An Update for the UN GA High-Level Meeting on Arab States

<strong>An</strong> <strong>Update</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>
<strong>UN</strong> <strong>GA</strong> <strong>High</strong>-<strong>Level</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong> on
Arab States
Harvard Model United Nations
January 30 - February 2, 2014

Table of Contents
Topic A: <strong>Update</strong> A.........................................................................................................................3
Additional Problems to Address.................................................................................4
Endnotes.............................................................................................................................5
Topic B: <strong>Update</strong> by Joy Nasr.....................................................................................................6
A. How Far Will Saudi’s Women Drive Forward?....................................................6
B. Are Women in Lebanon True Citizens?................................................................7
B1. The Nationality Law.....................................................................................7
B2. Domestic Violence in Lebanon................................................................7
Endnotes.............................................................................................................................8

Harvard Model United Nations 2014 3
Topic A: <strong>Update</strong> A
Since <strong>the</strong> removal of Morsi, Egypt’s government
has become increasingly unstable as <strong>the</strong> existing
“temporary” military infrastructure continues
to suppress pro-Morsi Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood
supporters. Protests escalated against <strong>the</strong> 2013
Egyptian coup d’etat as pro-Morsi supporters
engaged <strong>the</strong> military that overthrew Morsi after
one year of being in power. The Egyptian crisis 1
is thus a critical issue that must be addressed
effectively be<strong>for</strong>e Egypt devolves into a state
mired in perpetual conflict.
On <strong>the</strong> dawn of August 14, 2013 <strong>the</strong> Egyptian
police, run by <strong>the</strong> military, raided two large camps
of pro-Morsi supporters and created violent
conflict that drew criticism from <strong>the</strong> international
community. 2 The plan was originally to stop <strong>the</strong>
protests gradually by sieging supply lines while
providing a safe exit <strong>for</strong> those who elected to
leave. For much of <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> day, Morsi
supporters chanted against <strong>the</strong> police <strong>for</strong>ces and
tried to join those besieged by <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>ces inside
<strong>the</strong> Nasr City camp. Police began firing tear gas to
drive <strong>the</strong>m away, and all entrances to Rabaa (<strong>the</strong>
main sit-in site) were later blocked by security
<strong>for</strong>ces. The attacks set off retaliatory clashes and
protest marches, as crowds of Morsi supporters
marched across Cairo, running through police
lines. In addition, <strong>the</strong>re have been spontaneous
attacks on police stations around <strong>the</strong> country. 3 By
nightfall, <strong>the</strong> Egyptian government announced a
temporary state of emergency, not to exceed one
month, in order to attempt to resolve <strong>the</strong> conflict
and to fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> jurisdiction of <strong>the</strong> military
in <strong>the</strong> matter. The situation also demanded that
<strong>the</strong>re be a curfew, limiting civilian protests to
during <strong>the</strong> daytime and restricting coordination
between groups.
The death toll reached 638, 595 of which are
civilians and <strong>for</strong>ty-threeof which are police
officers, with over 3,994 injured. 4 But <strong>the</strong>se
protests had far-reaching implications: <strong>the</strong>
violence <strong>the</strong>n spread across <strong>the</strong> country as people
took to <strong>the</strong> streets in anger. A total of twenty-one
attacks against police stations across <strong>the</strong> different
governorates indicated public frustration against
<strong>the</strong> authoritarian system. In sou<strong>the</strong>rn Egypt, up to
seven Coptic Christian churches were burned to
<strong>the</strong> ground, vandalized and torched by suspected
Islamists. 5 The revolution suddenly took a turn
<strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> religious when Christian activists accused
Morsi supporters of waging a war of retaliation
against Copts in Egypt. Morsi loyalists allegedly
committed nationwide assaults on as many as
thirty-six churches, banking on public anger
and confusion to execute seemingly unrelated
crimes. 6 These separate conflicts were <strong>the</strong>n united
under <strong>the</strong> Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood’s orchestrated
“Day of Rage.” Thousands of supporters went to
<strong>the</strong> streets after prayer to march towards Cairo’s
Ramses Square, and <strong>the</strong> Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood called
on “<strong>the</strong> great Egyptian people to ga<strong>the</strong>r in all
revolutionary squares on <strong>the</strong> “Friday of Rage.” 7 As
a result of <strong>the</strong>se protests, over 100 people were
killed each day, most of <strong>the</strong>m civilian victims of
military gunfire. 8 Pro-Morsi backers also staged
protests against <strong>the</strong> crackdown, with conflicts of
differing sizes reported in Ismailia, Alexandria,
Suez, Assiyut, and Aswan. Chaos had become
commonplace, and <strong>the</strong> measures imposed by <strong>the</strong>
government were futile: in defiance of <strong>the</strong> curfew,
supporters vowed to return to <strong>the</strong> streets to protest
<strong>the</strong> crackdown. 9
The army responded by promising to en<strong>for</strong>ce
<strong>the</strong> curfew with “<strong>the</strong> utmost firmness.” 10 But
against <strong>the</strong> railings of protestors, <strong>the</strong> curfew was
pushed back two hours from 19:00 to 21:00,
yielding ground to <strong>the</strong> angry mob of those who
disregarded <strong>the</strong> law completely. After less than a
week in place, <strong>the</strong> curfew had started to hurt <strong>the</strong>
Cairo economy as businesses were <strong>for</strong>ced to shut
down, alienating purely economic and apolitical
groups in <strong>the</strong> process against <strong>the</strong> military. 11
Additional ef<strong>for</strong>ts from <strong>the</strong> army to quell protests
led to <strong>the</strong> blockage of all major streets and squares,
including Tahrir Square. International coalitions
such as <strong>the</strong> African Union, <strong>the</strong> European Union,
and <strong>the</strong> United Nations condemned <strong>the</strong> attacks
against public facilities and recognized <strong>the</strong> dire
human-rights situation.

