors! of! the! Syrian! economy! have! been! agriculture! and! oil.! For! instance,! agriculture!composes!17%!of!Syria’s!GDP,!“down!from!20.4%!in!2007!and!25%!in!the!1990s.26!Oil!accounts!for!70%!of!Syria’s!exports!and!30%!of!the!state’s!revenue.27!Industry!and!services!are!two!other!sectors!that! make! up! 22%! and! 60%! of! Syria’s! economy,! respectively.28!There! are! no! official! data! on!tourism,!but!it!does!contribute!to!Syria’s!overall!economy.!Nevertheless,!Syrian!imports!include!raw!materials!that!are!needed!for!agriculture,!equipment,!industry,!and!machinery.!On!the!other!hand,!exports! include! cotton,! fruits,! grains,! and! crude! oil.! ! However,! foreign! sanctions! have! hindered!Syria’s!economic!growth.!!!!!!!!!!!!Foreign! sanctions! have! been! a! continuous! challenge! to! Syria’s! prosperity.! Since! 2004,! U.S.! has!imposed! economic! sanctions! on! Syria.! For! instance,! the! Syria! Accountability! Act! “prohibits! or!restricts! the! export! and! reIexport! of!most!U.S.! products! to! Syria”.29!In! 2008,! additional! sanctions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!22 Gavaghan, Julian. "On This Day: Syria and Egypt from United Arab Republic." Yahoo! News: UK & Ireland, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 MacFarquhar, Niel. "Hafez Al-Assad, Who Turned Syria Into a Power in the Middle East, Dies at 69." Hafez Al-Assad, Who Turned Syria Into a Power in the Middle East, Dies at 69. Cornell, 10 June 2000. Web. 24 "Like Dictator, like Son: How the Assads Maintain a Tight Grip on Power." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 "The Damascus Spring." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 26!"Syria: Economy." GlobalEDGE: Your Source for Global Business Knowledge. N.p., n.d. Web.!27!“Military.” Syria. N.p., n.d. Web.!28!Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web.!29!"Military." !

!

!

! ! 5


were! imposed! that! prohibits! the! export! of! U.S.! services! and! U.S.! personnel! from! participating! in!Syria’s!petroleum!industry.!This!also!prohibits!U.S.! from!importing!Syrian!petroleum.30!In!2012,! it!has! been! reported! Syria! lost! around! $2! billion! from! sanctions! on! oil! exports.31!Despite! these!sanctions,!the!lack!of!government!transparency!and!corruption!impedes!economic!progress.!!The!Syrian!government!has!a!strong!hold!over!the!country’s!economic!activities.!Following!Syria’s!independence,! the! government! played! a!minor! role! in! the! economy.! Growth! and! expansion!was!from! the! private! sector.! However,! this! changed! after! the! 1950s.! During! the! 1960s,! the! Syrian!government! implemented! socialist! policies,! which! “nationalized! most! major! enterprises”. 32!Moreover,! there!have!been!decrees! that!prohibit!Syrians! from!using! foreign!currencies!and!other!restrictions!on!imports.!As!a!result,!the!public!and!private!sectors!turned!to!the!black!market!to!do!business.33!Unfortunately,!these!kinds!of!government!control!still!persist!today.!!

e. Social%

!As! stated! earlier,! Syria! was! politically! unstable! prior! to! the! 1970’s,! but,! during! Hafez! alIAssad!regime,! he! managed! to! bring! stability! to! the! country,! which! he! had! done! so! through! political!repression.!After!Hafez!alIAssad!rose!to!power,!he!removed!the!constitutional!requirement!that!the!president!must!be!a!Muslim!in!1973,!and!this!led!to!riots!because!the!people!felt!that!alIAssad!was!constructing! an! atheistic! government.34!However,! through! the! use! of!military! force,! alIAssad! had!the! riots! suppressed.35!Clearly,! the!Syrian!Muslims!were!not! content!with! the!Ba’ath!government.!The! Muslim! Brotherhood! led! an! uprising! against! the! government! from! 1976! to! 1982.36!These!tensions! escalated! to! the! point! where! the! Muslim! Brotherhood! attempted! to! assassinate! the!president! in! 1980.37!The! uprising! was! finally! suppressed!militarily! in! Hama,! which! left! between!10,000I25,000!people!dead.38!!!Besides! through! violent! means,! alIAssad! controlled! the! country! by! imprisoning! dissenters! and!banning! newspapers,! and! because! of! these!measures,! Syrians! knew!his! regime! as! “the! regime! of!fear.”39!However,! alIAssad!attempted! to!ameliorate! the! social! tensions! that!his!oppressive! regime!had! caused! through! land! reform! and! privatization.40!By! redistributing! the! land! and! giving! out!government!transfer!payments,!his!regime!help!increase!the!standard!of!living!of!rural!peasants.41!Also,!alIAssad!pulled!back!some!of!the!socialist!economic!measures!of!the!past!in!order!to!expand!the! role! of! the! private! sector,! which! led! to! the! growth! of! a! new! class! of! entrepreneurs! and!businessmen.42!Yet,!by!the!1990’s,!tensions!were!still!high!despite!these!changes.!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!30!Ibid. 31!“Syria:Economy.”!32!“Military.”!33!"Syria -- ECONOMY." Syria. N.p., n.d. Web.!34 "Syria Profile." BBC News. N.p., 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 35 Ibid. 36 "Imagining Post-Baath Syria: Stability or Chaos?" EInternational Relations. N.p., 7 May 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. 37 "Syria Profile." BBC News. 38 "Profile: Syria's Ruling Baath Party." BBC News. N.p., 9 July 2012. Web. 39 "Imagining Post-Baath Syria: Stability or Chaos?" EInternational Relations. 40 "Syria - STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY." Syria - STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. 41 Ibid. 42 Ibid.

!

!

! ! 6


Bashar!alIAssad!succeeded!to!the!presidency!after!the!death!of!his!father!in!2000.!The!Syrian!people!saw! this! as! a! positive! step! forward! because!Bashar! spoke! of! “openness,! transparency,! pluralism,!and!democracy”!in!his!inaugural!speech.43!Bashar!was!seen!as!a!reformer,!and!under!his!orders,!he!released!600!political!prisoners!at!the!beginning!of!his!presidency.44!However,!once!people!began!to!openly!decry!the!regime!of!his!father,!Bashar!went!on!the!defensive,!and!in!an!interview,!Bashar!alIAssad! stressed! the! fact! that! his! father’s! rule! brought! stability! to! the! country.45!This! meant! that!Bashar!did!not! fully! embrace! the! idea!of! a!more!democratic! Syria.! For! instance,!Bashar! resumed!arresting! proIreform! activists,!which! showed! the! Syrian! government!was! not!willing! to! let! go! of!their! “authoritarian! past.”46!In! 2005,! a! Ba’ath! Party! regional! conference! was! held,! and! the! state!media!had!hopes!that!the!party!would!be!revitalized.47!While!the!people!wanted!the!constitution!to!amended,! this!did!not!happened.!Thus,! the!Ba’ath!party!missed!an!opportunity!to!reduce!political!tensions.!These! tensions!were! finally!expressed!during! the!movement!known!as! the!Arab!Spring.!The! Syrian! people! peacefully! protested! for! democracy! and! reform! in! January! 2011.48!Instead,!Bashar!responded!with!military!force!to!end!the!protests,!but!they!soon!escalated!into!a!nationwide!uprising!against!the!government.49!%

