League of Arab States

Apparently a peace deal has been forged in Sudan between the government and the rebels. What do you think about this?

AL chief welcomes framework peace deal between Sudanese gov\'t, rebels

Yes, yes, post #7 is coming after post #8.  Chalk it up to my inability to count…

But anyway, greetings delegates!  The deadline to turn in your position papers for research awards passed yesterday but I will extend it to individuals who have not turned them in yet to Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10th. This is to ensure that all electronic glitches get taken care of if you thought you had sent your paper to me but I did not receive it.  I have received position papers from the following countries:

1. Libya
2. Lebanon
3. Qatar
4. United Arab Emirates
5. Tunisia
6. Kuwait
7. Palestine

If you think that your name should be on this list, send an e-mail to <bmun58las@gmail.com> and we’ll try and sort this out.  If you haven’t been getting responses from me then you can try posting on the blog.

But, just because your position papers are going strong doesn’t mean that life in the League of Arab States comes to a halt!  A Palestinian refugee agency has just warned of a gross budget deficit, something that could put a damper on actions in the Arab World.  The deficit also shows the effect that the global budget crisis has on the Arab World in the form of lackluster donations.  You can read more about it by clicking on the link below.

Palestinian refugee agency warns of funding gap

I know that I say this in every post, but I’m looking forward to March 5th and until then, happy researching (though not as much assuming position papers are finished)!

-Taylor

Please send your position papers to <bmun58las@gmail.com> with the subject line “NAME_COUNTRY” but with your name and your country filled in.

Best,

Taylor

Only one month until the conference, and less than a week until the deadline for research awards (February for position papers.  A few points of advice before you send them on the bmun58las@gmail.com:

1. Citations: Please, please, make sure you cite your sources.  If you are using any sort of fact, opinion, story, etc. from someone else other than yourself you must add a citation.  I need to know exactly where your facts and figures are coming from, or else you will be graded down for plagiarizing.  There is no set form that you need to follow, just make sure that everything is cited properly.
2. Research topics: I’ve received a lot of questions about whether or not it’s allowed to use legislation from other international organizations in your research–yes, this is perfectly acceptable!  While we will be dealing only with LAS legislation in committee, other international bodies make legislation that applies to the League.  Just be sure to add lots of information about your individual state, as it is imperative that you know how your country would respond to a crisis situation.

Let me know if you have any more questions, but until then, check the blog and comment at leisure.

Excited for Conference,

Taylor Wiegele

Hello Everyone,

In what may seem like a frivolous news story, Israel has overtaken Lebanon once again as the world record holder of the largest plate of hummus ever produced.  Israeli citizens used a satellite dish to beat the record set by Lebanon less than two months ago.  You can read the article by clicking on the link below:

ISRAEL: The plate of plenty hummus — Israel breaks Lebanon’s record

At this point you’re probably thinking, “What could hummus ever have to do with international relations or the Arab League?”  But alas, there is a point.  Lebanese industrialists have long been attempting to designate many popular Middle Eastern foods (Tabouleh, Falafel, etc.) as Lebanese to prevent “plundering by the Israeli market.”

The very fact that a “culinary war” exists and is continuing to be waged in the Middle East highlights the animosity in the region.  Oddly enough this rift is essentially paradoxical and exists over a common cuisine, hummus.  What one country spins as a recognition of a common Middle Eastern cuisine, is identified by another as “plundering.”

Furthermore, just when you thought it couldn’t get any more interesting, the Israeli village is largely Muslim and the event was organized by an Israeli Muslim proprietor.

So what does this say about the Middle East?  Does it present Lebanon as a scornful nation?  Does it make Israel look somewhat pretentious?  How should problems in the Middle East be approached?  Should Arab nations consult with Israel despite its ideological differences?

That’s probably enough questions for you to ponder for now and please, if you have something to say, add a comment on the blog!

Good luck on your research,

Taylor Wiegele

I hope everyone is getting pumped for BMUN58 – I know I am! But who am I? My name is Rachel Whyte and I will be serving as one of your LAS Vice-Chairs.

Here is some brief background info about myself:

-I just got back from studying abroad in Mexico City for an amazing six months. Honestly, if you ever get the chance to study abroad, DO IT!

-I am double majoring in Political Economy and Society and Environment. Minoring in Global Poverty.

-The LAS country I would most like to visit is Morocco…shortly followed by UAE.

I look forward to getting to know all of you in a few short months at conference! In other news, I just found this killer article in about Iran’s infamous quest for nukes.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a28354e2-fbc1-11de-9c29-00144feab49a.html

Please read it over and consider the following:

-What are the implications for your country if Iran does manage to create a nuclear weapon?

