Hey Delegates,

Welcome to the Security Council at PREPMUNC XII! Both Alex and I are excited to watch you all participate in engaging debate, and work with your fellow delegates to find a solution to our topics!

Hi! My name is Thanasi Dilos, and I’ll be one of your chairs for committee. I’m a Junior here at prep and have been an active member of Prep’s Model United Nations club since I was a freshman. Mr. Jardines’ classroom has really become like a second home to me, and I’ve met some of my best friends through conferences and team meetings. I’ve also had the amazing opportunity to travel to international Model U.N. conferences through the All-American MUN Team. Being able to meet other passionate Model U.N. kids from around the world was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Speaking of best friends made in Mun, when I asked for advice on what to write, she said “ Hi, my name is Thanasi Dilos. I like watching cat videos and annoying Joanne. Also, I embody the American Eagle, caw caw.” That works. With all that aside, I can’t express how excited I am to see all of you in committee!  

Hey Delegates, my name is Alex Tziranis. I flew to back to my homeland of Greece and was unable to finish this chair letter before the deadline. I joined PrepMUN in my sophomore year to stop Thanasi’s constant bickering, and have been an active member since. I’ve known Thanasi since I moved here from Greece in the 5th grade, and I’m excited for the opportunity to chair the Security Council with him as my first ever chairing experience. I’m looking forward to committee!   

Topic Overview

Terrorism and extremism have become a constant threat to life to citizens all

over the globe. Terror is most easily defined as the use of violence against non-

combatants in order to push a political goal or a radical agenda. Within the past couple

of years, the world has seen the

terror inspired by multiple ideologies.

The attacks in Brussels, Paris and

San Bernardino, CA that were

inspired by the terrorist groups ISIS

and Al Qaeda, and the mass shooting

of 11 people inside the Tree of Life

Synagogue by Robert Bowers, a man

who spouted white nationalist and

anti-semitic rhetoric online.

In 2016 in the EU Alone, member states reported a total of 142 failed, foiled, and

completed attacks.1 In a 2018 survey of EU citizens, 50% said that combating terrorism

should be the EU’s top priority, and 77% believed that the Eu should be doing more. In

a Pew Research 2 study conducted in the Spring of 2017, 72% of Americans were

surveyed were concerned about Islamic terror attacks, 42% of which were “very

concerned”.

Terrorist attacks, more specifically the way they are carried out, have changed

since 9/11. More and more attacks are being carried out by “Lone Wolf” extremists, who

will hear or see their call to action on a propaganda website or on an extremist run

social media and carry out the attacks on their own. This new form of terror is even

harder to detect and comes in the form of stabbings, shootings, and sometimes even

using a vehicle as a weapon to commit mass murder.

Recruitment has always been an evolving platform for extremist groups, but the

majority of recruitment happens in countries where poverty and violence run rampant.

Groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda promise money and protection to young boys, usually

not over the age of 20. Extremist rhetoric, as well as anti-western sentiment, is taught to

impressionable teenagers who live in the middle of countries militarily involved with the

United States and other western nations. A recent UN report estimates there to be

around 30,000 current ISIS fighters3, even after the destruction of the caliphate. While

1https://www.publicpolicyexchange.co.uk/events/IE17-PPE2

2 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/24/majorities-in-europe-north-america-worried-about-islamic-extremism/

3 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-fighters-iraq-syria-un-report-jihadis-raqqa-iraq-a8492736.html

ISIS’s leadership might have been eliminated, extremist groups are still active all over

the Middle East recruiting new fighters every day.

While terrorism is seen as a vastly 21st-

century problem, it has existed for centuries.

Acts of terror have dated back to the Roman

times, where Jewish rebels would attack

markets and public spaces to torment the

Roman government. However, terror has

evolved since then. Due to the modern media, terrorist groups can reach more people

with their extremist messages, and garner more support in areas they may not have a

strong physical presence. Many terrorist groups have websites and active social media

accounts, where they share propaganda and messages with the goal of recruiting

young people to join their cause.