II. Recent%Developments%

!The!Syrian!civil!war!is!an!asymmetrical!conflict.!The!major!motivating!event!that!caused!the!Syrian!civil!war!to!escalate!was!the!protests!that!began!in!Daraa!on!the!15th!of!March,!otherwise!known!as!the!Cradle!of! the!Revolution.50!The!protestors!demanded! that!political!prisoners!be! released.!The!Assad!government!used!force!to!respond!to!these!protests,!such!as!arresting!protestors,!torturing!the!prisoners,!and!censoring!events.!By!March!25,!thirtyIsix!protestors!were!killed.!In!May,!political!prisoners! were! released! by! Assad,! including! Muslims.! Some! of! these! Muslims! moved! on! to! be!important!characters!in!the!opposing!forces,!such!as!the!Islamist!group!Ahrar!ashISham.51!!In!April!of!2011,!the!conflict!continued!to!grow.!Assad!even!deployed!the!Syrian!army!in!order!to!stop!the!uprising.!These!soldiers!used!violence!against!protestors.!These!protests!later!became!an!armed! rebellion.52!In! July! 2011,! the! Free! Syrian! Army! (FSA)!was! formed,!which! represented! the!opposing! forces.! The! FSA’s! intentions! were! to! remove! Assad! and! his! government! forces! from!power.! In! August,! the! Syrian! National! Council! was! established.! This! group! tried! to! form! a!more!organized!opposition.53!During!the!Siege!of!Latakia,!the!Syrian!Navy!established!its!presence!within!the!conflict.!Gunboats!were!used! to! fire!machine!guns! toward!Latakia.! In!September,! there!was!a!clash!between!the!Syrian!forces!and!the!FSA!in!Rastan.!Colonel!Riad!Asaad,!the!FSA!leader,!later!fled!across! the! Syrian!border! to!Turkey! in! order! to! avoid! the! Syrian! government,!whilst!many! rebels!retreated!to!the!city!of!Homs.!In!October,!Turkey!began!supporting!the!FSA.!Because!of!this!support,!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!43 "Imagining Post-Baath Syria: Stability or Chaos?" EInternational Relations. 44 "Syria Profile." BBC News. 45 "Imagining Post-Baath Syria: Stability or Chaos?" EInternational Relations. 46 "Syria Profile." BBC News. 47 "Profile: Syria's Ruling Baath Party." BBC News. 48 "Imagining Post-Baath Syria: Stability or Chaos?" EInternational Relations. 49 Ibid. 50 Solomon, Erika. "Rebels Seize Deraa Army Post in Battle for Cradle of Syria Revolt." The Daily Star Newspaper. N.p., 28 June 2013. Web 51 Blanford, Nicholas. "Jihadis May Want to Kill Assad. But Is He Lucky to Have Them?" The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 52 "Syria: Government Crackdown Leads to Protester Deaths." Human Rights Watch., 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 53 Boxx, Edward. "Observations on the Air War in Syria." Washington Institute (2013): 147-51. Mar. 2013. Web.

!

!

! ! 7


the!FSA!was!able!to!use!Turkey’s!border!as!a!zone!of!safety!after!they!attacked!the!northern!parts!of!Syria.!This!led!the!FSA!to!win!control!over!the!northern!Syrian!cities.54!!!In!November,!there!was!a!clash!amongst!security!forces!and!the!FSA!in!the!city!of!Homs.!The!Syrian!Army!invaded!Homs,!causing!violence!within!the!city!but!was!faced!with!resistance.!Because!of!the!amount!of!rebel!resistance,!the!city!became!known!as!the!Capital!of!the!Revolution.!The!FSA!began!launching!more!deadly!attacks!against!the!government!and!the!Syrian!Army.!During!this!time,!the!Arab! League! voted! to! suspend! Syria! because! it! failed! to! implement! the! Arab! peace! plan.! In! the!United!Nations! Security! Council,! Russia! and!China!both! vetoed! a! resolution! that!would! condemn!Syria.55!!By! 2012,! Assad! suppressed! the! opposition! with! large! scale! artillery! strikes,! which! destroyed!civilian! homes! in! the! process.! Violence! intensified! as! the! Syrian!Army! used! tanks! in! conjunction!with! artillery! strikes,! and! the! army! launched!major! offensives!on!February!3,! 2012,! to! take!back!neighborhoods!under!rebel!control.56!By!April,! the!death! toll!of! the!civil!war!was!10,000.!By!midIApril,! the! two!opposing!sides!of! the!conflict!entered!a!ceasefire!which! failed.!The!United!NationsIArab!League!envoy!to!Syria!resigned!after!his!peace!plans!ended!in!failure.!After!the!failed!ceasefire!attempts,!Assad!worked!on!crushing!the!uprisings!that!were!against!his!government.57!!In!midI2012,!the!United!Nations!and!the!Red!Cross!declared!that!Syria!is!officially!undergoing!a!civil!war.58!Soon!thereafter,!this!issue!began!to!move!to!the!two!largest!cities!within!Syria:!Damascus!and!Aleppo.!According!to!the!government,!these!two!cities!were!dominated!by!a!proIAssad!majority.!In!Damascus,! fighting! continued! to! intensify! as! rebel! forces! attempted! to! take! control! of! the! city.!Crucial! characters! of! the! Syrian! government!were! killed! on! July! 18,!which! escalated! the! conflict!further.!By!late!July,!the!government!forces!were!able!to!rid!Damascus!of!the!rebel!offensive.59!Once!this!was!done,!the!battle!to!control!Aleppo!became!a!more!prominent!issue.!!!The! FSA! gained! control! over! the! four! checkpoints! along! the! Syrian! and! Iraqi! border,! and! rebel!forces!strategically!gained!control!over!borders!between!Syria!and!Turkey!as!well.!By!doing!so,!they!were!able!to!have!an!advantage!for!supply!transportation!into!Syria.60!By!the!end!of!September,!the!command! headquarters! of! the! FSA! had! changed! to! northern! Syria! from! southern! Turkey.61!Soon!thereafter,! the! FSA! captured! Douma.! At! the! end! of! October! 2012,! Lakhdar! Brahimi! attempted! a!ceasefire,!but!this!did!not!work!because!both!opposing!sides!continued!their!operations!against!one!another.62!!After!the!ceasefire!failed,!the!Syrian!army!began!expanding!its!aerial!bombing!within!Damascus.!In!November! of! 2012,! rebels! captured! Saraqib!which! is! in! the! Idlib! governorate.! By! doing! so,! they!were!able! to! isolate!Aleppo! from!the!areas!of! the!country! that!are!controlled!by! the!government.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!54 Epatko, Larisa. "Syria and Turkey: A Complex Relationship." PBS. PBS, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 55 Nichols, Michelle. "Russia, China Veto U.N. Security Council Resolution on Syria." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 19 July 2012. Web. 56 "Syrian Troops Retake Opposition Stronghold." Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 57 "Syria Agrees to Kofi Annan’s April 10 Peace Deadline, UN Security Council Told." Metro News. N.p., 2 Apr. 2012. Web. 58 Goh, Melisa. "Red Cross Declares Civil War In Syria." NPR. NPR, 15 July 2012. Web. 59 "Syrian Capital's Clashes Continue in Southern Part - Global Times." Global Times. Xinhua, 17 July 2012. Web. 60 Arango, Tim. "Iraq Says Rebels in Syria Control Border Posts". The New York Times. 19 July 2012. Web. 61 "Syrian Rebels Seize Control of Border Crossing on Frontier with Turkey." CBS News. Associated Press, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 62 Weaver, Matthew. "Syria Conflict: What Next After Failed Ceasefire?" The Guardian. N.p., 30 Oct. 2012. Web.

!

!

! ! 8


The!rebels!attacked!landed!aircrafts!in!air!bases!in!order!to!stop!the!government’s!air!power,!and!later!in!the!month,!the!rebels!were!able!to!take!control!of!one!of!the!Syrian!Army’s!biggest!bases!in!northern! Syria.! By! lateIDecember,! the! rebels! pushed! deeper! into! Damascus.! By! launching! an!offensive,!they!were!able!to!force!army!regulars!to!evacuate!a!few!towns!and!bases.!The!rebels!were!also! able! to! seize! military! equipment! from! one! of! the! largest! air! bases! in! northern! Syria.! This!seizure!of!weapons!was!a!critical!moment!for!the!rebels.63!!In!April,!the!Prime!Minister,!Wael!Nader!AlIHalqi,!barely!escaped!death!from!a!bomb!attack!in!the!middle!of!Damascus.64!In!the!opposition,!the!chairman!of!the!National!Coalition!resigned!because!he!believed! the! foreign! backers! of! the! group! were! trying! to! manipulate! it.65!In! May,! the! European!Union! decided! to! not! renew! the! arm’s! embargo! that! they! have! on! Syria,! which! would! free! EU!countries!to!arm!the!rebels.!However,!the!government!had!an!advantage!because!they!held!most!of!the!strategically! important!cities!and!villages.66!This!was!due! to! the! fact! that! the!government!had!restructured! its! forces! which! were! mainly! trained! by! the! Hezbollah! and! Iranian! advisers.!Throughout!May,! the! government! forces! captured! a! few!more! territories,! and! in! June,! they!were!able! to! advance! within! the! Aleppo! governorate.! However,! the! opposition! forces! defended! the!territory.67!!!!The!conflict!escalated! further!with!a!chemical!weapons!attack! in!Damascus,!and! this!garnered!an!international!response!to!remove!these!weapons.!However,!the!international!community!did!not!go!any! further! to! end! the! conflict.! On!May! 22,! 2014,! Russia! and! China! vetoed! another! UN! Security!Council!resolution!that!would!refer!the!crisis!in!Syria!to!the!International!Criminal!Court!(ICC).68!As!the! country! enters! its! fourth! year!of! conflict,! it! is! important! to! look! at! the!major! stakeholders! in!order!to!better!understand!how!to!end!it.!!

