League of Arab States Topic 1: Neo Pan-Arabism Topic 2: Israel-Palestine 1
Dear Delegates, My name is Cristian Gonzalez and I will be your chair for the Arab League committee at LTMUN. I m currently a junior at Lyons Township and this is my second year participating in Model UN, but my first time chairing for a committee. I have attended a myriad of conferences, such as MUNI, CIMUN, and NUMUN, and I have some experience with winning awards. The Arab World has especially piqued my interests and has always been a center of political activity. With that said, it is my utmost pleasure to welcome you all to the most riveting committee at LYMUN. Your Vice Chair is Laura Knowles, also a junior at Lyons Township. She is quite competent in Model United Nations and will be a great addition to the LYMUN experience. As a delegate, past and future, I always wanted to know what the chair wants in a best delegate. Here is a list to prepare you in order to win best delegate: I. Rhetorical Skills II. Cooperation III. Policy IV. Position Papers V. Knowledge Position papers will be due the day of committee. Please email me them before hand, but make sure you bring a hard copy to committee if you cannot email them. If you do not meet this deadline you will be exempt from awards. If you have any questions regarding policy, writing position papers, or anything else relevant to committee then feel free to send me an email at crigonzalez03@yahoo.com. 2
Members in Committee: 1. Algeria 2. Bahrain 3. Comoros 4. Djibouti 5. Egypt 6. Iraq 7. Jordan 8. Kuwait 9. Lebanon 10. Libya 11. Mauritania 12. Morocco 13. Oman 14. Palestine 15. Qatar 16. Saudi Arabia 17. Somalia 18. Sudan 19. Syria* 20. Tunisia 21. United Arab Emirates 22. Yemen 3
A Brief History of the Arab League One can trace the roots of Arab unity to the early 20th century. During World War I the British Empire helped coordinate the Arab people together and resist their Ottoman oppressors, leading to their revolt against the Turkish Ottoman Empire. During the Second World War, the British called upon the Arab world to help to fight the Axis Powers and the coordination between Arab states was even more successful, to the extent that their assistance led to another victory. Inspired by the successful cooperation during both world wars, Arab diplomats took note of the potential for Arab unity. Then in 1944 official representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, North Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Transjordan met in Alexandria, Egypt to form the League of Arab States. Since then, Arab citizens began to perceive themselves as one group of people divided among a number of separate nations with similar history, geography, language, culture, and socio-economic interests, which compelled them to forge a strong, united Arab community. Since then, it has grown to an organization of twenty-two members. Having existed for about 68 years, the Arab League has grown to become the most prominent regional body in the Middle East. Given the importance of the Middle East in the world today, the importance of an effective Arab League cannot be denied. As outlined in the second chapter of the Charter of the Arab League, the overall goal of the Arab League is...strengthening of the relations between the member-states, the coordination of their policies in order to achieve co-operation between them and to safeguard their independence and sovereignty; and a general concern with the affairs and interests of the Arab countries. Historically, the Arab League has lived up to its expectation and has had a huge impact on the Arab world. From the Arab-Israeli War in 1948 to the Arab Spring revolutions starting in 2010, the Arab League s reaction to these events has had a significant impact on the Arab World. We meet as a united league of Arab states, all with our own differences, but we all have the same objective in the advancement of Arab life. 4
Topic A: Neo Pan-Arabism Ideology The principle of Pan-Arabism can be described as the political unification of Arab regions, which by culture can be divided into six regions: The Maghreb, the Mashriq, the Nile Valley, the Gulf states, the Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Indian Ocean (the Comoros). The concept of uniting the Arab World into a single, sovereign state was at its peak during the 1950s and 60s. Historically, it was ignited by Sharif of Mecca Hussein ibn Ali who sought independence for the Mashreq Arabs under Ottoman rule during the years of the first world war. In 1915 16, the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence was in an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Sharif that if the Mashreq Arabs revolted successfully against the Ottomans, the United Kingdom would support strides towards Mashreq Arab independence. In 1916, however, the Sykes-Picot Agreement between the United Kingdom and France determined that parts of the Mashreq would be divided between those powers instead of forming part of an independent Arab state. In the 1930s, Pan-Arabism was to be modified again, mostly by Syrian intellectuals such as Constantin Zureiq, Zaki al-arsuzi, and Michel Aflaq, the latter two being key figures of the Arab Ba ath Party. The Ba ath party having a mix of Marxism and nationalism reminiscent of early nineteenth century European romantic nationalism. Another intellectual, King Abdullah of Jordan, dreamt of uniting Syria, Palestine, and Jordan into one state called Greater Syria. This idea was not supported and he was assassinated by a Palestinian nationalist in 1951. Due to the lack of Egyptian support, arguably the most integral piece of the unification puzzle, most attempts led to failure. Attempts It was not until the political era of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser that Pan-Arabism/Arab Nationalism really took flight, but while the attempts valiant, they brought little results. Aside from the establishment of the League of Arab States in 1945, the first real attempt at Pan-Arabism was the Egyptian backed United Arab Republic (UAR) in 1958, a merger of Egypt and Syria. It later collapsed in 1961 by the withdrawing of Syria due to a coup d état by Syrian army officers. A rival to the UAR the Arab Federation was founded also in 1958 and was a merger of Jordan and Iraq. It would only last six 5
