Disarmament and International Security Committee

Dear Delegates,

My name is Karti Mital and I will be your director for the Disarmament and International Security Committee at Harvard National Model United Nations 2011!  I look forward to four action packed days of debate, resolution writing, and awesome MUN stories.  DISEC has been one of the most interesting and engaging committees at HNMUN, and I am certain this year will be no exception.

For a little background, I am currently a sophomore at Harvard College planning to major in Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Economics.  In addition, I expect to do a minor in Philosophy, focusing in on Metaphysics and/or Epistemology.  I am a resident of Mather house, which is hands down the best house at Harvard.  I was born in Agra, India – the home to the Taj Mahal – but have spent most of my life in Burr Ridge, IL, which is about 20 minutes away from Chicago.  For those of you who are wondering, I am a Cubs fan.

In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, basketball, and golf, as well as playing armchair quarterback for the Chicago Bears.  I also like to read for pleasure and mainly look for nonfiction or science fiction topics.  I am interested in politics, and am an avid reader of the various publications that other Harvard students produce.  On campus, I am involved in the Harvard Bhangra Team, the South Asian Men’s Collective, and the Club Tennis Team.  I am on the board of the Harvard Financial Analysts Club and am active in managing our fund.  With regards to Model UN, I will be a Crisis Director for the Joint Crisis Cabinet at HMUN, our high school conference.  I am also a Deputy Director for our traveling team and enjoy the experience of meeting new people and debating on the circuit.

This year DISEC will focus on two very pressing issues related to international security, Cyberterrorism and the Taliban.  As you begin your research on these topics, I hope you find them to be both engaging and thought-provoking.  These issues have been approached many times before, so there is no dearth of information on how to handle these problems.  However, there is plenty of room for new ideas, so I look forward to seeing what novel plans people have to deal with these crises.  It is up to you as delegates to come to the best way of incorporating these past proposals and new ideas into one effective resolution.  I am confident this committee can produce something great.  Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or would just like to introduce yourself. I am very excited for a lively debate and look forward to meeting all of you at HNMUN 2011!

Sincerely,

Karti Mital
Director, Disarmament and International Security Committee
Harvard National Model United Nations 2011

Topic Area A: The Taliban

The issue of the Taliban is one of the most pressing and disconcerting issues concerning the UN in recent history.  The organization has had a presence in the area of Afghanistan since 1996.  Since then, it has fought numerous wars with its enemies and has risen to international prominence.  Known for harboring radical organizations such as Al-Qaeda, many nations stepped forward to squelch them.  However, after a recent resurgence, the Taliban has had de facto control over regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Most of the coalition efforts to reassert control have been stymied.  In some regions, aid workers cannot operate without the approval of the Taliban.  There have been numerous allegations of human rights abuse, often with the Taliban attacking civilian aid workers.  The United Nations has tried to take action against this.  Resolution 64/11 of the General Assembly along with resolution 63/18 put forward measures to address the problem.  However, the Taliban still persist, seemingly more powerful than before.

This problem brings up numerous issues about how to handle the situation.  Other than strategic and military matters, the Taliban have become so deeply entrenched in the region that other questions need to be answered.  Should aid workers be allowed to work with the Taliban?  Should they even operate in the region?  Should the leaders of the Taliban remain classified as terrorists?  Should states that support the Taliban be punished?  How much of a role can the United Nations have in addressing the issue of the Taliban?  Does the Taliban have any right to sovereignty?  What legitimizes the current Afghani government meant to take the place of the Taliban?

Topic Area B: Cyberterrorism

With the proliferation of the internet across the globe, the issue of the cyberterrorism has become more pertinent.  As of 2007, it was estimated that 22% of people in the developed world have access to the internet.  This tenfold increase in usage has led to plenty of abuse by patrons of the internet.  In early 2009, Google servers in China were attacked by an unknown party.  Although Google was able to fend off those attacks, others may not have been so lucky.  For example, in 2007, Estonia was subject to a well planned denial-of-service attack.  Almost all of the national ministries’ servers were knocked off line as well as those of two major financial institutions.   As it should be apparent, cyberterrorism has the potential to decimate governments, cripple economies, and can damage defense networks.  Though many of these attacks result from young programmers who fool around, the issue becomes more serious when institutions, or even nations, decide to use the internet as a weapon against their enemies.

Currently, there has been little done to solve the problem.  Of all developed nations, only the United States has a sophisticated infrastructure to handle the problem with Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations.  The necessary means to prevent these attacks are expensive.  The General Assembly has tried to make a “global culture of cybersecurity” in resolution 64/211, though plenty of problems still remain.  How can governments effectively combat cyberterrorism as the enemy is constantly changing?  In addition, though there are laws that seek to prosecute cybercriminals, there is effectively no global infrastructure to prevent the attacks from happening in the first place.  One question that the DISEC should consider is the role of international cooperation in handling this problem.  As well, how can nations cheaply set up the necessary infrastructure to prevent these attacks in the first place?