BAMUN XVI

BECOMING THE FACES OF HUMANITY

SECURITY COUNCIL

TOPIC A GLOBALIZATION: WORLD IMPACT

Globalization, by modern definitions, is an international process in which trade and

investment, through the help of technology, allows the interaction and integration of

companies, people, and governments of different nations. The movement is said to have

started a few decades ago; however some experts counter argue that, in reality, its origins date

back to the discovery of America. So, with the latter brought to discussion, we are left with

the question that the international community itself disputes to answer—what does

globalization really mean? Yet, although the meaning seems to be of great concern, the

posing threat that has risen because of the rapid-expansion of the globalized world, seems to

hold experts’ attention more acutely at the moment. The UN’s Human Development Report

noted that, opposed to popular beliefs, globalization was creating a global security threat,

having more wars being fought today than back during the Cold War, when their real

underlying source for fighting amongst them was not religion and ethnic differences, like in

Sudan and South Sudan, but rather economic problems that arose because of this movement.

Steven Staples wrote in the Social Justice magazine,

“Globalization and militarism should be seen as two sides of the

same coin. On one side globalization promotes the conditions that lead

to unrest, inequality, conflict, and ultimately, war. On the other side,

globalization fuels the means to wage war by protecting and promoting

the military industries needed to produce sophisticated weaponry. This

weaponry, in turn, is used—or its use is threatened—to protect the

investments of transnational corporations and their shareholders.”

(2004)

Globalization promotes Militarism

A relationship between militarism and globalization has been forged. For instance, as

proposed by Ismael Hossein-Zadeh, when the US military and geopolitical ambitions have led

Russia and China to reinforce their military capabilities, so have other countries felt

compelled to do so, such as Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea.

In the above chart (Source: Freedom House, Credit Suisse), the yellow bubbles represent

globalization downsides in the form of localized armed conflicts, growing debt, and/or

marginal increases in trade barriers. The orange ones, respectively, represent heavier conflicts,

debts, and constraining trades, while the pink ones represent major threats to globalization

and in turn, to the international community (i.e. military expansion, unsustainable debts…).

Furthermore, the potential threat, caused by the destructive capabilities of weapons of

mass destruction in an enemy’s hands, has grown with the proliferation of threatening

machinery. Preventive strategies call for three types of actions: prohibition, sanctions, and

defense (which reserves the right of doing everything at hand against WMD). Preventive

policies that may be implemented involve diplomacy, controls on exports and nuclear

materials, threat reduction programs, and multilateral regimes.

However, non-proliferation systems have been questioned, the cursory spread of

alarming technologies has been a prominent factor, despite the recent attention given to this

problem. Many argue that the lack of diffusion over the multilateral proliferation control

regimes have actually helped the liberalization of this problematic. Officials have stated their

willingness to combat proliferators, suspect shipments, and sheltering terrorists. Yet,

representatives have been satisfied with just unmasking perpetrators of the international arms

treaties.

The global spread of ideas can have two separate approaches where the proliferation

of systems can have negative repercussions on the international security. This increase in

schemes is making it easier for nations to develop weapons of mass destruction. Even making

a viable strategy to control the expansion of threatening technologies is an idea that can be

debated.

Ideas can disseminate quickly through the international community, as shown in the

previous chart. The concept of nuclear proliferation can be understood as globalization

working at its best. Starting from one sole state, the idea has rapidly flourished from the west

to the other nations. The interaction of countries has helped the increasing number of states

that use nuclear energy or weapons.

Globalization is seen as an opportunity for countries to integrate; yet, a serious

amount of questions have emerged. Many argue that globalization has helped developed

countries to manage decision-making at the expense of the less developed ones.

Is Globalization helpful?

A more skeptical view of globalization argues that its foundation is based upon a

conservative, free market oriented world that can actually limit the economic impact of

government actions. Agreements made by the free market regulate government services and

control processes that may restrict corporate profits, limitations that restrict governments

from intervening in the distribution of wealth inside nations. Ironically, a free market limits

the role of the government, while making exceptions for national security. Steven Staple

argues that globalization and militarism go by the same string as he gave his opinion in the

Polaris Institute, "Globalization denies food to the hungry -- and hands them guns instead."

Globalization promotes the groundwork for belligerent groups to form. Exploitations

caused by low-waged labor from northern countries violate human rights in some nations.

Resentment by developing nations as poverty increases creates the perfect atmosphere for

religious extremists to be heard.

It’s argued that globalization favors military spending over social spending. Security

measures have exceptions in free trade regulations, while limiting social expenditures. This

motivates governments to generate jobs and regional development through military spending

defense contracts.

Industrialized countries are slowly militarizing their economies. The move of

manufacturing corporations to low-waged southern countries from northern nations leaves

space for other kinds of objectives. High technology used to manufacture goods is now used

to create advanced weapons, fighter jets, or space systems, which promotes the militarization

of developing countries as a domino effect. Free trade agreements require foreign investment

and the purchase of products that benefit the nation socially, encouraging these nations to

purchase arms from north-controlled corporations for the security and aid of the local

economy.

Questions to consider

● Where is your country’s position in terms of globalization?

● What effects has globalization had in your country?

● Is there any ongoing conflict in your country? What are the roots of these conflicts (if

any) ?

● How has your country reacted to the spread of militarism of nations like the USA?

● What policies or actions has your country passed in regards to this movement?

● What ongoing conflicts in today’s world could be considered problems that have

arisen because of globalization?

