SPECPOL

TOPIC 1: BORDER DISPUTES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

After the horrific events of World War II and the Holocaust, the severely harmed Jewish populous migrated to a territory in the Middle East that, at the time, was known as Palestine. The Jewish people elected to migrate to Palestine because they saw it as their historic homeland, after all, places like Jerusalem and many other monumental Jewish cities were found in this territory. Due to this increase in Jewish population in Palestine, the UN general Assembly passed Resolution 181, which would see the creation of a Jewish and Arab state in the territory. What followed was a series of wars between the two states (1948 Arab-Israel War, 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the First and Second Intifadas), most of them concerning border disputes. These wars have claimed the lives of thousands, led to multiple refugee crises, and they still rage on to this day. Today, it is in the hands of SPECPOL to tackle this conflict and take the correct actions that will lead to peace and prosperity for both Middle Eastern states.

STUDY GUIDE

TOPIC 2: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON THE USE OF OUTER SPACE

Space, a perplexing phenomenon that may one day become the home of all mankind. Since the launch of the first satellite (Sputnik I) in 1957, nations across the globe have put large amounts of funding to improve their capabilities for space exploration and research. These capabilities have produced many new space-based technologies and blueprints for future use, such as space mining. That being said, developing, less prominent nations have largely been left behind. According to the Outer Space Treaty, carried out by the United Nations in 1967, “the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind". At CDSMUN, SPECPOL will consider the numerous ways that nations can cooperate for peaceful uses of outer space and how nations can work together to formulate a policy that leaves no one behind and ultimately benefits all parties.