In a recorded audio message, Abu

Muhammed al-Adnani, the now deceased voice

of ISIS, urged sympathizers and supporters of the

group all over the world to attack citizens of

Western countries4.“Kill him in any manner or

way, however it may be. Smash his head with a

rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him

over with your car.” After this call to action,

multiple car attacks were carried out by attackers

4 http://nationalpost.com/news/world/isis-urges-jihadists-to-attack-canadians-you-will-not-feel-secure-in-your-bedrooms

pledging their allegiance to ISIS. Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter,

was found to be discussing anti-semitic ideas and rhetoric with other white nationalist

users on various forms of social media. He even posted a final call to action, as well as

saying “I'm going in”5 minutes before he carried out the harrowing attack that took 11

lives.

Current Situation

While it is impossible to completely remove online extremist content, many nations have

taken steps to combat it through new legislation that has yet to prove useful.

Delegates will be presented with the challenge of combating the vast recruitment

networks that extremist groups have built, as well as figuring out ways to stop these

groups from spreading their propaganda to millions of people through the internet.

Questions To Consider

1. What has your country done in the past to combat terrorist recruitment?

2. Have any attempts to combat terrorist recruitment in your country been

successful?

3. Does your country have a large number of citizens being recruited to join

extremist groups?

Helpful Links (Aside from Footnotes)

Study on Counter-Terror Narratives conducted by the EU

ISIS and the Institution of Online Terrorist Recruitment

Handbook on Children Recruited and Exploited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups (UNODC)

5 https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-screw-your-optics-i-m-going-in-who-is-the-suspected-pittsburgh-shooter-1.6595724

Topic Overview

After the death of Venezuelan President Chavez in 2013, Nicolas Maduro took control

of the Venezuelan Government.

Maduro’s rise to power occured at

the same time that the international

price of petroleum began to drop.

This caused crisis in Venezuela,

being that their economy was based

largely on exports of oil. The people

elected Maduro’s opposition party,

the Democratic Unity Roundtable,

who were determined to reverse policies put forth by the PSUV, or Maduro’s political

party. The Supreme Court of Venezuela, who aligned themselves with Maduro and his

policies, announced that they were planning to take “over the powers of the opposition-

controlled National Assembly”6. This move would centralize all legislative power under

6 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41031469

Maduro and his party, and caused massive outrage throughout Venezuela. More

recently, however, Maduro’s political has regained power in local elections. The majority

of 2,500 seats were won by the PSUV, after Maduro banned opposition parties from the

ballot box, and jailed opposition leaders7. This oppressive form of “Democracy” has

caused members of opposition parties to flee Venezuela, along with Millions of

Venezuelan citizens.

The United Nations Human Rights

Council (UNHCR) has stated that there are

over 3 million Venezuelan refugees8, and

has announced as of November 8th 2018,

that there is a need to increase support for

these refugees, and the countries that are

being affected by this mass migration. Many

experts have pointed to the large amount of

crime, poverty, civil unrest, and political corruption as leading causes of the Venezuelan

refugee crisis, but President Maduro has made no attempts to remedy the issue.

Crime and poverty rates inside Venezuela reached their all-time high in 2017, as

new data showed that over 27,000 murders were committed, and that more people in

Venezuela were going hungry9. The Venezuelan cycle of poverty, crime, and protest is

rapidly destroying the government and citizens of Venezuela, as the Maduro

government is on the verge of collapse. These events, along with the numerous human 7 https://www.voanews.com/a/nicolas-maduro-venezuela-elections/4693862.html

8 https://news.un.org/en/tags/venezuela

9 https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/

rights violations10 and refugee crisis that has been created by the Maduro administration

have been detrimental to surrounding nations, destabilizing the region.