III. Past%International%Involvement%

!a. Geneva%II%Conferences%

The! Geneva! II! conference! took! place! on! January! 22! in! Switzerland.! The! UN,! U.S.,! and! Russian!diplomats! brought! representatives! from! both! the! Syrian! government! and! the! WesternIbacked!Syrian!opposition!to!the!table!to!end!the!conflict.!The!United!States!offered!Iran!an!invitation!to!be!part!of!the!solution!but!the!offer!was!later!rescinded.69!!The!reason!was!that!the!opposition!National!Coalition!threatened!that!it!would!refuse!to!attend!the!talks!unless!Iran!was!excluded.!!After!two!rounds!of!negotiations,!the!conference!resulted!in!a!deadlock!between!the!Assad!regime!and!the!opposition.!The!opposition!confirmed!its!goal!of!ousting!Assad!and!anything!short!of!that!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!63 Hubbard, Ben. "Base Seizure Sharp Blow to Syria's Efforts to Roll Back Rebel Gains." Associated Press. 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 64 Walker, Jade, Albert Aji, and Ryan Lucas. "Wael Al-Halqi, Syrian Prime Minister, Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt In Damascus." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 65 Sayigh, Yezid. "Endgame for the Syrian National Coalition." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 17 May 2013. Web. 66 "EU Won't Renew Syrian Arms Embargo." Radio New Zealand. 28 May 2013. Web. 67 Caris, Charlie, and Isabel Nassief. "The Wal-'Adiyat Dabha Offensive in Southern Aleppo."Institute for the Study of War. N.p., 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 68 Black, Ian. "Russia and China Veto UN Move to Refer Syria to International Criminal Court." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 23 May 2014. Web. 69!"What Is the Geneva II Conference on Syria?" BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web.!

!

!

! ! 9


will! not! be! accepted. 70 !! They! want! a! transitional! government! without! Assad.! The! Syrian!government,!on! the!other!hand,!denied! the!oppositions!demand! that!Bashar!alIAssad!steps!down!from! his! post! as! president.71!Fortunately,! a! third! round! of! talks! has! been! planned.! However,! the!increasing! crisis! makes! it! unlikely! that! the! talks! between! the! two! parties! will! resume! anytime!soon.72!

b. The%United%Nations%Security%Council%(UNSC)%

In!February!2012,!Russia!and!China!vetoed!a!UNSC!draft!resolution!on!Syria.!This!resolution!called!for!President!Assad!to!step!down!from!his!position.!The!United!States,!France,!Britain,!and!all!other!countries,!voted!for!this!resolution.!Russia!and!China,!however,!feared!that!if!this!resolution!passed,!more!sanctions!would!be!imposed!on!Syria.!However,!there!was!much!dissent!that!this!resolution!did!not!pass.!As!violence!continued,!other!countries!felt!that!something!should!be!done!about!this!issue.73!!In! March! 2012,! the! UNSC! endorsed! a! nonIbinding! sixIpoint! peace! plan! that! was! drafted! by! UN!envoy,! Kofi! Annan.! China! and!Russia! both! agreed! to! support! this! plan! once! the! previous! draft! is!modified.!However,! since! this! plan!wasn’t! a! resolution,! it!was! unable! to! stop! the! violence!within!Syria.74!!The!UNSC!passed!Resolution!2043! in!April!2012.!This! resolution!called! for! the!monitoring!of! the!cessation!of!armed!conflict.! It!also!called!for!the! implementation!of!the!sixIpoint!plan!by!the!Joint!Special! Envoy.! This! resolution! was! passed! in! the! hopes! of! stopping! the! civil! war! in! Syria.! This!resolution!also!created!the!United!Nations!Supervision!Mission! in!Syria!(UNSMIS),!which!sent!UN!Peacekeeping!forces!into!Syria!from!April!2012!until!August!2012.!Despite!these!efforts,!hostilities!resumed!and!not!much!was!done!by!the!resolution.75!!In!May! 2012,! the!UNSC! condemned! the! government’s! usage! of! heavy!weapons! and! the! killing! of!civilians! near! Homs.! The! United! Kingdom,! German,! France,! Italy,! Spain,! Canada,! and! Australia!expelled!the!senior!Syrian!diplomats!that!were!in!protest.76!!On! May! 22,! 2014,! the! UNSC! attempted! to! pass! yet! another! resolution! on! Syria.! This! resolution!aimed! to! refer! Syria! to! the! International! Criminal! Court! (ICC),! but! this! resolution!was! vetoed! by!Russia!and!China.77!

!c. The%United%Nations%World%Food%Programme%(WFP)%

The!United!Nations!World!Food!Programme!(WFP)!is!currently!working!to!provide!those!affected!by!the!Syrian!crisis!with!food.!It!is!currently!reaching!out!to!about!three!million!people!per!month!within!Syria!by!providing!them!with!food!assistance.!The!WFP!is!also!providing!food!to!the!millions!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!70!"Explaining the Geneva II Peace Talks on Syria." - Features. N.p., n.d. Web.!71!Ibid.!72 "What Is the Geneva II Conference on Syria?" BBC News. N.p., 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 73 Batty, David, Damien Pearse, Martin Chulov, and Paul Harris. "Syria Resolution Vetoed by Russia and China at United Nations." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 04 Feb. 2012. Web. 74 "Kofi Annan's Six-point Plan for Syria." Al Jazeera. N.p., 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 75 Resolution 2043. Proc. of United Nations Security Council 6756th Meeting, New York. April 21, 2012. Print. 76 "UN Security Council Condemns Syria Massacre That Left More than 100 Dead." NBC News. N.p., 27 May 2012. Web. 77 "Russia, China Veto UN Security Council Bid to Refer Syria to ICC - Middle East." Haaretz.com. Associated Press, 22 May 2014. Web.

!

!

! ! 10


of!refugees!who!are!living!in!neighboring!countries.!The!WFP!works!with!local!organizations,!such!as!the!Syrian!Arab!Red!Crescent!(SARC),!to!distribute!food!in!areas!that!are!difficult!to!reach!due!to!constant!fighting.!!The!WFP! came! up!with! a! voucher! system! in! order! to! help! provide! food! for! the! Syrian! refugees.!Rather!than!providing!the!refugees!directly!with!food,!the!WFP!provides!them!with!vouchers,!which!the! refugees! can! use! in! supermarkets! in! order! to! purchase! their! own! groceries.! This! allows! the!refugees!the!freedom!to!buy!what!they!want!and!need.78!

!d. The%Emergency%Response%Fund%(ERF)%

The! Emergency! Response! Fund! (ERF)! was! established! under! the! United! Nations! Office! for! the!Coordination!of!Humanitarian!Affairs!(UNOCHA)!in!midI2012.!The!ERF!aims!to!provide!funding!in!order!to!support!the!humanitarian!efforts!within!Syria.!The!ERF!has!encouraged!local!NGOs!to!work!in!areas!of!major!conflict.!The!funds!that!they!receive!are!sent!to!national!and!international!NGOs,!agencies!within!the!UN,!and!the!Red!Cross.!The!funding!benefits!all!those!effected!by!and!involved!in!the!conflict.79!!

e. The%United%Nations%Refugee%Agency%(UNHCR)%

Today,! there! are! more! than! 6.8! million! Syrians! requiring! humanitarian! assistance.! The! United!Nations!Refugee!Agency!has!been!working! to!aid! refugees!and! internally!displaced!people! (IDPs)!within! Syria.! Ever! since! it! stepped! foot! into! the! conflict! in! 2012,! the! UNHCR! has! been! working!under! the! Syrian! Arab! Republic! Humanitarian! Assistance! Response! Plan! (SHARP).! However,! the!UNHCR!has!encountered!a! few!issues.!The! insecurity!within!the!region!restricts! the!movement!of!refugees! and! IDPs! around! the! country.! Communications! are! often! disrupted.! The! access! that! the!UNHCR!has!to!the!affected!population!is!often!restricted.!Because!of!this,!the!UNHCR!must!maintain!connections!with! local!organizations! in!order! to!work! through!them.!Due! to!sanctions,! the!Syrian!Pound!has!lost!its!value!significantly.!This!has!led!to!the!prices!of!basic!goods!to!rise,!leaving!people!in!short!supply!of!necessities.!!The! United! Nations! Refugee! Agency! (UNHCR)! has! come! up!with! two! different! plans! in! order! to!provide!relief! to!Syria.!The! first!plan! is!known!as! the!2014!Syria!Regional!Response!Plan!(RRP6).!The! RRP6’s! main! objective! is! to! protect! those! affected! by! the! conflict! and! to! respond! to! the!humanitarian!needs!of!refugees.!This!includes!the!protection!of!refugees!and!the!provision!of!food,!health,! and! education! to! them.! By! doing! so,! the! RRP6! hopes! to! address! three! target! groups:! the!refugees!in!camps,!the!refugees!residing!outside!of!camps,!and!host!communities.!The!RRP6!relies!on!the!cooperation!with!governments!within!the!region!in!order!to!accomplish!its!goals.!!The!other!UNHCR!plan! is! known!as! the! Syrian!Arab!Republic!Humanitarian!Assistance!Response!Plan! (SHARP).! SHARP,! on! the! other! hand,! takes! into! consideration! the! deterioration! of! the!humanitarian!situation! that! is!affected!directly!by! the!escalation!of! the!conflict!within! the!region.!This! has! led! to! the! increased! disruption! of! social! services,! along! with! the! destruction! of! health!infrastructure.! This! has! also! lead! to! a! deepening! economic! crisis.! SHARP! aims! to! promote! and!maintain! the! current! cooperation! amongst! the! Syrian! government,! Syrian! counterparts,! and! the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!78 Hadi, Muhannad. "Immediate Response Emergency Operation Syria." (n.d.): n. pag. World Food Programme. 9 May 2011. Web. 79 "Syria: Emergency Response Fund." Syria: Emergency Response Fund (as of (2014): UNOCHA. 8 May 2014. Web.

