Dartmouth Model United Nations April 5 - 7, 2019 Current Crisis: … · 2019-01-30 · Current Crisis: Syrian Civil War DartMUN XIV History/Timeline of Events: While the causes and

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Dartmouth Model United Nations April 5 - 7, 2019

Current Crisis: Syrian

Civil War

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Dartmouth Model United Nations Conference 14th Annual Conference – April 5 – 7, 2019

Dartmouth College – Rockefeller Center – Hanover, NH 03755 E-mail: [email protected] - http://sites.dartmouth.edu/modelun

December 5, 2018 Dear Delegates: On behalf of the entire Dartmouth Model United Nations staff, I would like to welcome and thank you for registering for the fourteenth annual Dartmouth Model United Nations conference this April 2019. We have been working relentlessly since the end of last year’s conference to provide a better and more worthwhile Model U.N. experience for this spring’s delegates. DartMUN is a unique conference. We pair world-class delegations and dais staff members in smaller, more-interactive environments to facilitate an enriching experience for delegates of all skill levels. We believe DartMUN’s active, small committees ensure delegates feel comfortable immersing themselves in a competitive but supportive environment that encourages trial by error and participation. Furthermore, DartMUN’s well-trained staff is excited to work with your delegates this winter in committee to equip the next generation of college students with the skills to tackle complex global problems. This being said, Model United Nations is only meaningful when delegates are thoroughly prepared. To aid in your research preparation, your committee staff has spent hours researching, writing, and editing this Background Guide. The Background Guide serves as an introduction to your respective committee and an overview of the topics that you will be debating over the course of the conference. The Background Guide is intended to be a starting point for your research and is not, in itself, an adequate exposure to the complexities of your committee’s topics. To be prepared, each delegate should do further research and focus on processing information through the lens of their respective country or position. If you are having trouble digesting all the information, the Background Guide contains relevant discussion questions that break down the topics. Also, as questions or ideas arise, do not be shy in contacting your committee staff via e-mail. Committee staff are knowledgeable and can help you better understand a particular topic or how your country fits into a larger international debate. More often than not, discussing the problem with another person can open up more paradigms and viewpoints that may guide you throughout the brainstorming process. As in years past, all delegates are expected to write a brief position paper before the conference to synthesize all of their preparatory research and analysis. Please see the position paper guidelines on the conference website for specific information about content, format, etc. Committee staff will collect position papers at the beginning of the first committee session on Friday evening. Bring a hard copy because delegates who do not submit position papers will not be eligible for awards. I look forward to meeting you this coming spring. Sincerely, Lauren Bishop Secretary-General DartMUN XIV

Lauren Bishop Secretary-General

Shelley Wang

Director-General

Mila Escadajillo Chief of Staff

Brandon Zhou Charge d’Affaires

Clayton Jacques

Undersecretary-General of General Assembly

Daniel Bring

Undersecretary-General of Special Committees

Nishanth Chalasani

Undersecretary-General of Current Crises

Samuel Zarkower

Undersecretary-General of Future and Historical Crises

Bill Kosmidis

Undersecretary-General of Ad-Hoc

Alec Rossi

Director of Finance and Public Relations

Bethany David

Director of Technology

Shawdi Mehrvarzan Deputy Chief of Staff

DartMUN is a student-run, non-profit, all volunteer organization sponsored by

the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy.

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Dartmouth Model United Nations Conference 14th Annual Conference – April 5 – 7, 2019

Dartmouth College – Rockefeller Center – Hanover, NH 03755 E-mail: [email protected] - http://sites.dartmouth.edu/modelun