-What are the implications for your country if strict sanctions, particularly oil sanctions, are imposed by the US and other nations threatening to do so?

-What are the implications for your country if an attack using weapons of mass destruction occurrs within the region?

As Taylor said, comments are “highly smiled upon,” and you may send any questions to bmun58las@gmail.com.

Cheers,

Rachel

And has an intelligence fiasco of their own!  Read below…

Western ally Jordan boasted of having best spies in Arab world

And more on the suicide bomber:

Jordanian suicide bomber who killed CIA agents ‘was triple agent’

Think about what extremist groups operate in your country, regardless of who your country is allied with.  And, as always, send your questions to bmun58las@gmail.com or comment on the blog!

Best,

Taylor Wiegele

Hi Everyone!

I was glad to see comments on my previous post (and the one from wordpress that I never deleted).  Comments are always appreciated and, as we chairs say, “highly smiled upon.”  Though I’m still trying to figure out how to insert links I think I’ve figured it out somewhat… But in the off-chance that it didn’t work, I pasted the URL below.

Monument to excess? Dubai opens world’s tallest building

<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/01/dubai-burj-tower-opening-tallest-building.html>

The article posted concerns the newly-opened “Burj Khalifa” tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The tower rises more than half of a mile into the nation’s skyline and is now recognized as the tallest building in the world.  As the title of the article states, many see the tower as a “monument to excess” in a time of global economic downturn.  What do you think?

• Foreign investment by the Korean Samsung Corporation allowed the tower to be built.  What does this say about the UAE’s openness to the outside world in comparison to other, more secluded nations?
• Where does your country stand with regards to foreign investment?  Do you wish you had more?  Less?
• What message does this new tower send to the Western world about the state of Middle Eastern development?

In other news, Yemen has been a focal point since the botched bombing of a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas Day.  While most news coverage concerns US/UK response to the attempted attack, the inter-Arab conflicts involving Yemen are rarely discussed.  I’ve posted an article below describing the extent of recent Saudi air strikes to Houthi villages (the separatist group discussed in the background guide).  Houthi militants have been a nuisance to the Yemeni government since the 1970s and continue to fight for independence.

Saudi Jets Pound Yemeni Rebels

Finally, in response to Palestine’s comment earlier, we will likely not start with heavy crises and will have a short “warm-up” period during which country policy, goals, etc. can be discussed.  In addition, I know I posed some questions to you earlier in this post–they are meant only to get you thinking about things to include in your position papers or things that you wish to discuss at conference.  If you would like to comment on the blog you are more than welcome to (and I would also enjoy reading your comments!) but responses are by no means mandatory.

That’s all for now and I hope everyone is enjoying their break (if you haven’t started school already, that is)!  I look forward to reading your comments!

Best,

Taylor Wiegele

Hi Delegates!

I hope you all are having a spectacular Winter Break so far!  I’m in Kansas City hoping that I don’t get snowed in during the next few hours.  I’m sure that you all have read (or have access to) the background guide on www.bmun.net which will provide plenty of useful information for the committee.

You probably read the background guide and wondered what the structure of the committee is going to be like.  Hopefully I can clarify that on this blog for you.  The background guide is intended as such–a background on the issues that will play into the crises during the committee.  A strong delegate will be one that understands:

1. His/her country’s stance on unconventional weapons (i.e. Have they signed the CWC?  Have they used them in the past?  Are they trading partners with nations that have not signed the CWC?)
2. How their country would respond to a crisis (i.e. Would they lead a regional effort to invade a country?  Would they peacefully try to resolve the conflict?)

The background guide will give you a good place to write your position papers and build a foundation for your research, but an exceptionally strong delegate will be able to use that information to direct his/her behavior during committee.

We will most likely conduct committee in a “perpetual moderated caucus” fashion, meaning we will most likely not have a speakers’ list.  All other rules of parliamentary procedure will be in play as well as informal caucuses, formal caucuses, etc.  The only thing missing will be the speakers’ list.  It will be conducted in this way to give you all a more rapid pace of discussion for the deluge of crises that are bound to arise.

I think that’s all for now, and I’ll post some more substantive articles and such in the future but until then, you can e-mail me at <bmun58las@gmail.com> and I will try to respond to you as soon as possible.  Please note also that I will be on vacation until January 1, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Best of researching and good luck to you all!

-Taylor Wiegele, Head Chair, League of Arab States

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