DISARMAMENT AND INTERNACIONAL SECURITY

DISEC

TOPIC I: SUEZ CRISIS (Time of session: October 30,1956) Table of Content Welcome and Procedure……… Pg 2 Introduction……………………… Pg 2-3 Historical origins of the conflict Background and reasons of conflict Key Political Actors…………….... Pg 3-4 Gamal Abdel Nasser Anthony Eden Armed Conflict……………………. Pg 4 French-British-Israeli Secret Alliance Israeli Invasion of Sinai Committee Suggestions………… Pg 5 Important Questions……………… Pg 5 References……………………….... Pg 5

Welcome and Procedure We are proud to welcome you to the Historical Security Council committee of BISMUN V. These committees are some of the most interesting experiences you can have in a model united nations as well as some of the most challenging. If you do not know, a Historical Security Council is essentially a reenactment of a historical crisis that was debated on the Security Council of the era. This implies that you will have to pretend you are currently in the time the committee’s topic demands and utilise information and facts from the time, thus no data proceeding from a later moment in time; For example: in our committee we will be located in the year 1956, right in the early years of the infamous Cold War, this means you cannot mention anything that has occurred after the established date and will have to represent the interests of your country in that era. In addition our committee has a special mechanic that we dub the “continuous crisis”. Essentially it means we will have a press team in the committee who will keep introducing crisis into the debate taking into account what has been discussed; some of the crisis presented will be based on actual historic events while others might be completely new conflicts meant to keep our delegates on their toes. We hope you enjoy the committee and if you have any further questions regarding how this committee will operate do not doubt in asking us.

Introduction: Historical origins of the conflict The Suez canal is an artificial sea-level waterway located in Egypt, constructed by the “Suez Canal Company” around 1859 and 1869. The canal reaches from the northern terminus of Port Said to the city of Suez. The waterway allows for fast travel between the North Atlantic and Northern Indian Oceans, this reduces the usual travel time to 7,000 Kilometers. Since its opening in 1869, the Suez canal has become a strategically important position for a plethora of reasons but most importantly for our subject it's strategic advantage in the Middle-East; Great Britain constantly made example of this fact such as in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) where the russian fleet was denied passage through the canal allowing the japanese fleet to consolidate its position in the conflict. However the power of this important location rested not in the hands of Arabia but in the hands of the European colonists: Great Britain and France. This wasn't a big issue under the arab monarchies, but in the early 20th Century the Arab countries began to overthrow their tyrants in favor of democracies that were none too pleased with the tactical and economical monopolization of the canal. Background and reasons for conflict The newly instated Egyptian government led by Prime Minister Gamal Abder Nasser seeked to build the now known Aswan High Dam in order to control floods, provide water for irrigation, generate hydroelectricity, as well as consolidate it's the government's popularity with the people of Egypt. For this project the United States and Great Britain offered Egypt a $270,000 loan destined to the construction of the dam. Egypt suffered a very publicised raid from Israel in 1955 which led to Gamal Abder Nasser to request from the U.S. weapons and methods to modernize the egyptian military endeavors. The U.S agreed to comply with this deal only if the weapons supplied to were only utilized for defensive purposes and that these were supervised by american forces who would also train the egyptian military. Nasser did not agree to these terms and thusly approached the Soviet Unión for aid. Egypt and the USSR concocted an agreement where in exchange for large supplies of armaments, Egypt would give in return a repayment in the form of egyptian grain and cotton; In addition, Egypt announced an arms deal with Czechoslovakia, acting as a middleman for the soviet support. Despite their deal with the Soviet Union , the U.S and Great Britain continued to allure Egypt into accepting the now $70,000,000 loan(after the USSR and Czechoslovakia deal) to construct the Aswan High Dam. Eventually the USSR offered Egypt $1.12 Billion with 2% interest to construct the Dam, this resulted in the complete backout of the U.S and Great