Dear Delegates, My name is Maia Round, and it is my honor to welcome you to the 2019 Dartmouth College Model UN Syrian Civil War Crisis Committee. I will be serving as your committee chair, and I am so excited to work with all of you in this dynamic crisis. This committee will test your abilities to compromise, react prudently and quickly, and consider the long-lasting effects of each delegates’ actions. A little bit about myself: I am a ‘22 (freshman) here at Dartmouth, potentially majoring in Government, with minors in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. I participated in Model UN in high school, and even attended DartMUN conferences myself. I row for the varsity Women’s Crew team, am an associate editor for the Dartmouth Law Journal, a Great Issues Scholar, a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club, and an avid Boston sports fan. I am a local, as my hometown is about an hour south of Hanover and am very engaged/interested in the American political and justice systems. Over the course of the weekend, while I will facilitate debate, the crisis will be managed by a team of crisis managers: Sam Selleck and Connor Hutto. Sam, a ‘22 from Bow, New Hampshire, is currently undeclared. In addition to serving as a crisis manager with DartMUN, Sam is very involved with the Mock Trial Society, conducts anthropology research, and works at a local technology start-up. Connor, a ‘22 from Memphis, Tennessee, is planning on majoring in Government with a minor in Public Policy. On campus, Connor is a part of groups like First Year Council, The Jack-O-Lantern, and the Dartmouth Democrats. We hope you will all be engaged with our topic: the Syrian Civil War. We want to stress the importance of being well-prepared for this conference, as the details of this crisis are extremely sensitive and should be handled with decorum and precision. Delegates should be prepared to debate their points effectively, work alongside other delegates to come to resolutions, and adjust to new, difficult developments in the crisis throughout the course of the weekend. To provide a starting point for your information on the topic, we have created the following background guide of basic information on the history of the crisis, the major players and delegates who will be represented at the conference, and the overall goals of this conference. This background guide is full of important information, but we highly suggest that additional research be done on the part of the individual delegates so as to be best prepared for the proceedings of the committee and be best able to represent the views of their assigned committee member. We love people who are prepared and engaged! I look forward to meeting all of you in the spring! Sincerely, Maia Round

Lauren Bishop Secretary-General

Shelley Wang

Director-General

Mila Escadajillo Chief of Staff

Brandon Zhou Charge d’Affaires

Clayton Jacques

Undersecretary-General of General Assembly

Daniel Bring

Undersecretary-General of Special Committees

Nishanth Chalasani

Undersecretary-General of Current Crises

Samuel Zarkower

Undersecretary-General of Future and Historical Crises

Bill Kosmidis

Undersecretary-General of Ad-Hoc

Alec Rossi

Director of Finance and Public Relations

Bethany David

Director of Technology

Shawdi Mehrvarzan Deputy Chief of Staff

DartMUN is a student-run, non-profit, all volunteer organization sponsored by

the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy.

Current Crisis: Syrian Civil War DartMUN XIV

History/Timeline of Events: While the causes and tensions

leading up to the civil war had been building

for decades, the violent outbreak of the

Syrian conflict occurred in March of 2011.

Responding to the appearance of anti-Assad

regime graffiti in the city of Dar’a,

government officials severely tortured a

group of about 10 people, classified as

children, who were thought to have been

behind the defacement. The brutal treatment

of these helpless civilians raised protests

throughout the city and surrounding areas,

as the tensions of injustice and the Arab

Spring came to a boiling point. While these

protests made a heavy statement against the

government, they were never particularly

violent. The Assad regime’s response of

heavy force, massive arrests, and fatal

shootings against the protestors added fuel

to the peoples’ rage.

As the protests gain momentum and

magnitude, the Syrian government started

sending heavier reinforcements, surrounding

the towns and cities with tanks, artillery, and

helicopters. Assad’s forces also cut off

1 Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Middle East:: Syria, last modified on Oct. 30 2018,

resources to civilians, attempting to force

protestors into submission. In June of 2011,

President Bashar al-Assad marched Syrian

troops towards the northwestern city of Jisr

al-Shugur, sending thousands of refugees

seeking asylum from the violence into

Turkey. Disturbed and fed by the

unhumanitarian, totalitarian conduct of the

Assad regime, generals and other high-

ranking members of the Syrian Army

defected, joining the rebels. This gave the

opposition its first real chance at an

organized militia.1

Following this new development in

violence, in assessing the humanitarian state

of the Syrian people, leaders of European

Union nations and President Barack Obama

condemned Assad’s use of force against his

own people, calling for his resignation from

his seat as president. Upon Assad’s blatant

disregard of the world leaders’ request, the

United States of America (USA), the

European Union (EU), and the Arab League

imposed sanctions against Syria, targeting

leaders of the Assad regime. In October of

2011, these same nations lead to vote a

United Nations Security Council resolution

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html


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condemning Assad, but the resolution was

vetoed, led by Russia and China, both of

whom had known ties and relationships with

the Assad and his regime.