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A Background Guide For <strong>the</strong> Disarmament and International Security Committee
On August 18, 2013, a convoy carrying around
600 detainees to Abu Zaabal prison was overrun,
as detainees tried to escape from <strong>the</strong> convoy and
took an officer hostage. The police <strong>the</strong>n fired tear
gas back at <strong>the</strong>m, causing at least thirty-five of <strong>the</strong>
detainees to die of suffocation. Between 14 August
and 18 August, nearly 1,000 people were killed. 12
The rise of “people’s committees” have created an
instable environment of vigilante justice that has
fur<strong>the</strong>r threatened <strong>the</strong> security of Egypt’s capitol.
Two weeks later, an assassination attempt was
made on <strong>the</strong> life of interior minister Mohamed
Ibrahim Moustafa, and twenty-one people were
injured and one person died. 13 Soon after that, a
police officer was killed in Giza, and more than
fifty Islamists were arrested in <strong>the</strong> crackdown.
In October 2013, Egypt saw a lessening of <strong>the</strong>
conflict, but an increase in city tensions. On 6
October, anti-coup protestors and security <strong>for</strong>ces
clashed amid celebrations of <strong>the</strong> 40th anniversary
of <strong>the</strong> 1973 Mideast War with Israel. 14 At least
<strong>for</strong>ty-seven were killed and 393 injured, and <strong>the</strong>
event created gloomy images of what had now
become <strong>the</strong> Arab Winter. Areas of Cairo, which
had once been a popular tourist attraction, now
looked like combat zones with tires burning and
smoke polluting <strong>the</strong> locale.
In response to <strong>the</strong> Egyptian government’s violent
crackdown on protestors, <strong>the</strong> United States
decided to suspend $1.3 billion in aid following
months of political turmoil. Egyptian officials
criticized this act and <strong>the</strong> previously strong
financial ties between Egypt and <strong>the</strong> United States
remain in question. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, government
actions continue to limit <strong>the</strong> activities of Muslim
Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood supporters, including a complete
ban of Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood political activity
within Egypt and a freeze of its assets.
Beginning in November, <strong>the</strong> toll of conflict began
to surface in <strong>the</strong> inability of <strong>the</strong> government to
provide adequate services to Egyptian civilians.
More specifically, <strong>the</strong> acute shortage of butane gas
and of basic utilities such as water and electricity
have angered <strong>the</strong> people and polarized <strong>the</strong> groups
fur<strong>the</strong>r among ideological lines. Meanwhile,
Egypt’s administrative court lifted <strong>the</strong> threemonth
state of emergency within <strong>the</strong> country,
officially rendering additional military and police
measures unnecessary. The nation’s police and
military, however, are not entirely compliant—
<strong>the</strong>y continue to limit public ga<strong>the</strong>rings and
break up protests in <strong>the</strong> name of “security and
peace.” As <strong>the</strong> once-firm rope that bound Egypt’s
government toge<strong>the</strong>r begins to fray, <strong>the</strong> weakening
control of <strong>the</strong> country has cost its inhabitants
significantly.
The future of Egypt is uncertain. As Muslim
Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood supporters bide <strong>the</strong>ir time in hopes
of recruiting <strong>the</strong> same groups that had toppled
Mubarak two years prior, <strong>the</strong> conflict weakened <strong>the</strong>
Egyptian state and has cost it millions of dollars.
In addition, insurgent groups that had been under
military sanction have found <strong>the</strong>ir overseers to be
occupied and so have caused unrest in Egypt’s
most unstable region, <strong>the</strong> Sinai Peninsula. <strong>An</strong>y
resolution to <strong>the</strong> matter will seek to appease both
sides and streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> government so that it
may address pressing domestic and international
issues.
Additional Problems to Address
A resolution addressing <strong>the</strong> new stage of this
militant crisis must also resolve additional
conflicts, on top of those already named.
The return of domestic services, including those
that sustain a basic level of human habitation.
This includes addressing rolling blackouts, fuel
shortages, traffic jams, and shortages of food. How
may <strong>the</strong> Arab states and o<strong>the</strong>r nations provide
support to civilians who have suffered greatly at
<strong>the</strong> hand of this political conflict?
The increase of civilian security. With <strong>the</strong> military
on strict duty and <strong>the</strong> essential dissolution of
internal security in <strong>the</strong> face of protests, domestic
security has decreased significantly. <strong>An</strong>y resolution
answering this problem must also answer <strong>the</strong> crime
rate, which has tripled since 2010 and increased
sexual violence against women and children.

