Al Jazeera

English

ContentsPage 2 - Message from the

Secretary GeneralPage 3 - Message from the Head of International Press

Page 4 - About the CommitteesPage 5 - General AssemblyPage 6 - Security Council

Page 7 - Economic and SocialCouncil

Maharaja Agrasen College

Model United Nations 2013

Head of International Press

Twesh Mishra

Reporters

Amlan Das

Priyanshi Chauhan

Palak Nayyar

Creative Editor

Paritosh Anand

Photographers

Shailaja Das

Aman Agarwal

Ankit Kumar

Message from the Secretary GeneralThe Concept: A Polarizer?

It’s one of those polarizing concepts, whose detrac-

tors and supporters will leave no stone unturned in

order to prove their point. Over the last few months,

I have heard different people ascribing different con-

notations to the entire premise of Model United Na-

tions (MUN) and every single such conversation has

allowed me to venture into newer nuances. Some of

the well-established downsides apart, MUNs, by

virtue of their sheer de-

sign, are a connecting link

between a commoner and

the global polity. They mir-

ror what transpires within

the confines of high-rise

buildings where modern

day nation states, instead

of artillery, use diplomatic

maneuvers and play eco-

nomic hardball in order to

assert themselves beyond

their own borders. By sim-

ulating real-time situa-

tions, they provide a

glimpse into the character

of nations as mega-organic

entities, constituted at the

micro-level by people with

similar characteristics.

MAC MUN 2013: “Not

unique, but different

nonetheless”

It is with the endeavor of

providing yet another con-

genial platform for the unfolding of the aforemen-

tioned that we present to you MAC MUN 2013, an

event, which despite not being unique, is different.

Yes, we are not unique for we do realize that there

are several such awe-inspiring conferences happening

around us, and in all honesty, we have tried to take a

leaf out of each one of them in order to streamline

our way of functioning. Having said that, what makes

MAC MUN 2013 different nonetheless is the vision of

the team that has toiled endlessly in order to put it

up. Issues of utmost relevance have been chosen for

discussion, and we have tried to amalgamate the old

and the vintage with the new and the forward-look-

ing. Add to that a stellar line up of Executive Board

members and some of the most renowned names

from the city’s MUNing fraternity donning the mantle

of delegates, and MAC MUN, in its second session,

seems all set for the fate of a blockbuster.

And the journey comes to a fitting end……

A little over a month back, we had set our eyes on

something big, something with a novel vision, and

while writing this piece, I have no qualms in admitting

that we have achieved more

than what we had thought

we could. As somebody who

does not hail from the organ-

izing institution, I have been

amazed to observe how pas-

sion has subsumed differ-

ences and the way in which

the organizing committee has

posed its full faith in my expe-

rience and capabilities. I take

this opportunity to thank all

the members of the organiz-

ing committee, the teachers-

in-charge and the Principal of

Maharaja Agrasen College for

their relentless support. I es-

pecially wish to convey my

gratitude towards the Deputy

Secretaries General Sohil

Badhwar and Bhavay Wad-

hwa, for without their per-

sistence and perseverance,

the vision behind this event

would never have material-

ized.

Last but not the least, I express my gratitude towards

every single delegate and members of all the Execu-

tive Boards and the International Press, all of whom

have taken out time from their daily professional and

academic engagements in order to attend this event

on weekdays. In the absence of even one of the above

stated stakeholders, the conference wouldn’t have

enjoyed the same level of piquancy.

Here’s hoping that all of you witness two days of in-

tense debating and shrewd diplomacy, and walk out

enriched and enlightened at the end of it. Best!

Kartikeya Batra

Al Jazeera

Page 2

Message from the Head of International PressThe crux of an egalitarian society is comfortably cen-

tred on robust news establishments; with the afore-

mentioned thought in mind, it is understandable that

democracy as is a mere notion if not backed by free

expression. If analysing the responsibility of a news

media house, one would realise the multiple pressure

groups that act as valves for the dispensation of news.