Though the fighting had been

contained to small skirmishes, rebel

sabotages, and mass arrests during protests,

in September 2011, organized rebel forces

clashed with the Syrian army for the first

time. The Free Syrian Army took control as

the first formal organization of rebels, led by

former generals and officers of the Syrian

Government’s Army, who defected after

witnessing the human rights violations and

other crimes of the Assad regime.

In April of 2012, the United Nations

Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was

dedicated to seeing peace in the region,

organized a cease-fire between all warring

parties. This period of peace was quickly

demolished, and war returned. As violence

increased to new levels, the United Nations

(UN) withdrew their monitors. In June, the

Geneva Communique was created as a how-

to for the international community as well as

the Syrian government and rebel forces as to

how to negotiate a future governing body for

Syria once the civil war was over.

The FSA, though strong with the

support of the people, was failing to keep

the Syrian government at bay alone; so, in

November 2012, multiple rebels came

together to form the National Coalition for

Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition

Forces, or the Syrian National Coalition,

which now includes all the major rebellions,

including the FSA. This force was

recognized as legitimate by international

powers siding with the rebels, including the

USA, the United Kingdom, and Saudi

Arabia. It remains the spearhead of the

Syrian opposition to Assad to the current

day (2015).

As 2013 began, the fighting began

approaching a stalemate. The rebel forces

were facing extreme shortages of resources,

the Assad’s governmental army was

weakened by the defection of soldiers to the

rebel cause. As the war became more and

more stationary, daily fighting in highly

populated areas skyrocketed the civilian

death toll, which increased both domestic

and international tensions, as the mass

deaths and exoduses of Syrian civilians

became a humanitarian crisis. Adding to the

escalation of violence, Islamic militant

groups, ISIL (or ISIS) being the most


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prominent, joined the fray, launching attacks

initially against the Syrian government, but

causing tension and confusion between

themselves and the western nations allied

with the rebels. Upon joining the fighting in

April 2013, ISIL quickly came to control a

large area of territory on the Iraqi-Syrian

border.

In order to prevent the potential

progress of ISIL into northern Kurdish-

controlled territory, and to protect Christians

and Yazidis in the region, the USA launched

strikes against ISIL, further complicating

and intensifying the situation in Syria.

Shortly after these strikes, ISIL began

releasing viral videos of their coalitions and

members beheading Westerners, causing a

widespread panic. This development causes

the international community to worry that

these radical Islamic groups pose a real

international threat, and hostility between

them and western nations begins to

heighten. This concern drives a coalition of

Arab states to join the USA in expanding the

air raids against ISIL.

On August 21st, 2013, a chemical

weapons attack was launched against the

2 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica “Syrian History: Syrian Civil War,” last modified Oct. 13

densely populated metropolitan of

Damascus. The Syrian Government is

suspected as being behind the attack,

although Assad publicly denied any

responsibility and instead attempted to turn

the blame onto the rebels. Unconvinced by

this assertion, the USA, the UK, and France

renounced Assad’s actions on the

international stage and publicly considered

retaliatory strikes against the Syrian

government as consequences for committing

the mass murder of hundreds of innocent

civilians. In response, Iran, Russia, and

China, all known supporters of the Assad

regime, dissuaded outside military action,

resisting the idea of western military

intervention. In leu of this attack, the United

States brokered an agreement with the

Syrian government and Russia to put all of

Syria’s chemical weapons under control of

the UN. This deal, signed on September

14th, 2013, provided that all declared

weapons be removed from Syria by June

30th of the following year.2

The war continued at a stalemate trek

until the summer of 2015, when Russia

deployed military resources to a base near

2018 https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War


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Latakia, putting all involved nations,

especially the USA, on high alert. Direct

Russian military involvement began in

September 2015, when Russia began air

raids and strikes against the Syrian rebels.

This is the state of events as our conference

convenes.

Major Issues to Address: Governmental Reform

The current autocratic regime of

Bashar al-Assad is one of the major sources

of discontent in the Syrian Civil War. In

order to make meaningful strides in the

direction of a peaceful Syria, one of the

primary issues that must be addressed is the

dysfunctional governmental system present

in the country. While analyzing potential

solutions to the issue of governmental

reform, the different outlooks of various

actors in the region is important to consider.