!

!

! ! 11


host!governments! that!are!within! the!region.!By!doing!so,!SHARP!hopes! to!provide! free!access! to!people!who!are!in!need!of!international!protection.80!!

f. NGO/INGOs%

Since!the!start!of!the!Syrian!Civil!War,!the!nonIgovernment!organizations!that!are!operating!within!the! country! have! not! successfully! initiated! any! peacebuilding! efforts.! This! is! due! to! the! onIgoing!conflict! and! because! the! Assad! regime! does! permit! many! NGOs! to! conduct! activities! within! the!county.! Even! though! this! is! the! case,! these! organizations! have! provided! humanitarian! aid! to! the!Syrian!populace! in! order! to!mitigate! the! impact! of! the! civil!war,! and! some!NGO’s! have!proposed!policies!that!may!resolve!the!conflict!or!made!calls!for!peace.!!!

g. Humanitarian%Efforts%

According! to! the! International! NGO! Training! and! Research! Center! (INTRC),!most! NGO’s! in! Syria!focus! providing! relief! to! the! Syrian! people,! but! often! these! organizations! lack! the! resources!(equipment!or! trained!personnel)! and!must! operate! in!dangerous! conditions.81!In! the! case!of! the!Red!Cross,!the!Syrian!Arab!Red!Crescent!(SARC)!provided!needed!aid!to!Aleppo!in!the!past!month!for!which!a!ceasefire!was!observed!between!the!two!factions.82!Besides!giving!aid,!the!International!Red!Cross!has!helped!SARC!provide!water!sanitation!equipment!and!medical!goods!to!various!parts!of!Syria.83!!!MercyCorps! is! another!NGO! that! is! operating! in! the! region.! The! organization!has! been!providing!Syrian!refugees!in!the!surrounding!countries!with!food,!water,!and!shelter84,!and!for!children,!they!have! established! extraIcurricular! activities! and! focused! on! their! longIterm! developmental! and!emotional!needs.85!!Also,!Neal!KenyIGuyer,!chief!executive!officer!of!Mercy!Corps,!stresses!the!need!for! investing! in! longIterm! solutions,! which!would! promote! stability,! economic! development! and!social!safety!nets.86!!The!Syrian!Society!for!Social!Development!(SSSD)!is!geared!toward!empowering!Syrian!youth,!who!are! dropping! out! of! school.! The! organization! uses! informal! education,! vocational! training,!counseling,!and!various!other!programs!in!order!to!meet!the!needs!of!the!marginalized!youth.87!One!project! that!SSSD!has!undertaken! is! the!KBW!Juvenile!Center,!which!helps!youth!reintegrate! into!society.88!If!Syrian!Youth!have!the!skills!to!find!a!job!in!the!workforce,!they!would!less!likely!to!join!armed!groups!and!cause!further!violence.!!The!Working!Group!on!Women,!Peace!and!Security!submitted!recommendations!to!the!UN!Security!Council!for!February!2014.!In!the!document,!the!organization!notes!that!there!has!be!a!significant!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!80 "Syrian Arab Republic." The UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR News, n.d. Web. 81 Bosman, Marieke. “Briefing Paper 30: The NGO Sector in Syria—an Overview.” INTRC: June 2012. 82 "UNHCR, Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) Reach Eastern Aleppo with Truckloads of Aid." UNHCR News. 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 May 2014. 83 "Syria: Working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to Deliver Humanitarian Assistance." - ICRC. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 May 2014. 84 "Syria." Mercy Corps. Web. 17 May 2014. 85 "Mercy Corps's Response to Syria Crisis." InterAction. Web. 18 May 2014. 86 "Mercy Corps: Syrian Conflict Enters Fourth Year, Still No End in Sight." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014. 87 “Methods.” Syrian Society for Social Development. Web. 17 May 2014. 88 “Project 1.” Syrian Society for Social Development. Web. 17 May 2014.

!

!

! ! 12


lack! of!women’s! participation! in! resolving! the! conflict! and! purposes! that! future! outreach! should!help!empower!women.89!Also,!Integrity!Research!and!Consultancy!submitted!a!report!in!January!of!2014,!and! in! it,! they!called! for!women!and!minority!groups! to!be! further! included! into! the!peace!process.!They!recommend!this! inclusion!because! including!women!will!help!“create!a!transitional!process!that!encourages!diversity,”!which!represents!a!pluralistic!civil!state.90!!

!IV. Country%Positions%

!Turkey!has!been!in!support!of!the!Free!Syrian!Army!since!the!beginning!of!the!conflict.!Turkey!has!provided!the!army!with!safety!across!the!TurkishISyrian!border.!However,!Turkey!and!Syria!have!had! tension! amongst! one! another! lately! due! to! this! issue.! These! tensions! began! to! grow! in! June!2012!due!to!the!shooting!down!of!the!Turkish!fighter!jet!by!the!Assad!government.91!!Russia!supports!the!Assad!regime.!The!Russian!government!has!had!ties!with!the!Assad!family!since!the!days!of!the!Soviet!Union.!Russia!is!mainly!in!support!of!the!Assad!government!due!to!the!trade!relations! that! the! two! countries! have! between! one! another! and! the! military! interests! that! they!share.! Russia! has! been! the!main! source! of! weaponry! to! the! Syrian! government! throughout! this!crisis.!By!providing!weapons!to!Syria,!Russia!has!been!able!to!make!a!profit.!Another!reason!why!Russia! is! in!support!of! the!Syrian!government! is!because!they!do!not!want!Islamist! forces!to!gain!power.92!!Iran!has!also!been!in!support!of!the!Syrian!government.!The!two!governments!are!strong!allies.!The!Iranian! government! has! been! providing! Syria! with! artillery,! money,! fuel,! and! Shia! troops! from!Lebanon! and! Iraq.! Iran! is! trying! to! protect! the! Syrian! government! from! the! insurgent! forces!because! they! have! regional! interests.! This! is! especially! true! because! Syria! acts! as! an! important!passage!for!Iran!to!Hezbollah,!which!is!in!Lebanon.93!For!this!reason,!the!Iranian!government!is!fully!supporting!the!Assad!regime!within!Syria.!!China! is!also! in!support!of! the!Syrian!government!due!mainly! to! their! trading!relationship.!China!does!not!support!foreign!intervention,!nor!does!it!condone!the!use!of!force!to!take!down!a!regime.!China!claims!they!will!support!the!Syrian!regime,!but!if!it!falls,!they!will!be!silent.94!!The!United!States!has!always!been!against!the!Assad!regime!due!to!its!authoritarian!nature.!In!May!2010,! the!US! renewed! its! sanctions!against!Syria.!The!US!did! so!because! they!believed! that!Syria!supported!terrorist!groups,!such!as!the!Hezbollah!in!Lebanon,!which!violated!UN!resolutions.!At!the!beginning!of!the!protests,!the!US!was!in!full!support!of!the!liberal!protests!that!erupted!in!2011,!but!as!the!conflict!dragged!on,!growing!more!and!more!violent,!the!United!States!became!disillusioned!by!the!idea!of!a!revolution!in!order!to!take!down!the!Assad!regime.!The!Syrian!civil!war!has!had!an!effect! on! its! neighboring! countries,!most! of!which! are! allies! to! the!United! States.! This! is! another!reason!why!the!US!wants!the!conflict!to!be!resolved.!In!terms!of!strategy,!the!United!States!does!not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!89 "NGO Working Group for Women, Peace and Security." NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, Country Situations. Feb. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014. 90 “Summary Report: Syrian Women’s NGOs and Geneva II.” Integrity Research and Consultancy. January 2014. 91!Epatko,!Larisa.!"Syria!and!Turkey:!A!Complex!Relationship."!PBS.!PBS,!15!Nov.!2012.!Web.!92!Leigh,!Karen,!and!Syria!Deeply.!"Analyzing!Russia's!Support!for!Syria's!Bashar!AlIAssad."!ABC!News.!ABC!News!Network,!15!Feb.!2014.!Web.!93!Reynolds,!James.!"Why!Iran!Needs!Assad!in!Power."!BBC!News.!N.p.,!31!July!2012.!Web.!94!Calamur,!Krishnadev.!"Who!Are!Syria's!Friends!And!Why!Are!They!Supporting!Assad?"!NPR.!NPR,!28!Aug.!2013.!Web.!

