For Your Information: Preventative Measures to Avert Future Civil Wars (UNSC Topic B)
Civil wars are a critical global issue that we must pay attention to because it
results in horrific levels of violence, which can possibly last for decades.
Despite the terrifying consequences, no lasting solution has been created thus far regarding countries that are prone to
an outbreak of a civil war.
To further understand the issue, we will need to first define the term
“civil war”. A conflict is
only considered to be a civil war if it is between organized groups within the
same country or state. Usually, a civil
war arises from two distinct religious group or ethnic groups. Ethnic dominance occurs when the country has
a large group of one ethnic group or a distinctively privileged ethnic group. A
country characterized by such ethnic dominance has nearly twice the chances of experiencing
a civil war.
Civil wars often involve regular armed forces and result in mass
casualties as well as the destruction of resources. Since 1945, civil wars have
caused the deaths of over 25 million people. There are civil wars still going
on in the world, including the Post-civil war violence in Libya, Somalia,
Syrian civil war, the Mexican Drug War, and Iraqi insurgency.
Somalia has been in a state of civil war since the end of the Cold
War. The most alarming part of the civil war within Somalia is its potential to
influence neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya. If that is to occur
in the future, it will only lengthen the conflict further and ruin the lives of
more Somalis.
Two crises have been in the center of the attention recently. One is
the Russo-Ukrainian tension and the other is the ongoing Syrian civil war. The
Russo-Ukrainian tension is a perfect example of a country in danger of sinking
into civil war. Russian invasion is viewed as a threat in Ukraine. Russians
make up the majority of certain parts of Ukraine, and many have expressed their
support for Russia. Syria, on the other hand, is already in a civil war. To
make matters worse, Syria is negatively influencing Iraq and Lebanon; the civil
war is no longer confined to Syria itself.
So – what measures have been taken in the past to assist such countries?
The UN’s past efforts include stabilizing situations on the ground. The
Department of Peacekeeping Operations provides political and executive
direction to UN operations and maintains contact with the Security Council.
Therefore, the UNSC has to play an important role in the prevention of such conflicts.
Throughout this conference, the UNSC delegates will debate on
resolutions to prevent the civil war itself and assist countries at risk of sinking
into civil wars. Some countries represented by delegates are actual states in
midst of a civil war. Other delegates will have to work with such nations to
develop a feasible and implantable solution to this issue. Delegates will also
have to address nations that are at immediate risk of going into
a civil war.
by Zoey Ryu
Photo courtesy of http://www.cookiesound.com/2011/09/coltan-we-all-have-blood-in-our-hands/