Different forces in the ongoing

conflict view the Assad regime and the

importance of whether it continues into the

future or is brought to an end in very

different ways. One of the primary concerns

revolves around the impact that continued

leadership by Bashar al-Assad might cause.

Many believe that by allowing Assad to

remain in power, further discontent among

rebellious groups in the region could

continue at a constant rate or escalate. Along

with the fear of further discontent among the

Syrian population and surrounding

communities, another major fear revolves

around the belief that the Assad regime

might continue to abuse its power. Past

chemical weapon attacks against the Syrian

population have depicted the willingness of

Bashar al-Assad and his government to act

violently for the sake of maintaining

governmental power. By keeping the Assad

regime in power, many fear that continued

violence at the hands of the government

might ensue.

Much of the vocal unrest regarding

governmental reform lies in the atrocities

that might continue should Assad remain in

power—both at the hands of the citizens and

the hands of the government. That being

said, it is important to note the fears that

many hold of the outcomes of removing the

Assad regime from power in Syria. One of

the primary concerns of all those who

oppose toppling Bashar al-Assad is that the

removal of authority might catalyze a power

vacuum, or power void, leaving no sole


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authority in control of the already highly

tumultuous region.

There are repeated examples of the

chaos that a power vacuum can cause

throughout history, especially in the Middle

East, an already tumultuous region. 3 One of

the most prominent terrorist forces in the

region, while thriving amidst the chaos of

the Syrian Civil War itself, is opposed by

the Assad regime. Should the government as

it is today be overthrown, any delay in a

replacement might remove immediate

opposition in the region to the Islamic State

of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). While there is fear

that some fleeing Syria might possess

radical sentiments revolving around religion

and Western culture, much of this fear also

stems from the presence of ISIS in the

region. Networking and radicalization

strategies employed by this terrorist

organization could potentially grow stronger

with the absence of governmental authority

in Syria.

There are varying opinions regarding

governmental reform in Syria, both in favor

3 Hillel Fradkin and Lewis Libby, “The First Gulf War and its Aftermath,” Jewish Policy Center, last modified 2015, https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2015/08/31/first-gulf-war-aftermath/.

of and against the overthrow of the Assad

regime. The difference in outlooks on the

state of the Syria reform stems largely from

the wants and needs of involved parties in

the conflict. Different nations see various

benefits from having Assad in power or

from the replacement of the regime through

a democratic process. The two primary

forces that could potentially gain from

governmental action consist of the United

States of America and Russia.

The United States, for instance,

stands behind the replacement of Bashar al-

Assad in order to promote staunchly

democratic principles in the region.

Similarly, the support that Assad provides to

other countries and leaders runs contrary to

the initiatives of the United States. Ties

between the Syria and Iran, Syria and the

Hezbollah, and Syria and Russia all pose a

threat to Western interests in the region. 4The vested interests that the United States

might have in the government reform that

occurs contradicts that of Russia.

4 Daniel Byman, “Syria and Iran: What’s Behind the Enduring Alliance?” Brookings, last modified July 19, 2006, https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/syria-and-iran-whats-behind-the-enduring-alliance/.


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Russia, unlike the United States, has

close ties with the Syrian government. The

background of the Putin-Assad relationship,

however, spans generations. In order to

understand the true nature of the vested

interest that Russia has in Syria today, it is

important to analyze how Russian

involvement in the Middle East has shifted

since the presence of the Soviet Union. The

1970s marked a period of significant Soviet

involvement in Syrian affairs, taking a

primary form of military support. The

collapse of the Soviet Union, however,

reduced this involvement. Decades later, the

Arab Spring of 2011 that contributed

significantly to the forcible removal of

Muammar Gaddafi from power in Libya

caused a shift in Russian military support

from Libya back to Syria. 5

In short, although the Russian aid in

Syria has fluctuated over the years, a

movement by President Vladimir Putin to

increase Russian involvement in global

affairs has reignited a relationship between

the two nations. That being said, it is

5 Imran Rahman-Jones, “Why Does Russia Support Syria and President Assad?” BBC News, last modified Apr. 11, 2017, http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39554171/why-does-russia-support-syria-and-president-assad.

important to understand the nature of the

relationship Russia has particularly with the

Syrian government when making policy

decisions. Despite offered military support,

there are remaining questions regarding the

extent to which Putin and the Russian

government truly believes in Bashar al-

Assad and his capability to lead. It is also

important to remember that there are

nuances in every nation’s outlook on the

conflict. In the United States, as an example,

there is no consensus regarding the actions

to take against Assad. 6

Delegates should seek to answer the

following questions regarding governmental

reform in committee.

