SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council is primarily responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council has exclusive power to make binding decisions that member states have agreed to carry out. The following issues will be discussed during the conference:
The Syria – Israel conflict – the case of the Golan Heights
The Middle East knows many ongoing conflicts. Often these conflicts are interrelated and deeply rooted mistrust makes them extremely hard to settle. One of these disputes is the case of the Golan Heights, a strategic area in de facto Israeli control but originally belonging to Syria. Israel states that its control over the area is legal because it’s essential for their security since it suffered Syrian attacks from the Golan Heights prior to the occupation that started in 1967. They find justification for this in UNSC resolution 242. Other interests are also in play as the area is rich in water resources and it mounts the biblical site of passing the Sea of Galilee. In the northern part of the Golan Heights are the Shebaa Farms, both claimed by Syria and Lebanon, which makes the latter state the third party in the conflict. Since 1974 the peacekeeping mission UNDOF is active in observing an agreed demilitarised zone. Meanwhile Syrian-Israeli relations remain tense. Recently, accusations of Syrian weapon deliveries to Hezbollah led to new frictions. Earlier, in 2008 Israel and Syria were close to starting indirect peace negotiations with Turkey as an independent facilitator. This momentum has not been used by the parties to settle their dispute. A UNSC resolution could trigger new momentum, but will the member states be able to adopt a resolution with the right incentives to restart negotiations?
The situation in Somalia
Somalia has been overshadowed by violent power struggles for a long time. Since 1991, when President Siad Barre was ousted, the country has lacked an effective government. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is the present internationally recognised federal government of Somalia, which was installed in 2004. The TFG has not been able to establish its authority as a result of the continuing hostilities between the TFG and the different factions of the Islamic Courts Union, among which are the radical Islamist insurgent groups Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam. The ongoing conflict between government troops and extreme Islamist militants has had a devastating effect on the country. It caused the total number of Somali refugees to rise to more than 0.5 million people and the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia to reach 1.5 million people.The international community offers support to the TFG but their efforts have not been effective so far. Therefore, a more comprehensive international approach is needed. UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, calls for greater financial and material assistance, a concrete commitment and a determined international policy towards Somalia and its present leadership. How can the UN enhance the effectiveness of the international support offered to Somalia?
Narcoterrorism and international security
Narcoterrorism is a part of an illegal complex mix of drugs, violence and power, where the illegal drug trade and the illegal exercise of power have become aggregated in such a way that they threaten democracy and the rule of law. The traditional drug syndicates have developed into more autonomous groups with paramilitary strength. This combination between drug trafficking and terrorist groups is a serious threat for the security of any region where narcotic crops can grow; mainly South American and Middle-Eastern nations. The exercise of power in a state or region can be completely influenced by the operators of the drug trade through their economic, political and paramilitary strength. The problem is two-way: consumer countries who are mainly industrial countries, locate the problem with the producer countries and call for elimination of the problem “at the source”.
On the other hand, the producer countries, who are mainly developing countries, point to the demand in the consumer countries as the driving force for the illegal trade and call for a reduction of the demand in order to dry up the industry.
Although the United Nations has done a lot of work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to stop drug trafficking and terrorism as separate issues, they have not made much progress in combating narcoterrorism. This topic is very difficult to combat because of how broad it is. The multiple interpretations of the term “narcoterrorism” have led to disagreements between nations, which has crippled the UN’s effort to stop this problem. What solutions have been used in the past and how successful could they be in the future? Can they be modified to better fight the problem? What solutions have not been tried yet by the UN?