Predominant ones are the thirst for revenue and

rather novel quest for upholding moral values. En-

deavours to gain high moral ground are an interesting

phenomenon of the media industry. At one hand they

compete alongside other capitalist establishments for

revenue, on the other they comply with amorphous

parameters of truthful and ethical social norms. A suc-

cessful news media house is identified with only after

the fulfilment of both these entities.

At Maharaja Agrasen College Model United Nations

conference 2013, a niche International Press would

be simulated. Emulating the working style of Al

Jazeera English, members of the International Press

would strive to exhibit an interpretative, informative

and insightful approach to the committee proceed-

ings. Utmost deliberation, through research and par-

liamentary conduct would be expected from all

members.

There are multiple reasons for emulating Al Jazeera

as the sole news media conglomerate which would

analyse the proceedings at MACMUN 2013. Primary

of them being that agendas of the General Assembly

and Security Council are centred conflict emanating

in the Middle East. The Qatar based media house has

been consistently appreciated for accurate, unbiased

and astute coverage of affairs pertaining to the region.

With the launch of global Al Jazeera English news

channel in 2006, focus on economic affairs and their

implications on the common masses was also given

much consideration. A rounded approach to coverage

of sensitive issues, protests and societal issues has

further enabled the selection of Al Jazeera.

What allows this relatively nascent media conglom-

erate to afford such an approach to news is its sur-

prisingly democratic framework. Al Jazeera is partly

funded by the Emir of Qatar and partly by private in-

vestors, resulting in a stout editorial policy which al-

lows for a novel approach to interpreting news.

Al Jazeera represents the voices of the repressed, the

anti-establishment and non-state actors, the common

masses and consequently, the largest stakeholders in

a democracy.

Twesh Mishra

Page 3

Al Jazeera

About the Committees

Page 4

Al Jazeera

According to Article 26 of United Nations Charter, Dis-

armament and International Security Committee’s

mandate is “to promote the establishment and main-

tenance of international peace and security with the

least diversion for armaments of the world’s human

and economic resources.” Under the UN Charter, all

member states and observers of the United Nations

are automatically part of the first committee of the

General Assembly, and have an equal vote. Docu-

ments also require a simple majority to be passed.

With topics similar to those discussed in the Security

Council, DISEC meets once a year for a 5-week session

in October.

General Assembly

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), one of

the six main organs established, was conferred upon

the responsibility of maintaining international peace

and security. This in fact was the very motive of the

establishment of the whole institution, which clearly

suggests the importance and significance of the

UNSC.

The UN Charter lists down four main purposes for

the UNSC. Listing down exactly, the UNSC has to:

• to maintain international peace and security;

• to develop friendly relations among nations;

• to cooperate in solving international problems and

in promoting respect for human rights;

• And to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of

nations.

Security Council

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) serves as the

central forum for discussing international economic

and social issues, and for formulating policy recom-

mendations addressed to Member States and the

United Nations system. It is responsible for promoting

higher standards of living, full employment, and eco-

nomic and social progress; identifying solutions to in-

ternational economic, social and health problems;

facilitating international cultural and educational co-

operation; and encouraging universal respect for

human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Economic and Social Council

South Sudan’s Controversial Divorce from theNorth: Grave Challenges Ahead

Although it has been over a year since South Sudan

successfully seceded from the North, it is not new

that the challenges that stand before it never really

came to close to getting a solution. The countries con-

tinue to have conflict over border demarcation, oil

revenue sharing and citizenship. Given Sudan’s

volatile history, to be able to come down to a peaceful

resolution, it is ab-

solutely vital to under-

stand the complex

web of antagonism

that refuses to cease.

However, it is also nec-

essary to understand

that independence at

infancy level has never

been a golden time for

most countries. Newly

born countries face

these obvious dilem-

mas because it takes

time for civilians to

settle in a country where infrastructure is weak and

thus resources cannot be put to optimum use. It is not

a surprise that South Sudan is still stumbling to the

plethora of issues ahead of it. With

the advent of independence, it re-

mains a challenge to provide sufficient security. The

possibility of communities taking up arms for their

own security cannot be ruled out

in that scenario. Many ex-combat-

ants were asked to fill the ranks of

related rule of law and local gov-

ernment agencies, mostly because

there was no time to train them

properly or allow them to gain ex-

perience in a peaceful context.