● How will government reform be

agreed upon by all countries

involved?

● How will the decided changes take

place? What will the timeline be?

● If this change creates further unrest,

what is the best way that further

damage can be mediated?

6 Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune, “What America Does—and Doesn’t—Want in Syria,” Chicago Tribune, last modified Apr. 14, 2018, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-syria-trump-missiles-russia-20180414-story.html


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● What levels of oversight will be

required for this governmental

reform process?

● What will the general public opinion

of this change, or lack thereof, and

how will negative or positive opinion

be kept under control?

Refugees

Beginning in 2011 with the onset of

the Syrian Civil War, refugees have been

fleeing the region, moving, for the most part,

north. This illustrates that the war is far

more than a political difference of opinions;

it is now impacting the lives of millions.

From 2011 to 2015, the number of displaced

grew at an astounding rate.

By 2012, many Syrians had migrated

to neighboring countries with the hope of

soon returning home, such as Lebanon.

Temporary settlements such as the Za’atari

refugee camp in Jordan began to open in

2012. Thousands of refugees have now lived

there for years.

By 2013, the total number of

refugees was rapidly increasing, especially

after the confirmed use of chemical weapons

by the Assad regime against Syrian citizens.

While March of 2013 saw about 1 million

confirmed refugees, the chemical weapon

attacks of August led to a confirmed 2

million refugees by September of that same

year.

By April of 2014, the refugee totals

increased further. At this point, Lebanon

alone housed 1 million refugees, which is

equal to one-fourth of the nation’s entire

population and placed a significant strain on

economic and social systems in place. In

addition, it is important to note that the

declaration of a caliphate by ISIL in June of

2014 also led to increased refugee

movement. At this point in history, countries

neighboring Syria had upwards of 3 million

total refugees.

Finally, 2015 saw a total of 1 million

refugees that have reached Europe. Many

European countries begin opposing the mass

migration due to both economic and social

concerns, sparking the major humanitarian

and political controversy plaguing

international politics today. Some notable

European actions include Hungary’s

construction of a border wall and closure of

its border with Serbia and the World Food

Program cutting rations for refugees in


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Lebanon and Jordan due to funding

shortages. 7


following questions regarding refugee

concerns in committee.

● What is the best way to cope with the

growing refugee problem in the

Middle East and in Europe, ensuring

that the needs of both sides—the

refugees and the nations housing

them—are addressed?

● How will any plan working to

remedy the refugee crisis be

overseen and carried out?

● What safety precautions must be

taken by nations accepting refugees,

if any?

Reconstruction

Outside of addressing governmental

problems and refugee crisis, it is vital that

the destruction to Syrian infrastructure as a

result of the Syrian Civil War is remedied.

Not only should the goal of delegates be

immediate reform, but should also seek to

instate long lasting, meaningful change.

Without adequate infrastructure, it is very

7 “Syrian Refugee Crisis: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help,” World Vision, last modified Sep. 10, 2018,

unlikely that any level of stability is gained,

despite other potentially productive

decisions made by the committee. This is

especially crucial in 2015, at which point

significant portions of many Syrian cities

have been ravaged by the unending violence

of war.

Hafez Ghanem, the World Bank

Vice President for the Middle East and

North Africa, accurately describes the

destruction of the ongoing conflict, “The

war in Syria is tearing apart the social and

economic fabric of the country.” By 2017

(one can assume a similar trend through

2015, although to a slightly lesser extent),

nearly half of all housing stock and one-

third of all education and medical facilities

had been destroyed by the war. Along with

economic losses, this clear infrastructure

damage made it extremely difficult for

Syrian citizens to bind together. The

infrastructure and social institutions in a

nation often provide the foundation for

levels of trust to form between people. In

brief, a fair conclusion regarding the greater

implications of infrastructure destruction

www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syrian-refugee-crisis-facts.