Current Situation

The situation in Venezuela has grown worse and worse, and multiple United

Nations bodies have been unable to change the countries path. As it stands, the

Venezuelan refugee crisis is the biggest crisis in the hemisphere. With thousands of

refugees fleeing Venezuela each day, compiled with the numerous human rights

abuses and the deteriorating state of the country, Venezuela is on the verge of a total

collapse, that could threaten the entirety of South America. The UNSC has been tasked

with remedying the issue, and finding long term solutions to secure stability in

Venezuela.

Questions to Consider

1. Is your country directly or indirectly affected by the crisis in Venezuela?

2. Has your country lent any aid to Venezuelan refugees or the Venezuelan

Government?

3. Does your country support President Nicolas Maduro and his actions while in

Power

4. What are your countries opinions on the current state of Venezuela

Helpful Links (aside from footnotes)

https://www.hrw.org/americas/venezuelahttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/08/23/venezuelas-refugee-exodus-is-biggest-crisis-hemisphere/?utm_term=.3c9fead25bf7https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36319877

10 https://www.hrw.org/americas/venezuela

Topic Overview

Since 2011, The Syrian

Civil War has destroyed Syria,

causing a massive refugee crisis,

as well as a crisis involving

internally displaced peoples, or

IDP’s. The conflict has also fueled

tensions between world powers

such as the United States and

Russia, who both have differing

opinions on the regime currently in power.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 4.8

million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6 million are

internally displaced within Syria. Meanwhile about one million have requested asylum to

Europe. Germany, with more than 300,000 cumulated applications, and Sweden with

100,000, are EU’s top receiving countries.11 Syria has become a wasteland, ravaged by

weapons from normal bombs to chemical weapons. The constant fighting between

government and rebel groups has cost over 500,000 Syrian lives12, and has created a

major refugee crisis that has affected countries around the globe. Families still in Syria

are forced to scavenge for food, water, and basic living supplies, all while staying out of

the crossfire. The United Nations, as well as other NGOs have been working non-stop

to provide the necessary aid to the Syrian people, but have been unable to succeed due

to the lack of funding provided13.

Although $4.6 billion dollars

were required in 2017 to provide

aid, only just over 50% of that

amount was actually received

and put towards relief. In 2018,

according to recent data, only

5% of the goal has been

matched.

The absence of a strong

government has created a power vacuum, that has aided the rise of multiple extremist

groups, who now lay claim to many areas throughout Syria. Contrary to popular belief,

ISIS is not the largest insurgent group operating within Syria. Some believe that there

11 https://www.unhcr.org/syria-emergency.html

12 http://www.iamsyria.org/death-tolls.html

13 https://news.un.org/en/story/2015/01/489572-lack-funding-hampering-humanitarian-aid-war-affected-syrians-un-relief-official

are almost 1,000 rebel opposition groups currently active in Syria. Here is some

background on three of them. I encourage you to do further research on these and other

groups, in order to fully understand the political and strategic aims of each in regards to

the conflict. Since ISIS has been pushed back by US forces, many smaller terrorist

groups have grabbed foothold, and have laid claim to territory in Syria. Hay'at Tahrir al-

Sham is a union of five of such groups, that have joined together in attempts to

overthrow the current government, and institute a sharia government. In the process,

they have endangered the lives of civilians in the area, as well as military forces.

Current Situation

The situation in Syria has caused many world issues since it began in 2011. Until

now, the United Nations, as well as all other involved parties have been unable to come

to a compromise and form a working plan to help end the fighting, and start rebuilding

Syria. Delegates will be tasked with establishing a working refugee plan, a working plan

to quell the many resistance groups currently operating within Syria, and creating a

foundation for the Syrian people to rebuild their country, and move towards a

functioning government.

Questions To Consider

1. What is your country’s position on the war in Syria?

2. Has your country lent support to any side of the Syrian conflict in the past?

3. Has your country accepted any Syrian refugees?

4. Has your country made efforts to combat the terrorist groups operating in Syria, and have those

efforts been successful?

Helpful Links (Aside from Footnotes)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/04/09/syria-conflict-explained-bashar-assad/498756002

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35806229

http://www.iamsyria.org/inside-syria.html