UCIMUN 2013

Historical Security Council

Historical Security Council Topic 2: Bosnian War Hello Delegates, My name is Andrew Tripp and I will be your director for the Historical Security Council. I am currently majoring in United States History and this is my second year at UC Irvine. I grew up in a town just north of San Francisco and moved down here to go to school. This will be my third year of involvement with Model United Nations. I started in MUN my senior year of high school and have continued into college. Last year I was the assistant director for the 5th budgetary committee. I am currently on the board for UCI MUN. I also am one of the directors for the MUN class that we teach at UCI. I am looking forward to an interesting debate. My name is Kerry Duncan and I am your assistant director. I am originally from the Walnut and West Covina area, around 45 minutes north of Irvine. Here at UC Irvine, I am a Junior, Public Health Policy and Political Science double major. Last year, I helped out on the administration section of the UCIMUN Conference. This is my first year being involved with substantive side of the conference and am looking forward to it. I am excited to meet all of you and are hoping that you will all have a wonderful time.

Sincerely, Andrew Tripp and Kerry Duncan

Background: The Bosnian War took place through 1992 till 1995. Our committee will be set in 1995 and deal with the post-war issues plaguing nations after this conflict. Tensions first arose from the break-up of the Yugoslavia, which had been brought together by the leader of the Communist Partisans, Tito, in order to unite the different ethnic groups, specifically after WWII. Under Titos control, ethnic anger and fighting were outlawed. After his death, there was political upheaval which lead many territories to seek independence. Muslim nationalists wished for independence but Serbian nationalists wished to remain a part of Yugoslavia. Croats wanted to form their own independent state. Muslim and Croat nationalists formed an alliance to outvote the Serb nationalists to declare independence in 1992. This tension soon escalated into violence, where Serbians gained control of the country and performed ethnic cleansing against the Croats and Muslims. In 1993, the alliance between Croats and Muslims deteriorated and turned violent, eventually leading to the ruin of Mostar. The Mostar is a symbolic bridge or peace and unityr. The ethnic fighting however did not remain fixed between groups. In different parts of Bosnia, new alliances were made and broken leading to Muslims and Serbians fighting against Croats, while Muslim forces fought each other, and Croats and Serbians fought against Muslims. In 1994, former US President Jimmy Carter arranged a cease-fire agreement to begin in 1995.

United Nations Actions: In 1991, during the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UN Security Council passed several resolutions to try and temper the violence that was starting. After Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence, the UN passed arms embargos on the entirety of Yugoslavia. By the time the Bosnian War started after Izetbegovic declared independence for Bosnia, the UN moved offices from their original location in Sarajevo to Croatia after the area was no longer deemed safe. As violence escalated between the different ethnic groups in Bosnia, Serbians denied access to the UN from 1992 to 1993. When the UN Secretary General Boutros-Ghali visited Sarajevo on December 31, 1992, he dismissed the conflict as a situation that is better than ten other places in the war and deemed the fighting a rich mans war. In early January of 1993, UN peacekeepers protecting the Bosnian Vice President Jakija Turaljic allowed Serbian militiamen to take him from convoy, which was followed by his shooting, while no action is taken by the troops. This inaction was followed by a refusal to investigate reports that a camp at Foca is where Muslim women were raped. Later in 1993, the UN Security Council created six protected safe areas. The violence continues and NATO issued threats toward Serbians, insisting if heavy weapons were not removed from the area surround Sarajevo that NATO air strikes will occur. Serbians responds with a siege on a declared UN safe area. NATO followed through on

threat and on April 10, 1994 with bombings. In retaliation, 150 UN peacekeepers were taken and a British liaison officer is killed. In order to try and lessen violence, the contact group containing the France, Russia, UK, Germany, and US tried to help bring about agreement of the partition of Bosnia. In order to increase palatability, rewards and punishments were offered to all sides in conflict. In late 1994, President Jimmy Carter visited Bosnia to help negotiate a cease-fire that begins in 1995. We will be starting in the beginning of 1995.

Questions to consider:

How is your country going to be economically affected by the conflict? How is your country going to be affected socially? How does your country deal with multi-ethnic communities and their conflicts?

What should the consequences of ethnic cleansing and mass rape be? What is a possible way of creating an effective truce? How would your country and work towards a state of effective and long peace?

How would your country work with the aftermaths of the war?

Works Cited "Bosnia-Hercegovina Timeline." BBC News. BBC News, 12 Jan 2012.Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1066981.stm>. Bowen, Gordon L.. "The War in Bosnia, 1992-95: a timeline." PoliticalScience 128 and 310. N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013.<http://www.mbc.edu/faculty/gbowen/bosnia.htm>. "Chronology and Major Event." Bosnian War (1992-1995). N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~bonne20s/majorbattlesmaps.html>. "History of Bosnia." The Bosnian War (1992-1995). N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~bonne20s/historyofbosnia.html>. "War in Bosnia: Timeline." . N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://selenasol.com/selena/struggle/bosnia_timeline.html>.