Britain deals. Furthermore this “bidding war” for the Aswan High Dam's construction created tension with other Middle-Eastern countries that were envious at the attention and offers Egypt was receiving, especially western allies such as Turkey and Iraq. In the end tensions imploded when Gamal Abder Nasser took the riskiest diplomatic move of his political career: the nationalisation of the mainly British owned Suez Canal. Key Political Actors Gamal Abder Nasser: Gamal Abder Nasser was the second President of Egypt and its first Prime Minister. Nasser became popular for his stance on the Cold War where he became the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of countries that did not take neither the communist or capitalist banner of the U.S and USSR. Most importantly, his actions on the 26 of July 1956 where he announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal. Undeterred by the militant actions undertaken by Israel, France and Great Britain, Nasser ended up achieving the political victory in the Suez crisis as the U.S and USSR pressured the aforementioned countries into pulling back their forces. Anthony Eden: Anthony Eden served as the Prime Minister of Great Britain through the short term of 1955 to 1957 and is commonly referred to as one of the least successful Prime Ministers of the 20th Century due to his political defeat in the Suez Crisis. Eden was famously a conservative politician and constantly made bold claims against the egyptian president Gamal Abder Nasser. During the Suez Crisis, Anthony Eden was continually criticised for what many considered misguided actions and representations such as underwhelming the U.S opposition to an armed conflict in Egypt. His actions taken in the crisis were heavily punished by the forced retreat that the U.S and USSR demanded; British Foreign Policy took several steps back as Britain had lost its foothold in the Middle East and no one but Eden was left to blame. Anthony Eden resigned as Prime Minister two months after ordering the end of british intervention in the Suez Canal. Armed Conflict French-British-Israeli Secret Alliance In response to Gamal Abder Nasser´s bold nationalisation of the Suez Canal, France, Great Britain and Israel began to concoct courses of action in order to further their interests in the Middle East and reclaim the Canal. British Prime Minister Anthony Eden proposed a contingency plan that consisted on strategic bombing that would result in the crumbling of Egyptian economy as well as a paratrooper operation to support and takeover the canal. Israel sought out aid from France before they launched an offensive against Egypt. In the meantime France began to the develop it's own plans of intervention the which hinged on whether Britain would join them or not given that they had expressed in the past opposition to Israel's involvement in an occupation of the Sinai; a dual policy was established where if Britain backed

out of an invasion plan France would make its attack alongside Israel. After some diplomatic pressure, France managed to convince Prime Minister Anthony Eden into accepting israeli aid in the occupation of the Suez Canal. A full three months later, a secret meeting took place in Sevrés, where French, British and Israeli forces schemed the so called “Protocol of Sevres”; Such protocol dictated Israel to invade the Sinai, allowing both France and Britain to then take military action in the region,under the subtext of “peaceful intervention”, and recapturing the Suez Canal. Israeli Invasion of Sinai After the surprise nationalisation of the Suez Canal, France, Great Britain and Israel quickly banded together in secret to devise a plan to reclaim the canal. Israel was the first to mobilize their troops into Egypt in the so called “Operation Kadesh”. The operation consisted in taking control of Sharm el-Sheikh, Arish, Abu Uwayulah, and the Gaza Strip, al targets chosen due to Israel's wishes to personally further their economic and military superiority in the Middle East. On October 28, Israel enacted their first attack when an Israeli Gloster Meteor NF. 13 shot down an Egyptian Ilyushin II-14 believed to be transporting high members of the Egyptian General Staff. The conflict began proper with the start of “Operation Kadesh”. Israeli air force swiftly launched a series of attacks across key locations in the Sinai, planes used their wings to cut overhead telephone lines in order to hinder Egyptian intelligence, and paratroopers dropped from cargo planes rapidly taking their foothold in strategic locations across the Sinai. The Egyptian government at first interpreted this actions as a large raid, but soon realized the severity and planning behind the attack. Furthermore, France and Great Britain provided air support and supplies to the Israeli occupation force in the Sinai possibly tipping off the readiness these countries had for this surprise invasion.

Committee Suggestions On a personal note, we would suggest you investigate the subject thoroughly. The cold war is an incredibly interesting time to place a committee in and we expect you to make full use of it. Aside from that, we suggest you look further into diplomatic details and treaties the countries may have taken part in, there is nuisance to this subject that we were not able to compress in this guide and we highly recommend you seek it. Important Questions • Can the nationalization of the Suez canal be credited to communist influences

and interests? • Was the belligerent reaction of Israel, Great Britain and France warranted? • Should either the US and USSR intervene in this conflict?

• Is it advantageous for the International Community to keep the Suez canal under British or Egyptian hands?

• Has any country broken any agreement, mandate or directive in this conflict?