!

!

! ! 13


see!Syria!as!an!area!of!major!interest!for!the!US,!so!they!decided!that!the!conflict! in!Syria!is!not!a!major!issue!that!needs!to!be!tackled!soon.!The!US!decided!to!abstain!from!any!efforts!to!overthrow!the!Assad!government!or! to!aid! the! country.!However,! in!midI2013,!President!Obama!decided! to!arm!the!rebels.!This!was!mainly!due!to!the!fact!that!the!Assad!regime!was!using!chemical!weapons.!The! U.S.! had! made! previous! claims! that! if! such! weapons! were! used,! they! would! heighten!intervention!within!the!region.95!!!!

V. Concluding%Remarks%

!a. Focus!of!Resolutions!!

Please!keep!in!mind!that!this!issue!does!not!have!two!sides.!Research!all!the!sides!involved!in!the!conflict.!Take!into!consideration!the!social!aspect!of!the!conflict!as!well!as!the!political,!economic,!and!geographic.!

!b. Questions!to!Consider!

i. How!can! the! conflict! in! Syria!be! targeted! in! regards! to! the! social,! political,!and!economic!aspect?!

ii. What!can!be!done!to!stop!all!sides!from!engaging!in!violent!actions?!iii. How!can!the!United!Nations!help?!iv. What!countries!can!be!involved!in!rebuilding!the!Syrian!society?!v. What!are!some!shortIterm!and!longIterm!goals!for!resolving!this!issue?!!

VI. Resources%

!Arango,!Tim.! "Iraq!Says!Rebels! in!Syria!Control!Border!Posts."!The!New!York!Times.!19! July!2012.!

Web.!

Batty,!David,!Damien!Pearse,!Martin!Chulov,! and!Paul!Harris.! "Syria!Resolution!Vetoed!by!Russia!

and!China!at!United!Nations."!Theguardian.com.!Guardian!News!and!Media,!04!Feb.!2012.!

Web.!

Black,! Ian.! "Russia! and! China! Veto! UN! Move! to! Refer! Syria! to! International! Criminal! Court."!

Theguardian.com.!Guardian!News!and!Media,!23!May!2014.!Web.!

Blanford,!Nicholas.!"Jihadis!May!Want!to!Kill!Assad.!But!Is!He!Lucky!to!Have!Them?"!The!Christian!

Science!Monitor.!The!Christian!Science!Monitor,!10!Oct.!2013.!Web.!

Boxx,!Edward.! "Observations!on! the!Air!War! in!Syria."!Washington!Institute! (2013):!147I51.!Mar.!

2013.!Web.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!95!Davidson,!Kavitha!A.!"U.S.!Drawn!Into!Proxy!War!In!Syria!After!Decision!To!Arm!Rebels."!The!Huffington!Post.!TheHuffingtonPost.com,!14!June!2013.!Web.!

!

!

! ! 14


Caris,!Charlie,!and!Isabel!Nassief.! "The!WalI'Adiyat!Dabha!Offensive! in!Southern!Aleppo."! Institute!

for!the!Study!of!War.!26!Sept.!2013.!Web.!

Central!Intelligence!Agency.!Central!Intelligence!Agency,!n.d.!Web.!

"Crisis!in!Syria."!US!Aid.!US!Aid,!4!June!2014.!Web.!

"The!Damascus!Spring."!Carnegie!Endowment!for!International!Peace.!1!Apr.!2012.!Web.!

"European!External!Action!Service."!European!Union.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!

"EU!Won't!Renew!Syrian!Arms!Embargo."!Radio!New!Zealand.!28!May!2013.!Web.!

"Explaining!the!Geneva!II!Peace!Talks!on!Syria."!I!Features.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!

Fildis,! Ayse! T.! "Middle! East! Policy! Council."!The!Troubles! in! Syria:! Spawned! by! French!Divide! and!

Rule.!N.p.,!Winter!2012.!Web.!

Gavaghan,! Julian.! "On!This!Day:!Syria!and!Egypt! from!United!Arab!Republic."!Yahoo!!News:!UK!&!

Ireland,!21!Feb.!2014.!Web.!

Goh,!Melisa.!"Red!Cross!Declares!Civil!War!In!Syria."!NPR.!NPR,!15!July!2012.!Web.!

Hadi,! Muhannad.! "Immediate! Response! Emergency! Operation! Syria."!World! Food! Programme.! 9!

May!2011.!Web.!

Holiday,!Joseph.!"The!Assad!Regime:!From!Counterinsurgency!To!Civil!War."!Institute!for!the!!

Study!of!War.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!05!May!2014!

Hubbard,! Ben.! "Base! Seizure! Sharp! Blow! to! Syria's! Efforts! to! Roll! Back! Rebel! Gains."! Associated!

Press.!20!Nov.!2012.!Web.!

"Kofi!Annan's!SixIpoint!Plan!for!Syria."!Al!Jazeera.!27!Mar.!2012.!Web.!

Leukefeld,!Karin.!"Syria:!A!Historical!Perspective!on!the!Current!Crisis."!Global!Research.!N.p.,!1!May!

2011.!Web!

"Like!Dictator,! like!Son:!How!the!Assads!Maintain!a!Tight!Grip!on!Power."!The!Guardian.!Guardian!

News!and!Media,!15!Mar.!2012.!Web.!

!

!

! ! 15


MacFarquhar,!Niel.!"Hafez!AlIAssad,!Who!Turned!Syria!Into!a!Power!in!the!Middle!East,!Dies!at!69."!

Hafez!AlIAssad,!Who!Turned!Syria!Into!a!Power!in!the!Middle!East,!Dies!at!69.!Cornell,!10!

June!2000.!Web.!

"Military."!Syria.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!

Moubayed,! Sami!M.!Damascus!Between!Democracy!and!Dictatorship.! Lanham:!U!of!America,!2000.!

Print.!

Nichols,!Michelle.!"Russia,!China!Veto!U.N.!Security!Council!Resolution!on!Syria."!Reuters.!Thomson!

Reuters,!19!July!2012.!Web.!

Resolution!2043.!Proc.!of!United!Nations!Security!Council!6756th!Meeting,!New!York.!April!21,!2012.!

Print.!

"Russia,! China! Veto! UN! Security! Council! Bid! to! Refer! Syria! to! ICC! I! Middle! East."! Haaretz.com.!

Associated!Press,!22!May!2014.!Web.!

Sayigh,! Yezid.! "Endgame! for! the! Syrian!National!Coalition."!Carnegie!Endowment! for!International!

Peace.!17!May!2013.!Web.!

Solomon,!Erika.!"Rebels!Seize!Deraa!Army!Post!in!Battle!for!Cradle!of!Syria!Revolt."!The!Daily!Star!

Newspaper.!28!June!2013.!Web.!

"Syria."!Syria.!N.p.,!1!Jan.!1999.!Web.!

"Syria!Agrees! to!Kofi!Annan’s!April! 10!Peace!Deadline,!UN! Security! Council! Told."!Metro!News.! 2!

Apr.!2012.!Web.!

"Syria:!Economy."!GlobalEDGE:!Your!Source!for!Global!Business!Knowledge.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!

"Syria!II!ECONOMY."!Syria.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!

"Syria:!Emergency!Response!Fund."!Syria:!Emergency!Response!Fund!(as!of!(2014).!UNOCHA.!8!May!

2014.!Web.!

"Syria:! Government! Crackdown! Leads! to! Protester! Deaths."!Human!Rights!Watch.! 21!Mar.! 2011.!

Web.!

!

!

! ! 16


"Syria:!History."!GlobalEDGE:!Your!Source!for!Global!Business!Knowledge.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web!