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could be a collapse of the social fabric of

Syrian society.

The lack of infrastructure, in

addition, makes policy decisions working to

alleviate the destruction in Syria relatively

ineffective, as little progress can be made if

no economic or social structures are in place

to uphold these policy decisions. To provide

context for the overall economic losses that

the nation has experienced, a World Bank

Report from 2017 calculated that

approximately 226 billion dollars in

potential gross domestic product (GDP) was

likely lost over the course of the war, which

is equal to about four times Syria’s GDP in

2010, prior to the onset of the conflict. 8

Without a doubt, outside of governmental

and social concerns of the war, the violence

has led to noticeable economic

consequences that continue to prevent

adequate recovery in Syria.


following questions regarding reconstruction

in committee.

● How can the committee reach

consensus and pass directives that

8 William Stebbins, “The Visible Impacts of the Syrian War May Only Be the Tip of the Iceberg,” The World Bank, last modified July 10, 2017,

would reverse some of the damage

that Syrian infrastructure has faced

over the duration of the war?

● What is the greater significance of

the infrastructure damage that has

accumulated from 2011 to 2015?

● How, logistically, would

infrastructure reconstruction take

place in Syria, considering both the

financial and time commitment that

changes would likely entail?

Enforcement and Justice

Aside from the war causing

tremendous economic, social, and political

damage to Syria and the surrounding region,

the actions of individuals have caused

serious personal harm to millions. The

Syrian Center for Policy Research issued a

report in 2016 that the death toll up to that

point had been 470,000. This estimate is, of

course, greater than the death toll would be

in 2015, but accurate data is limited. This is

likely due to the inability of research centers

to conduct work in close proximity to the

conflict. The Syrian Center for Policy

www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/07/18/the-visible-impacts-of-the-syrian-war-may-only-be-the-tip-of-the-iceberg.


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Research was able, however, to remain in

Damascus, Syria until 2016. 9

Before any of those negatively

affected by the war accept change, it is

likely that they will seek justice for crimes

committed. One of the primary targets for

justice will likely be President Bashar al-

Assad, who has repeatedly used violence

against civilians. To fairly serve justice to

those deserving, however, it is crucial that

order is maintained.

The problem with maintaining order

is notable, as many of the forces capable of

maintaining order have ulterior motives. For

instance, state military forces have

repeatedly used clear, unwarranted force

against the Syrian population, depicted by

the confirmed chemical weapon attacks in

August of 2013. Rebel forces, however,

such as the Free Syrian Army, have also

fought endlessly against the forces led by

the al-Assad regime. Considering these

dilemmas, it would be the committee’s goal

to organize a method of enforcement in

Syria that would minimize, if not eliminate,

unfair bias and potential acts of self-interest.

9 Megan Specia, “How Syria’s Death Toll is Lost in the Fog of War,” New York Times, last modified Apr. 13, 2018,


following questions regarding law

enforcement and administration of justice in

committee.

● What justice must be administered,

and who should have the authorities

to administer justice? Who decides?

● How should it be ensured that justice

is administered fairly, preventing

claims of further corruption and

ongoing unrest in the future?

● What is the best way to enforce the

changes decided upon by committee

without granting too much power to

any one group or force?

Committee Members: Syrian Government: the main objectives of

the Syrian government is to keep the Assad

regime in power and to eliminate the rebels;

they are very unlikely to negotiate peace that

does not entail Assad retaining control. The

government is largely opposed to western

involvement from the likes of the USA and

the EU but is actively influenced by

Russia.10

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/world/middleeast/syria-death-toll.html. 10 Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: The Middle East:: Syria, last modified Oct. 30 2018


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➢ Prime Minister Imad Muhamad Dib

