Iran Is Not Enough

By: Jane Swartz

Bond, James Bond, made his United Nations debut on Friday night in the 1979 Security Council, following the unexpected and confusing events of that afternoon. Prior to his arrival, the council struggled to pass any directive that properly addressed Khomeini and instability in Iran well into Friday’s afternoon session. The room became divided into the West and the East after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics brought their military into Afghanistan along with China and Czechoslovakia to ensure the continuation of a Communist government. 

“Hypocrite” was one of the words tossed around by France in relation to the USSR’s involvement with Afghanistan. France felt that every time the West even slightly interfered with any Communist countries, they would cry “national sovereignty,” but in Afghanistan, a country where the people are fighting against a Communist government, the USSR seems to ignore the very concept of it. Capitalism versus communism also caused a rift in the room, prompting Jamaica to say, in a French accent, “Monsieur capitalist, who are you to say it is because of communism?”

Despite this strong division of ideals, neither the East nor West seemed to grasp that Khomeini would refuse to do anything the United Nations suggested until immediate consequences took place. Khomeini organized the public execution of one hundred people. It also included communists, women’s rights activists, who had advanced majorly during the Shah’s government, nuclear scientists from both America and the USSR, and all known spies in the area. This alarmed many people, including the United Kingdom, in fear for their top spy who was possibly going to lead a joint mission by MI6 and the CIA. 

Another directive emerged, this one appropriately titled Leave Iran Alone For A Little While written by Jamaica and supported by the Eastern bloc nations. It detailed exactly as the name suggests  — to remove all personnel from Iran and cease inflammatory press and actions. France raised an issue with the idea of inaction in Iran, reminding the council that more people would die if the United Nations completely removed themselves. A compromise took place after France threatened to use their veto power. Since currencies like the dollar and the franc are more valuable to those in Iran and most business is done utilizing such currencies rather than rials due to their low value in the global market, the compromise included the freezing of Khomeini and other high-ranking officials’ foreign accounts. This appeared to appease all P-5 nations in the room, and was passed. 

This is where James Bond made his debut. He dramatically arrived just before the passing of Leave Iran Alone For A Little While. Dressed in a fur cap and a blond wig, Bond spoke with a Russian accent, appearing to be on a phone call. He then addressed the room, instructing them to take action against Khomeini and the heinous crimes committed against the people of Iran. A few seconds and a somersault later, Bond was gone.

Traitors and Haters

By: Jane Swartz

Fighting for independence from a once-world superpower is always a tricky game to play. In 1810, Mexican insurgent leaders are battling against the Spanish at Calderon Bridge, attempting to free themselves from the oppressive rule. Two distinct plans quickly emerged, headed by Nicolas Bravo and Melchor Muzquiz. The first, being Bravo’s, detailed a fake retreat to lure the Spanish into an ambush, effectively wiping out their forces. Its name: Viva la Mexico. Muzquiz’s “Boy’s Club” called for moving cannons to blow up Calderon Bridge, as well as deploying cavalry and riflemen to take out the remaining Spanish troops. After several moderated caucuses debating these, Viva la Mexico passed. 

Moments later, the Spanish General sent a messenger to address the body. He offered a meeting to try to come up with a peaceful resolution to the war, but not without blaming Mexico for all deaths on the battlefield. The offer also came with a threat: if no representative came, multiple came, or if they came armed, the Mexican army would be met with increased hostility. 

The room filled with discussions of who to send, and once again, the division in the room was clear. The first to speak was Mariana Rodriguez del Toro, the wife of a Mexican insurgent. Throughout the two days of debate, she had been exposed as a traitor multiple times, had an assassination attempt, and was generally hated by the entire room. Naturally, she elected herself. The plan was for her to assassinate the General, almost guaranteeing her own death, and this seemed to be the favorite choice amongst those present. Next was Guadalupe Victoria, a versatile politician. Ever the hero, Victoria nominated himself because of his political background. Shortly following, Jose Mariano de Abasolo suggested not sending military and Muzquiz nominated himself for the position, making a total of five different ideas floating around the room.

Abasolo’s position had many supporters. Those who were more involved in the war were against deploying citizens, fearing it would be a trap. As they had already passed Viva la Mexico and had 70,000 remaining soldiers compared to Spain’s 8,000, going through with the battle plan seemed to be the best option for these people. Multiple directives were quickly submitted to the chair: No Surrender, Sweet Victory, Rest In Peace, and Send Valera, with such codes translating to no meeting, sending Victoria and taking a non-negotiation approach, sending Muzquiz, and sending Valera, respectively. However, after voting, all ideas were shot down. 

A surviving directive emerged. del Toro’s plan to assassinate the General herself was finally brought to the floor, having not been submitted to the chair fast enough to get in with the other four. The committee, with no obvious other plans of action to take, almost unanimously agreed to send del Toro. A meeting took place with the general shortly after, results unknown.

19(007)9

By: Jane Swartz

Taking a step back into history, the 1979 UN Security Council is currently tackling the Iranian Revolution. Several directives have come into play already, including one sponsored by France. The directive calls for Khomeini, a religious exile who has recently returned to take control of the instability in Iran, to abide by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the implementation of an unarmed observing force to gather intelligence on the state of human rights in the currently rioting country. 

This brings up several issues with other P-5 nations, specifically among China. The delegate constantly reminded the council of the almost guaranteed possibility of a violent reaction if the United Nations became too present in Iran. Current struggles in Iran are due to a power struggle after the Shah fled the country and abandoned the government. A main issue Iranian citizens had with the Shah’s government was his involvement with the Western world, to which Khomeini is extremely opposed and has recently rejected United Nations meddling in the country. China, among with other members, feels as though the presence of this observant force in Iran could provoke further riots and violent actions against the United Nations, and that this directive is very Western-centric. 

France has remained stable with their directive, even in the face of a possible veto. As they put it, it is “testing the waters” to see how involved the United Nations can be in the country and how involved they need to be, especially with no government for them to ask if they are welcome. A fail-safe is included in the directive, which calls for a reevaluation of human rights in Iran every thirty days or in the event of an attack of the force’s housing or the murder of a member of the force. 

Several other ideas have been bouncing around the room, although France’s directive took up most of the debate floor. On Friday, both Japan and Norway attempted to draw attention to the economic issues also present in Iran. The nation has a significant role in the production of oil and a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, along with Kuwait, also in the room. Political instability caused a stall of oil exportation, taking peak daily production from 6.5 million barrels per day to just 250,000 shortly before the Security Council began their session, causing oil prices in the global market to skyrocket.These possibilities have not been explored to the fullest extent yet, but are expected to later in the weekend. 

The United Kingdom addressed France’s directive, with a suggestion that many seemed to agree with. This observant force which France wants to bring in would be public, allowing for public reaction and hostility. Discussions of sending in a spy came up in an unmoderated caucus with the U.K. and U.S.A., both in favor of one Bond. James Bond.