"Syria!Profile."!BBC!News.!19!Mar.!2014.!Web.!

"Syrian!Arab!Republic."!The!UN!Refugee!Agency.!UNHCR!News.!Web.!05!June!2014.!

"Syrian!Capital's!Clashes!Continue! in!Southern!Part! I!Global!Times."!Global!Times.!Xinhua,!17! July!

2012.!Web.!

"Syrian! Rebels! Seize! Control! of! Border! Crossing! on! Frontier!with! Turkey."!CBS!News.! Associated!

Press,!19!Sept.!2012.!Web.!

"Syrian!Troops!Retake!Opposition!Stronghold."!Al!Jazeera.!Al!Jazeera,!14!Mar.!2012.!Web.!

"The!Rise!and!Decline!of!the!Ottoman!Empire."!The!Rise!and!Decline!of!the!Ottoman!Empire.!N.p.,!n.d.!

Web.!

"The! Syrian! Crisis:! U.S.! Assistance! and! Support! for! the! Transition."!U.S.!Department! of! State.! U.S.!

Department!of!State,!17!Mar.!2014.!Web.!

"UN!Security!Council!Condemns!Syria!Massacre!That!Left!More!than!100!Dead."!NBC!News.!27!May!

2012.!Web.!

Walker,!Jade,!Albert!Aji,!and!Ryan!Lucas.!"Wael!AlIHalqi,!Syrian!Prime!Minister,!Reportedly!Escapes!

Assassination! Attempt! In! Damascus."! The! Huffington! Post.! TheHuffingtonPost.com,! 29!

Apr.!2013.!Web.!

Weaver,!Matthew.! "Syria!Conflict:!What!Next!After!Failed!Ceasefire?"!The!Guardian.! 30!Oct.!2012.!

Web.!

"What!Is!the!Geneva!II!Conference!on!Syria?"!BBC!News.!22!Jan.!2014.!Web.!

"With!Syria!Burning,!How!Strong!Is!the!Regime?"!AfroIMiddle!East!Centre.!N.p.,!22!Feb.!2014.!!

Web.!05!May!2014.!

White,!Jeffrey.!"The!Assad!Regime!Winning!by!Inches?"!The!Washington!Institute.!N.p.,!11!!

Mar.!2014.!Web.!05!May!2014.!

Wilkinson,!Peter,!and!Laura!SmithISpark.!"Bashar!AlIAssad:!A!Ruler!Shaped!by!Violence,!!

!

!

! ! 17


Indecision,!Say!Former!Insiders."!CNN.!Cable!News!Network,!31!Aug.!2013.!Web.!05!!

May!2014.!

Woodward,!David!R.!"The!Middle!East!during!World!War!One."!BBC!News.!BBC,!3!Oct.!2011.!Web.!

!

!

! ! 18


Topic%B:%ArabOIsraeli%Conflict%

!I. Background!

!a. Religion%&%Nationalism%

!Religion!has!been!a!major!contributor!to!the!growing!tension!amongst!Arab!and!Israeli!groups.!!The!conflict!mainly!arises!from!the!belief!of!each!side!that!they!are!the!chosen!people!in!regards!to!the!Promised! Land.! ! In! both! the! Hebrew! Bible! and! the! Qur’an! it! is! mentioned! that! the! Israelis! and!Muslims,!respectively,!are!the!chosen!people.96!!!

!The!Israeli!side!is!generally!supported!by!the!Christian!Zionists.!!They!believe!Israelis!have!the!right!to!the!Promised!Land!due!to!the!Bible!and!their!ancestral!history.!!Nationalism!also!played!a!major!role!in!the!rise!of!this!conflict.!!Due!to!Zionism,!Arabic!nationalism!began! to! rise.! ! Palestine!was!under!Ottoman! control!prior! to!World!War! I.! !During! this! time,! the!Ottoman!Turks!imposed!their!supremacy!onto!the!lands!that!belonged!to!them,!which!led!to!Arab!discrimination.!!The!Ottoman!promise!to!liberate!the!Arabs!and!the!Jews!caused!the!Arabs!and!Jews!to!support!the!allied!powers!during!WWI.!!This!caused!a!growing!sense!of!Arabic!nationalism.97!!As!Zionism!grew,!the!Jews!fled!to!Palestine!and!established!themselves!on!the!land.!!!!

b. Historical%

!During! the! First!World!War,! the! British! High! Commissioner! in! Egypt,! and! the! Hashemite! family!patriarch! had! secretly! planned! to! lead! a! revolt! against! the! Ottomans.! ! The! British! High!Commissioner!had!promised! if! the!Arabs!were! in!support!of!Britain,! then!the!British!will!support!the! Arabs! in! establishing! their! own! independent! state! in! the! Arabic! provinces! (including!Palestine).98!! As! WWI! was! coming! to! a! close,! the! British! had! conquered! Palestine.! ! The! British!government!passed! the!Balfour!Declaration.! !This! claimed! the!government!would!positively!view!the! Palestinian! land! as! a! land! for! the! Jewish! people! and! that! there!won’t! be! any! discrimination!against! the! Jewish! people! in! Palestine.! ! The! intention! behind! this! declaration! was! to! maintain!Jewish!support!in!the!war;!however,!this!caused!much!unrest!within!the!Arabic!world.!!!!As! Arabic! nationalism! grew,! there!was! an! attempt! to! establish! the! Arab!Kingdom! of! Syria.! ! This!attempt!failed,!however,!which!added!to!the!growing!Arabic!discontent.!!The!Battle!of!Tel!Hai!was!the!first!actual!confrontation!of!the!Arabic!and!Jewish!forces.!!!!As!time!progressed,!Jewish!immigration!to!Palestine!continued!to!grow,!which!was!seen!as!a!threat!to!the!Arabic!residents!in!Palestinian!boundaries.!!In!1920,!protests!began!against!the!high!influx!of!Jewish!immigrants.!!As!the!year!neared!its!end,!violence!began!amongst!the!two!groups.!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!96!Avi!Beker,!The!Chosen:!The!History!of!an!Idea!and!the!Anatomy!of!an!Obsession,!New!York:!Palgrave!Mcmillan,!2008!97!Fraser,!T.G.!The!Middle!East:!1914–1979.!St.!Martin's!Press,!New!York.!(1980)!Pg.!2!98!Segev,!Tom!(2000):!One!Palestine,!Complete,!pp.!48–49,!Abacus,!ISBN!0I349I11286IX.!

!

!

! ! 19


During! the! Holocaust! and! the! Second!World!War,! Jewish! immigration! to! Palestine! reached! high!levels! as! Jews! fled! from!Germany.99!! During! the! 1930s,! the! Black!Hand,! an! antiIZionist! and! antiIBritish!military!group,!was!established.! !This!group! targeted! the! Jews! in!Palestine!using! firearms!and!bombs.100!!Due!to!the!rising!levels!of!Jewish!immigrants!to!Palestine,!the!British,!who!still!had!control!over! the!region,!established!a!mandate! to!reduce! the!number!of! Jewish! immigrants.! !This!mandate! wasn’t! effective,! however,! because! Jewish! immigrants! illegally! entered! Palestine,! thus!increasing!tensions!amongst!the!Arab!and!Israeli!population.101!!In! 1948,! the! British! mandate! over! Palestine! expired.! ! At! this! point,! the! Jewish! People’s! Council!declared! to! establish! the! State! of! Israel,! which! would! be! in! Eretz! Israel.! ! Because! of! this!proclamation,!the!Arab!states!surrounding!the!region!felt!compelled!to!intervene!in!order!to!protect!the!Palestinian!Arabs.!!This!intervention!began!the!ArabIIsraeli!War!in!1948.!!Within!a!year,!the!war!was!over.102!!!During!the!Suez!Crisis! in!Egypt,! Israel!gained!control!over!the!Gaza!Strip!and!Sinai!Peninsula,!but!the!United!States!and!United!Nations!forced!a!ceasefire.!!Israel!then!withdrew!from!the!region!and!Egypt!agreed!to!demilitarize!the!zone.103!!!!In!1964,!the!Palestinian!Liberation!Organization!(PLO)!was!established.!!!!Jordan! and! Egypt! signed! a! pact,! which! caused! Egypt! to! mobilize! its! units! on! Israel’s! southern!border.!!This!provoked!Israel!to!launch!an!attack!against!Egypt.!!This!was!crucial!to!Israel’s!victory!in! the! SixIDay!War.! ! It! caused! Israel! to! gain! control! over! the! Sinai!Peninsula,!Gaza! Strip,! and! the!West!Bank.!!Until!today,!the!effects!of!this!could!be!seen.104!!