Khamis

➢ Military General

➢ Secretary of Intelligence

Syrian National Coalition (SNC): the main

force of opposition and rebel power against

Assad’s government. Main objectives are to

expel Assad from power, completely

dismantle his regime, provide aid to Syrian

people with international aid, and establish a

transitional government with international

recognition with the hope of soon

establishing a free and open democracy.11

➢ Secretary-General Mohamad Nazir

Hakim

➢ Vice President Dima Moussa

➢ Vice President Bader Jamous

Free Syrian Army (FSA)/Supreme Military

Council (SMC): the FSA was the leading

rebel power at the beginning of the civil

war, but disorganization lead to its steady

decrease in power since 2014. They have

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html 11 National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, website, last accessed Nov. 10 2018, http://en.etilaf.org/

since been absorbed by the SNC, and share

the same objectives (see above), though the

FSA/SMC wields significantly less power

and influence.12

➢ Brig. General Salim Idris (first

commander)

➢ Brig. General Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir

al-Noeimi (second commander)

➢ Colonel Qasim Saad al-Din

(spokesman)

United States of America (USA): the USA is

opposed to the Assad regime due to its

autocratic nature, the extreme human rights

violations and violent attacks on its own

citizens, and the current government’s status

as a puppet state for Russia in the Middle

East. USA is also against the establishment

of a truly Islamic state, as that would

increase threats to the western world along

with ISIL and the Taliban. Goal is to

establish favorable to USA interests in the

region.

➢ Foreign Ambassador to Syria

12 BBC News, “Guide to the Syrian Rebels,” last modified Dec. 13 2013 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24403003


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Russia: Russia has made public its support

of the Assad regime, and its interests in

keeping western nations, particularly the

USA, out of Syria; they also have the

capacity to, and have been, launching

remote air strikes against the rebels. Russia

has the power to rival the USA, and no

settlement will be long-lasting without

genuine support from both superpowers.13

➢ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

➢ Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov

Kurdish Supreme Committee: a severely

persecuted ethnic group, the Kurds enter this

conference with the sole interest of gaining

the land and international recognition and

support to establish their own independent

Kurdistan for their people to inhabit, free

from fear of death and violence. Their

military capacity is confined to controlling a

small region on the northern border of Syria.

➢ Abdullah Öcalan

13 The Russian Government, website, http://government.ru/en/ministries/#federal_ministries 14 EmbassyPages.com, “Embassy of Iran in Damasus, Syria,” https://www.embassypages.com/missions/embassy21779/

Iran: Allied with the Syrian government and

Russia, Iran would like to see the Assad

regime remain in power, and is extremely

anti-western involvement. The government

has many fewer qualms about sending in

military aid, including air strikes and

potentially boots on the ground, to aid the

Syrian government.14

➢ Ambassador Javad Turk-Abadi

Turkey: the Turkish government is most

concerned with the refugee crisis being

caused by this civil war, as most displaced

Syrians are fleeing north across the border

into Turkey, who does not have the stability

or capacity to handle the influx. They are

not interested in intervening militarily, but

increasingly nervous about fighting

approaching the northern border. Shares

interests with the USA about keeping Russia

out of Middle Eastern governments.15

➢ Ömür Orhun

15 Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Middle East:: Turkey, last modified Oct 30 2018, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/print_tu.html


16

Saudi Arabia: while not natural allies with

the USA, UK, and EU, the Saudi crown

prince and government is opposed to seeing

the Assad regime remain in power;

specifically, they are not huge proponents of

USA, but are on speaking terms in the

context of this issue. Their main interest lies

in maintaining status as the most influential

nation in the region.16

➢ Faleh Al-Rehaily, Chargé d'Affaires

a.i. (Saudi Embassy in Damascus)

Further Research:

Throughout this background guide,

we have worked to provide a general

overview of the Syrian Civil War and the

types of questions to consider when first

arriving at Dartmouth for committee. That

being said, the violence that has ravaged the

nation of Syria, displacing millions,

fracturing families, undermining the

political and economic framework of

society, and catalyzing international tension

is shrouded in complexities and uncertainty.

For this reason alone, we urge delegates to

conduct independent research.

16 Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, website, https://www.saudiembassy.net

Not only will delegates well-versed

in the nuances of the conflict allow the

group to generate truly meaningful

solutions, but it will enhance the DartMUN

experience as a whole! We look forward to

an exciting committee in the spring!

Dartmouth Model United Nations April 5 - 7, 2019 Current Crisis: … · 2019-01-30 · Current Crisis: Syrian Civil War DartMUN XIV History/Timeline of Events: While the causes and

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