Now, they face increased pressure to perform as a re-

sponsible and accountable government, which comes

with the already existing pressure of being in a con-

flict zone.

To complicate situations further, the persistent tradi-

tion of cattle rearing as livelihood continues to be

strong. Cattle are used for many purposes such as

payment of dowry, income source, food, wealth etc.

Performing a single traditional marriage would cost a

family up to an average of hundred heads of cattle,

which is very costly to an average family household,

thus resulting into cattle raids and counter raids, flar-

ing security issues. Also, this shows a clear lack of eco-

nomic opportunities in the region. Not only that, but

there are also other key issues waiting to be ironed.

The Governments

haven’t clearly spelled

out citizenship criteria

for civilians in both

States after secession.

There are Northerners

living in south and

Southerners living in

North. Although it is a

predictable argument

that the Southerners

will forfeit their Su-

danese citizenship and

apply for new South Su-

danese one, since they

very boldly voted for independence, but the greater

challenge stands for the Southerners that are em-

ployed in various state institutions, especially Military

and Police Forces.

The dispute regarding border de-

marcation is perhaps the most persistent and signifi-

cant one. How much territory one State gets

determines the area of oil re-

serves they have political rights

over, which is vital to the fate of

both the Economies. There is no

defined criterion for the demarca-

tion and deliberations are on.

In a nut shell, both the North and

South are heading towards a com-

plex and vigorous procedure to resolve the pile-up of

internal problems. Presently, the rate of policy and

decision making is both slow and weak, majorly be-

cause Governments of both states are unstable,

which is expected after a major fallout, and an even-

tual secession. The question continues to stand, how

long is it before peace prevails?

Palak Nayyar

After being wrought with

internal wars and decades of

struggle, South Sudan is finally

an independent country, but with

a myriad of infancy challenges

craving for keen attention

Page 5

General Assembly

Al Jazeera

Middle East in distress, as Interests, Egos and Countries Clash

Conflict and the Middle East; for a

layman, this term has almost be-

come equivalent to ‘Bread and

Butter’. ‘Trouble’, considering it as

a phenomenon, has been the most

consistent happening in the Mid-

dle East, right from 1948 till date.

However, the most problematical

issue about all of the

Arab Crisis has been the

ambiguity of the source

elements. Who is re-

sponsible for whom?

This perception changes

with the changing geo-

graphical, political and

even religious bound-

aries.

One of the main reasons

for unrest in the region

has been a lack of unity

amongst the Arab broth-

ers. And this has been ex-

ploited by some external

interests who further complicate

the situation by creating or by in-

stigating confusions amongst the

‘al-ʿālam al-ʿarabī’ countries.

Pages would fall short if one were

to explain the exact root cause of

all of the Arab troubles till date.

However, one word that could pre-

cisely be used for all of these bat-

tles, tensions, and confusions in

the Middle East is ‘Self Interest’.

None of the member Arab states

agree to compromise with their

own interests. They fail to negoti-

ate with their neighbors, and even

battle it out on the basis of religion

and ethnicity.

Two countries, some might not

even consider one of them as a

country, Israel and Palestine, have

been fighting it out since the 20th

century to solve a crisis relating to

the formation of a new state. The

West Bank and the Gaza Strip want

themselves to be liberated as

Palestine, but Israel brings across

the complexity of Jerusalem, a city

tangled with religion, of which no

one wants to keep their hands off.

Further fragmenting the problem,

the Palestinian counterpart is fur-

ther punctured by the internal di-

versions of opinions on the PLO,

the All Palestine Government and

the HAMAS (in the Gaza Strip). And

this has been rightly exploited by

the Israelis.

The situation now has been as

such that it is news if there has

been no violence reported in Gaza.

Disintegrating the issue further, we

find the intervention of foreign

hands into the issue. The UNSC did

recognize Palestine as a state in

1989 and till this very 2012, statis-

tically 67.9% of 193 member states

of the UN consider it a state. But

the ego of Israel still pokes the just

healed injury, keeping the situation

unstable.