c. Social%

!Discrimination!against!the!Jews!within!Palestinian!boundaries!was!a!major!issue!during!the!conflict.!!Arabic! countries!would!discriminate!against! the! Jews! that! resided! in! their! countries.! !The! Jewish!status!had!suffered!attacks!on!their!status!within!society.! !Many!Jews!became!hostages!due!to!the!conflict.! ! Due! to! the! harsh! conditions! that! the! Jews! were! forced! to! live! under! in! these! Arabic!countries,!many! Jews! emigrated.! ! Jews! in!many! Arabic! countries!were! denied! citizenship,!which!also!caused!them!to!flee!to!other!countries.!!The! Jews!weren’t! the! only! group! that!was! affected! by! the! conflict.! ! During! the! ArabIIsraeli!War,!many!Palestinian!Arabs!fled!the!region!and!became!refugees!in!neighboring!countries.!!!!The!Israeli!victory!in!the!ArabIIsraeli!war!led!to!the!exodus!of!Arabs!from!the!Israeli!territory.!!Vice!versa,!this!also!led!to!the!Jews!that!were!in!Gaza!or!on!the!West!Bank!to!be!exiled!to!Israel.105!!The!ArabIIsraeli!war! led!the!Arabs!to!come!to!a!conclusion!about!the!Israelis:! ! there!will!be!no!peace,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!99!Smith,!Charles!D.!Palestine!and!the!Arab!Israeli!Conflict:!A!History!With!Documents.!Bedford/St.!Martin's:!Boston.!(2004).!Pg.!129!100!Segev,!Tom!(1999).!One!Palestine,!Complete.!Metropolitan!Books.!pp.!360–362.!ISBN!0I8050I4848I0.!101!"The!Struggle!against!Jewish!Immigration!to!Palestine".!Middle!Eastern!Studies.!July!1,!1998.!102!"The!Palestinian!Diaspora".!Global!Exchange.!103!"1956:!Egypt!Seizes!Suez!Canal".!British!Broadcasting!Service.!July!26,!1956.!104!Lorch,!Netanel!(September!2,!2003).!"The!ArabIIsraeli!Wars".!Israeli!Ministry!of!Foreign!Affairs.!105!Erskine!Childers,!"The!Other!Exodus",!The!Spectator,!May!12,!1961,!reprinted!in!Walter!Laqueur!(ed.)!The!IsraelIArab!Reader:!A!Documentary!History!of!the!Middle!East!Conflict,(1969)!rev.ed.!Pelican,!1970!pp.!179–188!p.183.!

!

!

! ! 20


recognition,! nor! negotiations.! ! Egypt! and! Syria,! later! joined! by! other! Arabic! states,! attacked!Israel.106!!!

d. Economic%

!Trade!was! greatly! affected! due! to! this! conflict.! ! Egypt! restricted! Israeli! shipping! in! the! Straits! of!Tiran,!blockaded! the!Gulf!of!Aqaba,!nationalized! the!Suez!Canal!Company,! and!closed! it! to! Israeli!shipping.!!!!The!OPEC,!which! is! composed!mostly! of! Arabic! countries,! established! an! oil! embargo! due! to! the!ArabIIsraeli!conflict.!!They!then!increased!oil!prices!by!at!least!four!times!their!initial!price!in!order!to!gain!international!support!of!their!actions!against!Israel.107!!!

II. Recent%Developments!!The! start! of! the! second! millennium! marked! the! beginning! of! the! Second! Intifada! as! well.! ! This!incident!caused!Israelis!to!reconsider!their!current!relationship!with!the!Palestinians.!!This!intifada!cause! an! eruption! of! violence! amongst! the! two! groups.! ! As! violence! continued! to! grow,! in! 2006,!Hamas!abducted!an! Israeli! soldier! from!an!army!post.! !This!attack! led! to! the!death!of! two! Israeli!soldiers.108!! Later,! Hezbollah! entered! Israel! and! attacked! Israeli! soldiers! as!well.! ! This! led! to! the!Lebanon!War,!which!resulted!in!the!loss!of!many!lives.109!!!!!The!Battle!of!Gaza!also!intensified!relations!amongst!the!Arabs!and!Israelis.!!Hamas!gained!control!over! the! Gaza! Strip,!which! caused! Israel! to! enforce! restrictions! along! its! border.! ! This! ended! all!economic! cooperation! that! Israelis! had! with! the! Palestinians! in! the! region.! ! Israel! and! Egypt!blockaded! the!Gaza!Strip! in!2007! in!order! to! limit! the!attacks! that!Palestinians!can!conduct! from!Gaza,!and!to!make!sure!Hamas!doesn’t!smuggle!rockets!and!weapons!that!could!be!threatening!to!entire!cities.110!!In!2007,!Israel!bombed!a!Syrian!nuclear!reactor.!!Unfortunately,!this!wasn’t!the!first!incident!of!an!Israeli!bombing!on!Syrian!soil.111!!There!have!been!attempts!for!peace!amongst!the!two!nations,!but!no!action!has!been!taken!by!either!side!to!approach!peaceful!relations.!!!After! a! sixImonth! long! ceasefire! amongst!Hamas! and! Israel,! there!was! an! attempt! to! extend! this!truce,!but! this! effort! failed!due! to! constant! accusations!by!both! sides.! !With! the!end!of! the! truce,!Israel!and!Hamas!continued!their!violent!attacks!on!one!another.!!!In! 2010,! Israel! was! condemned! for! its! actions.! ! It! had! killed! activists! due! to! a! naval! raid! it! was!conducting.! ! The! international! community! condemned! these! actions! by! Israel.! ! Turkey! especially!condemned!the!actions!that!Israel!was!taking!against!Gaza.112!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!106!"Israel:!The!War!of!Attrition".!Encyclopædia!Britannica.!Archived!from!the!original!on!February!22,!2007.!107!Smith,!Charles!D.!(2006)!Palestine!and!the!ArabIIsraeli!Conflict,!New!York:!Bedford,!p.!329.!108!Ravid,!Barak!(2009I03I18).!"Israel!to!publish!Hamas!prisoner!list".!Haaretz..!109!Israel!(country),!Microsoft!Encarta!Encyclopedia.,!2007,!p.!12.!Archived!2009I10I31.!110!"Profile:!Rachel;!Corrie:".!BBC!News.!August!28,!2012.!111!"Statement!by!the!Press!Secretary".!The!White!House.!April!24,!2008,!112!Edmund!Sanders!(June!1,!2010).!"Israel!criticized!over!raid!on!Gaza!flotilla".!Los!Angeles!Times.!Archived!from!the!original!on!June!2,!2010.!

!

!

! ! 21


!More! recently,! there! have! been!more! attempts! for! peace! talks! amongst! Israelis! and!Palestinians.!!However,!militant!movements! headed! by! Hamas! have! disrupted! this! process.! ! This! has! led! to! a!higher!number!of!rocket!attacks!on!the!Israelis!by!Hamas.113!!!!With!the!recent!operation!by!Israel,!Operation!Protective!Edge,!also!began!the!IsraelIGaza!conflict.!!This!operation!began!with!Israel’s!dropping!of!explosives!onto!Gaza,!which!caused!Palestinians!to!launch! rockets! into! Israel.114!! This! recent! conflict! has! been! the! deadliest! in! the! region! since! the!Second! Intifada.! ! Hundreds! of! thousands! of! civilians! have! been! displaced! due! to! this! ongoing!conflict.115!!!!