months due to intergovernmental tension with the UAR and also because of the 14 July Revolution. Also the United Arab States existed as a confederation between the UAR and North Yemen (Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen) but it would then dissolve in 1961. Libya s Muammar Gaddafi would try two attempts at Arab unification, the Federation of Arab Republics (Libya, Egypt, Syria) and the proposed Arab Islamic Republic (Libya, Tunisia, Morocco- Algeria?). Both of these attempts were short lived. Aside from the forcible unification of much of the Arabian Peninsula by the Saudi rulers of Najd during the 1920s, the unity of seven Arab emirates that form todays United Arab Emirates and the unification of North Yemen and South Yemen into Yemen stand today as rare examples of actual unification. The current Syrian government is and the former government of Iraq was led by rival factions of the Ba ath Party, which continues to espouse pan-arabism and is organized in several other countries. The Islamic State Currently the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-sham/iraq and Syria/Iraq and the Levant, has declared a caliphate that spans across its territories within Iraq and Syria. With Abu Bakr al-baghdadi as their caliph, IS has taken advantage of the chaos within Syria to gain control of a considerable amount of Syria, also taking advantage of the arguable deterioration of the Iraqi state. IS has also protested Western Influence in halting Pan-Arabism by desecrating the Sykes-Picot in their bulldozing of the border between Syria and Iraq in a certain area. As of late, it appears that the Islamic State is facing no considerable threats and is seizing more territory by the day. Questions To Consider 1. What type of role will the Islamic State have on the idea of Pan-Arabism? 2. How would the establishment of a unified Arab state affect the world? 3. After the events of Abdullah of Jordan, how probable is it that the Arab World will smile upon a unified Arab state? 4. How will the Kurds and other minorities react with the proposed establishment of a unified Arab state? 5. What effect is the Syrian Civil War having on the prospect of Arab unity? 6. What will be better for the establishment of a single Arab state? Secularist Ba athism or Islamic Caliphateism? 6
Additional resources: https://news.vice.com/video/the-islamic-state-full-length http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/pan-arabism.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war-fast-facts/ http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121115231647934.html * Be sure to take into account the bloc positions of your countries. Though we are in a committee based on cooperation, our countries may differ in policy on certain issues. 7
Topic B: Israel-Palestine Timeline of Israeli-Arab Events 1948-99 The origins of the intense hatred between the state of Israel and the Arab World stems from the original partition of Palestine in 1948. The Palestinians saw it as an invasion of their sovereignty and promptly invaded it, along with other Arab countries. This was known as Israel s War of Independence, later in 1949 several Arab countries sign an armistice with Israel and Israel gains 50 percent more land than they originally had. In 1956 Israel invades the Sinai peninsula towards the newly Egyptianized Suez Canal. A cease fire is then established the next month and Israel halts their advance. The Arab-Israeli War of 1967 begins as Israel launches an air attack on Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in response to the request by Egyptian president Nasser that the UN withdraw its forces from Egyptian territory and the buildup of Arab armies along Israel's borders. After 6 days, a cease-fire is declared and Israel occupies the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and West Bank. Following these events, the UN adopts Resolution 242 as a foundation for further peace negotiations. Violence intensified along the Suez Canal as Egyptian president Gamal Nasser declared the 1967 cease-fire void along the canal. The War of Attrition begins. Neither side claims victory, and a cease-fire is signed in August 1970. Afterwards, the fourth Arab-Israeli war begins as Israel is attacked by Egyptian-Syrian forces on Yom Kippur, with a swift ceasefire the following month. In 1978, in response to Palestinian guerrillas staging attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory, Israeli troops cross into Lebanon. Troops withdraw in June, after the UN Security Council creates a 6,000-man peacekeeping force for the area called UNIFIL. On March 26, 1979, Egypt and Israel sign a formal peace treaty, which ends 30 years of war and establishes diplomatic and commercial relations. In 1982, Israel completes the return of the Sinai to Egyptian control, but then in two months Israeli forces assault the PLO in southern Lebanon. A U.S.-brokered accord is reached between Israel and Lebanon on May 17, 1983. As part of the 8
accord, Israel agrees to withdraw from Lebanon. By June 1985 most troops have withdrawn, but a steady force remains in southern Lebanon to defend against further attacks on northern Israel. During the December of 1987, Palestinians begin to riot under Israeli rule, over 20,000 are killed in the ensuing violence. On October 30, 2991 the US and USSR organize the Madrid Conference to try and reach peace. On September 13, 1993, Yasir Arafat and Israel s Yitzhak Rabin sign the Declaration of Principles which recognizes the right of state of Israel to exist in peace and security and Israel recognizes and grants limited autonomy to the PLO. On October 26, 1994, Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty, ending their former state of belligerency. November 5, 1995, PM Rabin is killed by a Jewish extremist, complicating peace talks, but then a year later in May Benjamin Netanyahu is elected new Prime Minister of Israel. In January of 1997, Israel and the PLO sign the Hebron Accord, which calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Hebron. In March of the same year, new Jewish settlements are created on the West Bank, angering Palestinians. In October of 1998, At a summit at Wye Mills, Md., Netanyahu and Arafat sign the Wye River Memorandum that settles several important interim issues called for by the 1993 Oslo Accord. The Wye Accord, however, quickly begins to deteriorate as hostilities begin to arise again. Questions To Consider 1. How can we, as a body, resolve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis? 2. What role does Hamas play in escalating or deescalating the current crisis? 3. How should the Arab League stand on the accusations of human rights violations by the PLO? 4. What role does the Hezbollah play in agitating peace proposals? 5. What steps should the Arab League take vis-à-vis the Israeli nuclear program? 6. Is the absence of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (NWFZ) to blame for tensions as well? Additional Resources http://america.aljazeera.com/topics/topic/issue/israeli-palestinian-conflict.html http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/israel-palestine http://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/israeli-palestinian-conflict/ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/guide-2013-israeli-palestinian-peace-talks-f6c10791311 http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/12/two-statesolutiontoisraelipalestinianconflictunderincreasingstr.html 9
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