References: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/6445/1/Hamilton16MAbyRes.pdf http://www.weeklystandard.com/article/13616 http://isj.org.uk/suez-and-the-high-tide-of-arab-nationalism/ https://web.archive.org/web/20061125122924/http://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/04histoire/dossierdushd/suez/suezcarr2.htm http://www.cvce.eu/obj/speech_by_gamal_abdel_nasser_26_july_1956-en-d0ecf835-9f40-4c43-a2ed-94c186061d2a.html (Translate it) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETOUALw2EIs

TOPIC II : HUNGARIAN CRISIS

Table of Content Welcome and Procedure……… Pg 2 Introduction………………………Pg 3 Historical Origins of the Revolution Background and revolt Revolution Events………………..Pg 4 Protest Shootings Spread of fighting New Government Key Political Actors………..…….Pg 5 Nikkita Kruschev Imre Nagy Committee Suggestions…………Pg 5 Questions to ask………………….Pg5 References…………………………Pg5

Welcome and Procedure We are proud to welcome you to the Historical Security Council committee of BISMUN V. These committees are some of the most interesting experiences you can have in a model united nations as well as some of the most challenging. If you do not know, a Historical Security Council is essentially a reenactment of a historical crisis that was debated on the Security Council of the era. This implies that you will have to pretend you are currently in the time the committee’s topic demands and utilise information and facts from the time, thus no data proceeding from a later moment in time; For example: in our committee we will be located in the year 1956, right in the early years of the infamous Cold War, this means you cannot mention anything that has occurred after the established date and will have to represent the interests of your country in that era. In addition our committee has a special mechanic that we dub the “continuous crisis”. Essentially it means we will have a press team in the committee who will keep introducing crisis into the debate taking into account what has been discussed; some of the crisis presented will be based on actual historic events while others might be completely new conflicts meant to keep our delegates on their toes. We hope you enjoy the committee and if you have any further questions regarding how this committee will operate do not doubt in asking us.

Introduction Historical Origins of the Revolution After the events transpired in the 2nd World War Hungary was left under soviet control. Nevertheless a coalition government was formed to hold control of the country for a short time, a time where a communist political party named the “Hungarian Communist Party” utilized divide and conquer tactics to slowly seize control of the country. Eventually the “Hungarian Communist Party” gained control of the Államvédelmi Hatóság (the hungarian state police) which then allowed them to employ intimidation tactics to suppress political opposition. The coalition government established after the Soviet takeover came to close when the “Hungarian Communist Party” and the “Social Democratic Party” merged into the “Hungarian Working People's Party” and ran unopposed in the 1949 elections. After their victory, the “Hungarian Working People´s Party” began remodeling the country´s economic and political system into one that more closely resembled the Soviet Union's interests and ideals. This radical, socialist change resulted in strict nationalization, social discontent, lower living standards and economical stagnation given the infrastructural recovery from the 2nd World War was far from finished. Hungarian media opposition was quickly formed as a great variety of journalistic outlets and student unions voiced heavy criticism against the newly formed communist regime. The communist expansion of Hungary continued with the inclusion of Hungary in the COMECON which gave the Soviet Unión the right to continued military presence in the country and the political purges executed by the “Hungarian Working People's Party” under the guise of eliminating “western agents” and ”Trotskyists”. The educational system was reformed to appeal to communist ideals, the Államvédelmi Hatóság forcibly relocated individuals and their families they deemed the “bourgeois” to concentration camps. Thousands were tortured, captured or disappeared in the name of the communist takeover in Hungary. Further problems arose in communist Hungary when the country's economical debt began to catch up to it's planned development; Hungary owed war reparations in amounts of approximately $300 million and was ,understandably, unable to pay. Furthermore, Hungary’s membership to the COMECON made it impossible for the country to make part of the US’s “Marshal Plan” designed to aid Western Europe in rebuilding after the 2nd World War. This build up of endemic