III. Past%International%Involvement!!

a. United%Nations%Special%Committee%on%Palestine%(UNSCOP)%

!UNSCOP!was!established!in!1947!by!the!General!Assembly!in!order!to!investigate!the!roots!of!the!Palestinian!conflict!and!to!come!up!with!a!solution!to!the!violent!conflict.!!The!body!was!comprised!of!representatives!from!eleven!nations.!!The!body!gathered!information!from!Zionist!organizations!within!Palestine!and!in!the!United!States.!!The!Arab!Higher!Committee!believed!the!natural!rights!of!Arabs!were!apparent!and! shouldn’t!have! to!be! investigated.! !The!Committee! reported! in!1947! in!support! of! terminating! the! British! mandate! in! Palestine.! ! There! was! a! Plan! of! Partition! with!Economic!Union!and!The!Independent!State!of!Palestine.!!This!first!plan!aimed!to!partition!Palestine!into!two!independent!states.!!The!Plan!of!Partition!with!Economic!Union!was!included!in!resolution!181,!which!passed!the!Assembly!floor.116!!Though!the!plan!passed,!fighting!continued,!and!the!plan!couldn’t!be!implemented.!!

b. United%Nations%Emergency%Force%(UNEF)%

!The!UNEF!was!created!after!the!Suez!Crisis!to!ensure!the!end!of!the!crisis.!!The!main!intention!was!to! oversee! the! demilitarization! of! the! region.! ! However,! UNEF! forces!were! only! deployed! on! the!Egyptian!side!of! the!border!because! Israel!didn’t!allow! them!on! its! territory.117!!Unfortunately,! in!1967,! Egypt! rid! the! region! of! UNEF! observers! and! militarized! the! Sinai! Peninsula! once! again,!blocking!Israeli!trade!as!it!had!in!1956.!!

c. Arabic%Involvement%

!After! the! Camp! David! Accords,! Israel! and! Egypt! signed! a! peace! treaty,! under! which! the! Sinai!Peninsula,!then!under!Israeli!control,!returned!to!the!Egyptians.!!However,!the!Gaza!Strip!was!still!under!Israeli!control.118!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!113!Blomfield,!Adrian!(August!2,!2010).!"Jordanian!national!killed!in!multiple!militant!rocket!strike".!The!Daily!Telegraph!(London).!114!Egypt!says!Gaza!truce!to!begin!at!7;!Israeli!killed!in!mortar!strikeBy!Ricky!BenIDavid,!Haviv!Rettig!Gur!and!Yifa!Yaakov!August!26,!2014,!Times!of!Israel!115!Steven!Stotsky!(29!July!2014).!"How!Hamas!Wields!Gaza’s!Casualties!as!Propaganda".!Time!Magazine.!116!United!Nations:!General!Assembly:!A/364:!3!September!1947:!Official!Records!Of!The!Second!Session!Of!The!General!Assembly:!Supplement!No.!11:!United!Nations!Special!Committee!On!Palestine:!Report!To!The!General!Assemblyl!Volume!1:!Lake!Success,!New!York!1947.!117!The!Withdrawal!of!UNEF!and!a!New!Notion!of!Consent,!page!5!118!Kershner,!Isabel!(27!January!2011).!"Israeli!concern!for!peace!partner".!Sydney!Morning!Herald.!!

!

!

! ! 22


!Israel!and!Jordan!have!a!peace!agreement!which!enforces!cooperation!amongst!the!two!countries.!This!aimed!to!create!peace!amongst!the!Palestine!Liberation!Organization!and!the!Israelis.119!!Iraq!and!Israel!remained!enemies!throughout!the!conflict.!!There!have!been!offensives!against!one!another.120!!!Lebanon!has!played!a!crucial!role!in!the!conflict!itself.!!The!PLO!used!Lebanon!as!a!means!to!launch!attacks!onto!Israel.!!In!1983,!Israel!and!Lebanon!agreed!to!a!ceasefire,!but!this!peace!didn’t!last!long!due! to! the! nullification! of! the! agreement.! ! Israel! has! also! launched! raids! onto! Hezbollah! in!Lebanon’s!southern!border.121!!Palestinians! have! played! a! major! role! in! this! conflict.! ! 1987! marked! the! beginning! of! the! First!Intifada,!an!uprising!of!the!Palestinians!that!was!against!the!Israeli!rule!on!their!land.!!By!the!1990s,!the!two!countries!attempted!peace!talks.! !The! first!set!of! talks,!Oslo! I,!ended! in! Israel!recognizing!the!PLO.!!The!second!set,!Oslo!II,!ended!in!the!division!of!the!West!Bank!into!three!sections.122!!

IV. Bloc%Positions!!

a. Western!Bloc:!The!Western!Bloc!condemns!the!rocket!attacks!by!Hamas!onto!Israel!and!supports!Israel!in!its!attempt!to!defend!itself.!!!

b. Asian! Bloc:! The! Asian! bloc! is! mostly! in! support! of! the! Arabs.! ! However,! there! is!potential! to! neutralize! Asia! in! regards! to! this! conflict.! ! If! Israel! can! establish! a! stable! economic!relationship!with!Asia,!it!can!result!in!neutral!ties!with!Asia.123!!

c. African!Bloc:!The!African!bloc!supports!Israel,! though!the!relationship!amongst!the!two!regions!has!been!a!rocky!one!in!the!past.!!!VI. Concluding%Remarks!!

a. Questions%to%Consider%

!i. What! is! the! role! of! the! international! community! in! interfering! in! this!

conflict?!ii. When!will!intervention!be!a!means!to!resolve!this!conflict?!

iii. What!are!some!actions!that!the!international!community!can!take!in!order!to!resolve!this!conflict?!

iv. What!are!some!short!term!and!long!term!goals!on!the!road!to!resolving!this!issue?!

!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!119!"Centre!Leadership!Meets!With!King!Abdullah".!The!Centre!for!Israel!&!Jewish!Affairs.!September!4,!2012.!120!"Iraq!not!to!establish!diplomatic!ties!with!Israel:!Allawi".!People's!Daily.!July!27,!2004.!121!Westcott,!Kathryn!(2002I04I04).!"Who!are!Hezbollah?".!BBC!News.!!122!IsraeliIPalestinian!Interim!Agreement!on!the!West!Bank!and!the!Gaza!Strip,!28!September!1995.!123!Nasser,!Nicola.!"Middle!East!News,!Iraq,!Iran!Current!Affairs."!Asia!Times!Online!::!Middle!East!News,!Iraq,!Iran!Current!Affairs.!N.p.,!12!May!2014.!Web.!

!

!

! ! 23


VII. Resources!!"1956:!Egypt!Seizes!Suez!Canal".!British!Broadcasting!Service.!July!26,!1956.!!!Avi!Beker,!The!Chosen:!The!History!of!an!Idea!and!the!Anatomy!of!an!Obsession,!New!York:!!!

Palgrave!Mcmillan,!2008.!!!

Blomfield,!Adrian.!"Jordanian!national!killed!in!multiple!militant!rocket!strike".!The!Daily!!!

Telegraph!(London).!August!2,!2010.!!!

"Centre!Leadership!Meets!With!King!Abdullah".!The!Centre!for!Israel!&!Jewish!Affairs.!!!

September!4,!2012.!!!Edmund!Sanders.!"Israel!criticized!over!raid!on!Gaza!flotilla".!Los!Angeles!Times.!June!2,!2010.!!!Erskine!Childers,!"The!Other!Exodus",!The!Spectator,!May!12,!1961,!reprinted!in!Walter!!

!Laqueur!(ed.)!The!IsraelIArab!Reader:!A!Documentary!History!of!the!Middle!East!!!Conflict,(1969)!rev.ed.!Pelican,!1970!pp.!179–188!p.183.!

!!Fraser,!T.G.!The!Middle!East:!1914–1979.!St.!Martin's!Press,!New!York.!(1980)!Pg.!2!!!"Iraq!not!to!establish!diplomatic!ties!with!Israel:!Allawi".!People's!Daily.!July!27,!2004.!!!"Israel:!The!War!of!Attrition".!Encyclopædia!Britannica.!Archived!from!the!original!on!!

!February!22,!2007.!

!!Kershner,!Isabel!(27!January!2011).!"Israeli!concern!for!peace!partner".!Sydney!Morning!Herald.!!!!Lorch,!Netanel.!"The!ArabIIsraeli!Wars".!Israeli!Ministry!of!Foreign!!

!Affairs.!September!2,!2003.!

!!Nasser,!Nicola.!"Middle!East!News,!Iraq,!Iran!Current!Affairs."!Asia!Times!Online:!Middle!East!!

!

!

! ! 24


!News,!Iraq,!Iran!Current!Affairs.,!12!May!2014.!Web.!

!!Segev,!Tom!(1999).!One!Palestine,!Complete.!Metropolitan!Books.!!!Smith,!Charles!D.!Palestine!and!the!Arab!Israeli!Conflict:!A!History!With!Documents.!!

!Bedford/St.!Martin's:!Boston.!(2004).!Pg.!129!

!!"Statement!by!the!Press!Secretary".!The!White!House.!April!24,!2008.!!!Steven!Stotsky.!"How!Hamas!Wields!Gaza’s!Casualties!as!Propaganda".!Time!Magazine.!July!!

!29,!2014!

!!"The!Struggle!against!Jewish!Immigration!to!Palestine".!Middle!Eastern!Studies.!July!1,!1998.!!!!Westcott,!Kathryn.!"Who!are!Hezbollah?".!BBC!News.!April!4,!2002.!!!United!Nations:!General!Assembly:!A/364:!3!September!1947:!Official!Records!Of!The!Second!!

!Session!Of!The!General!Assembly:!Supplement!No.!11:!United!Nations!Special!!!Committee!On!Palestine:!Report!To!The!General!Assembly!Volume!1:!Lake!Success,!!!New!York!1947.!

!!!!!