This is the overview of just one sit-

uation; the Middle East is full of

many such issues, all of which are

of equal magnitude. The uprising

in the Egypt after President Hosni

Mubarak declared

complete overthrow of

power was just an-

other addition to the

whole of crisis. The

grievance rigged

Egyptian population

strived for their rights,

creating an interna-

tional turmoil. At the

same time, Syria was,

in fact is, fighting its

own different war. On

paper it’s an armed

conflict between

forces loyal to the Syr-

ian Ba'ath Party government and

those seeking to oust it; however

on fragmentation again you find

numerous complexities. The

rebels, some claim them to be Pro

Government, while others believe

they are merely anti-establish-

ment. However confusion arises

the moment one realizes that

‘rebels’ can never be pro or Anti

Government.

To top it all, the arrogance of Iran

with regards to the nuclear issue

just garnishes the dish. As men-

tioned above, ‘self-interest’ and

egos of authorities within the Mid-

dle East, added by external intru-

sion has led to a situation where

revolt, violence and protests have

become a virtual tradition.

Amlan Das

Page 6

Al Jazeera

Security Council

Impact of National Fiscal Deficits on the GlobalSocio-Economic Situation

Impact of National Fiscal Deficits on the Global Socio-

Economic Situation

Fiscal deficit is the difference between government’s

total expenditure and its total receipts excluding bor-

rowing and other liabilities. Fiscal deficit is mainly

caused due to high expenditure or low revenues. High

level of government ex-

penditure may be in-

curred to cover for capital

or revenue expenses.

While these might be the

reasons, recent studies

have shown that unneces-

sary expenditure is the

main reason where gov-

ernments spend more

than required, for exam-

ple subsidies. The recent

Euro Zone crisis has been

caused because of this un-

necessary expenditure by

the government. Higher

expenditure can be fi-

nanced in two ways one

by increasing revenues

and the other by printing

money or monetizing the

debt. Raising revenue in-

creases burden on the consumers and producers in

the economy and ultimately leav-

ing the citizens unhappy. Printing

money might look like a good op-

tion but it is actually inflationary.

Government can finance the budget deficit by bor-

rowing money within their economy or from interna-

tional organizations. This borrowed money has an

interest rate attached to it, which if not returned

might add to the deficit.

The neo-classical economists principally argue that

high government expenditure has a negative impact

on savings, which affects growth. A high government

deficit leaves little for the private sector for invest-

ment and puts upward pressure on interest rates—

also referred as crowding out. But in an open

economy, the country can always import capital to

naturalize the impact of reduced saving because of

higher deficit. But, again, import of foreign capital

would result in appreciation of the currency, affecting

exports and growth.

The US and India are both running “unsustainable”

levels of deficit. However, the ill effects of running

high deficit are far more

visible in India and the

need for correction is a lot

more urgent here. Apart

from the threat of a rat-

ings downgrade, high fis-

cal deficit is the source of

most of the problems that

the Indian economy is fac-

ing today. Higher deficit

since FY09 and higher

borrowing has resulted in

lower savings and lower

growth in the economy. In

FY09, at the gross level,

fiscal deficit jumped to

about 6% of the GDP

compared with 2.5% in

the previous year. In ab-

solute terms, the deficit

went up by about 2.6

times and has grown sig-

nificantly since then and crossed Rs.5 trillion levels in

the last financial year.

Sustained fiscal deficits affect the

economy in more than one way. In-

vestors lose their faith, inflation

steps in which leads to high level of unemployment

which in turn leads to GDP slowdown. If taxes are

raised then it affects both the consumers and produc-

ers in the economy and the worst affected are the

poor sections of the society. Also in order to rectify

the problem, governments might consider selling off

their own assets. Such sales may not fetch the gov-

ernment the required amount of money and may also

lead to the dilution of Government’s claim on impor-

tant national assets thus weakening its global posi-

tion.

Priyanshi Chauhan

Page 7

Al Jazeera

Economic and Social Council