issues concerning the implementation of socialism in Hungary finally imploded after March 5th, 1953. Background and revolt March 5th, 1953; Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union died in bed, finally opening an opportunity for moderate liberalization in the communist world. Reformist Imre Nagy became Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Hungary and seeked to implement libertarian reforms in the country, however these were promptly mitigated by the “Hungarian Working People´s Party” meddling. By April of 1955 the party successfully discredited Imre Nagy and removed him from power. An important catalyst for the revolutionary movement was “Kruschev’s Secret Speech” which was aired on “Radio Free Europe”. The speech was a public denouncement towards Stalin and his proteges, which included several high ranking members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unión and the “Hungarian Working People´s Party” from the current General Secretary Nikkita Khrushchev. The year leading up to the revolution was crammed with tension between the populous and the communist government: the Warsaw Pact (May 14, 1955), Austrian treaty(1956), the Poznan Uprising (June, 1956). This events encouraged writers, students and intellectuals to stand up against the government forming the so-called Petofi Circles and reinvigorating the banned Union of Hungarian University and Academy Students. Eventually these groups would form the spark that ignited the revolution in Hungary. Revolution Events Protest Shootings October 23, 1956. Around 20,000 protesters gathered around to demand several points to the Government including: A desire to be independent from all foreign powers and declare Hungary a neutral state, a political system based on democratic socialism, and rights to the free men of Hungary. At first the governmental response was carried out by the current Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic: Erno Gero, who condemned the protest and it's demands but did not publicly declare any actions. In response to Gero hard-line stance against the demands, the protesters began to execute the demands by themselves starting with the demolition of a Stalin statue built upon a church ordered to be destroyed for the edification of the statue. Furthermore, protesters gathered around the “Radio Budapest” building in san attempt to voice their demands on the radio waves, however they were

promptly detained by the Államvédelmi Hatóság who ended up killing the protesters. Spread of fighting Rumors and uncertainty rule over the detained protesters as news that the Államvédelmi Hatóság may have shot the ones who attempted to voice the demands on the Radio Budapest building. This tension is broken by tear gas thrown from the upper windows followed suit by the Államvédelmi Hatóság opening fire against the protesters. The government sent Hungarian troops the Államvédelmi Hatóság from the site, but in the spur of the moment Hungarian troops removed the red star symbolizing communism from their uniforms and sided with the protesting crowd. After the Államvédelmi Hatóság opened fire on the protesters, the populus reacted violently: police cars were immolated, communist symbols were vandalized and firearms were seized and distributed around civilians. Understandably shocked, the Hungarian Communist Government requested military aid from the Soviet Unión who responded by dispatching soviet tanks in Budapest meant to defend the Parliament building. At noon, barricades had been set up around Budapest by the protesters in order to defend their position. Imre Nagy became Prime Minister and promised the revolutionaries to carry out the reforms that had been stopped some years ago. October 25, 1956. The situation in Hungary is complicated. Armed protesters begin to hijack soviet tanks and weaponry and even more important some soviet soldiers show sympathy for the revolutionaries. Violence is rampant with neither of the three factions completely sure about who they are shooting at in any given moment. Amidst the chaos, the revolutionaries manage to topple the government forcing retreat of the soviet forces and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic Erno Gero. Imre Nagy assumes the role of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic, making a call to end the violence and organize a government. New Government Once the aggression finally ceased, the newly anti-soviet government was left at odds with the grueling task of constructing a new government. The suddenness of the revolution led to some disorder and confusion amongst the new leaders. Eventually, Imre Nagy declared to the people of Hungary and the world the following: That the government would assess the uprising not as counter-revolutionary but as a "great, national and democratic event"

An unconditional general ceasefire and amnesty for those who participated in the uprising; negotiations with the insurgents The dissolution of the Államvédelmi Hatóság The immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops from Budapest and negotiations for the withdrawal of all Soviet forces from Hungary

Key Political Actors Imre Nagy: (7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) Imre Nagy was a reformist communist politician appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic on two occasions. Nagy led the revolutionary government that supplanted the overthrow communist rule. He attempted to lead the country in the ways of marxism and neutrality regarding the Cold War. Nikkita Khrushchev: (15 April 1894 – 11 September 1971) Nikkita Kruschev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unión during the Hungarian Revolution. He is responsible for the report “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences” also known as “Khrushchev's Secret Speech” that sparked a weakening of communist control in Hungary allowing the revolution to take place.

Committee Suggestions The Hungarian revolution is a difficult yet important subject matter, not only it´s an example of the US and USSR’s “fake-outs”(Waiting and analyzing whether they should act or not without provoking the other) but also serves as proof of the discomfort boiling under the surface of communist countries. We believe you should look into the possible repercussions of any sort of action in this unstable atmosphere as well as the endemic problems the country was suffering before the revolution. Questions to ask • Is western action required in Hungary? • Can the government be justifiably be recognised given the nature of its

formation? • Did the issues presented by communist rule warrant such an extreme reaction? • Which faction was the aggressor: the communist government or the protesting

revolutionaries?

References http://legacy.wilsoncenter.org/va2/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=home.browse&sort=collection&item=1956%20Hungarian%20Revolution http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir2/hungaryrev1.shtml http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-cold-war/the-hungarian-uprising-of-1956/