● How should the UN Security Council react in regards to this global security threat that

on one hand, is jeopardizing international security, but on the other one is supposed to

be helping the integration and interaction of nations?

● What measures has the UN taken already? Have they proven to be effective?

● What would your nation propose to eradicate the risk that is being posed?

Websites to consider

http://www.un.org/press/en/2001/gashc3631.doc.htm

https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768030?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

http://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization/

http://www.peace.ca/globalizationandmilitarism.htm

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Globalization/Globalization_Militarism.html

https://www.globalpolicy.org/globalization/defining-globalization/47948.html

https://www.globalpolicy.org/globalization/defining-globalization/27662.html

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/issue_papers/2005/IP245.pdf

TOPIC B TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

Organized crime, according to David N. Falcone (2005) is, “an illegal pattern of

activity conducted by a consortium of people and/or organizations, acting in concert, to carry

out fraud, theft, extortion, intimidation, and a host of other offenses in a syndicated fashion.”

(p. 187) Transnational organized crime (TOC) is then, by default, a kind of organized crime

that operates beyond national borders. This happens through the operation of a minimum of,

but not limited to, three individuals, with the goal of acquiring bigger power—be it

financially, influentially, or commercially.

The term organized crime usually refers to large-scale and complex criminal

activities carried out by tightly or loosely organized associations and aimed

at the establishment, supply, and exploitation of illegal markets at the

expense of society. Such operations are generally carried out with a ruthless

disregard of the law, and often involve offences against the person,

including threats, intimidation, and physical violence. (United Nations 1990,

p. 5)

Through the years, organized crime has diversified; it has reached macroeconomic

proportions by the forging of criminal bonds that have overcome cultural and linguistic

differences in the successful attempts of carrying out their crimes. This meaning, as proposed

by the UNODC , is that, “illicit goods may be sourced from one continent, trafficked across 1

another, and marketed in a third.” For instance, the Mexican, Colombian, and Brazilian

“cartels”, to mention a few, have established connections that have taken their influence

overseas, reaching the African and European hemisphere.

1 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Moreover, transnational organized crime emcompasses a wide range of felonies,

amongst these, drug, human, and firearms trafficking, as well as money laundering. However,

TOC is hardly an industry to stall and become idle; if anything, it is ever changing. This is to

say, that with new emerging crimes, transnational criminals adapt their activities to benefit in

a broader way their profits. As of 2010, the fifth Conference of Parties to the United Nations

Convention on Transnational Organized Crime identified violations like piracy, organ

trafficking, fraudulent medicine, and cybercrime as emerging threats and new kinds of

international illegal profiting activities.

Each year, transnational organized crime generates an estimated USD $870 billion

income that amounts to 7 per cent of the world’s exports of merchandise. It is highlighted,

also, that the most lucrative activity is drug trafficking, with the approximate annual value of

USD $320 billion. However, further than generating a financial impact globally, their social

consequences activate red alarms on global security.

Narcotics, for instance, have killed around 30,000 to 40,000 Russians per year, which

is twice the number of Red Army soldiers killed during the Afghanistan invasion. Human

trafficking, aside from grossing an estimated USD $3 billion annually, has around 140,000

victims a year. Besides this, smugglers gross USD $6.6 billion for 2.5 to 3 million migrants

taken illegally from Latin America to the United States. The smuggling of arms, although

heavily dependent on the different times of conflicts, is said to have killed as many people as

some pandemics have. The social impact doesn’t stop at death tolls, but rather expands itself

to environmental repercussions and identity theft.

On the other hand, transnational organized crime is an industry full of contradictions,

in the manner that, contrary to popular belief, countries that grow the most illicit drugs in the

world, like Afghanistan and Mexico, do not receive the majority of drug profits. Rather,

around 70 per cent of the profits are generated by dealers in consumer countries. As well,

paradoxically, although crime has gone global, and thus, national responses have become

deficient, the effects are still felt locally. It is mentioned by the UNODC that, “Criminal

groups can destabilize countries and entire regions, undermining development assistance in

those areas and increasing domestic corruption, extortion, racketeering, and violence.”

As transnational organized crime evolves and its influence encircles a bigger

hemisphere, world security falls much more vulnerable considering a bigger population can

fall victim to different forms of organized crime—be it through human trafficking and thus

through labor or sexual exploitation as commonly known, or through a much more modern

approach like the trafficking of organs. Because of this, it becomes an imminent necessity to

enforce the law in response to this rapidly growing and more diverse in nature global threat.

The United Nations, through the General Assembly, created the The United Nations

Convention on Transnational Organized Crime as, “the main international instrument in the

fight against TOC.” Yet, a transnational issue demands a transnational approach, and only if

law enforcement and governance on behalf the international community manage to surpass

the speed in which crime has internationalized, will this world security threat be able to be

solved.

ISSUES TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:

1. Your country’s point of view on the topic

2. Your country’s homicide rates

3. Your country’s security level in regards to crime

4. Your country’s laws in regards to crime.

5. What is your country’s strategy or plan in regards to solving the issue at hand?

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

● https://www.unodc.org/toc/en/crimes/organized-crime.html

● http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tocta/TOCTA_Report_2010_low_res.pdf

● https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-transnational-nature-organized-crime-the-am

ericas

● http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tocta/Conclusion.pdf

● https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2010/June/organized-crime-has-globalized-and-turned-into-a-security-threat.html

● https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organized-crime/index.html