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The re-establishment of Egypt’s ties with <strong>the</strong>
international community. With <strong>the</strong> sudden halt in
U.S. aid, <strong>the</strong> international community has taken
an increasing isolationist stance towards conflict
within Egypt, which may cause it to spiral out
of control. How will Egypt re-<strong>for</strong>m <strong>the</strong>se critical
ties and ensure that democratic rule will triumph
over chaos? In addition, <strong>the</strong>re are many issues
surrounding <strong>the</strong> proxy political war, members of
which include Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on <strong>the</strong>
side of <strong>the</strong> military and Iran, Turkey, and Qatar
on <strong>the</strong> side of <strong>the</strong> Islamists. How will <strong>the</strong>se issues
be resolved not just within Egypt, but in <strong>the</strong> larger
context of <strong>the</strong> Arab states’ unity?
11
Parvaz, D. “Cairo economy struggles with military
curfew”. Al Jazeera English.
12
Egypt bloodletting rages with Islamic militants killing 25
police in Sinai Peninsula. CBS News.
13
“UPDATED: One dead after Thursday’s bomb attack in
Cairo”. Ahram Online.
14
“Death toll from Egypt clashes rises to 57”. Yahoo!
News via Reuters.
Endnotes
1
Quentin Sommerville. “BBC News -Egypt crisis: ‘Scores
killed’ at Cairo protest”. Bbc.co.uk.
2
“Global condemnation of Egypt crackdown - Middle
East”. Al Jazeera English.
3
Abigail Hauslohner; Sharaf al-Hourani (14 August
2013). “Scores dead in Egypt after security <strong>for</strong>ces launch
assault on protesters’ camp”. Washington Post.
4
“Death toll from Egypt violence rises to 638: Health
ministry - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online”. English.
ahram.org.eg.
5
David D. Kirpatrick (14 August 2013). “Nearly 300 Killed
as Egyptian Forces Storm Camps”. New York Times.
6
“Churches torched across Egypt in anti-Coptic violence
by Morsi loyalists”. English.ahram.org.eg.
7
“Dozens More Killed on Egypt’s ‘Day of Rage’. http://
abcnews.go.com/International/dozens-killed-egypts-dayrage/story?id=19978145
8
Ibid.
9
“Egypt’s interim PM defends deadly crackdown”. Al
Jazeera English. 15 August 2013.
10
Gehad, Reem (15 August 2013). “Crackdown on pro-
Morsi sit-ins leaves Egypt in a state of emergency”. Al-
Ahram.

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A Background Guide For <strong>the</strong> Disarmament and International Security Committee
Topic B: <strong>Update</strong>
by Joy Nasr
A. How Far Will Saudi’s Women Drive
Forward?
In <strong>the</strong> Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, <strong>the</strong> country
with <strong>the</strong> 20 th largest purchasing power in <strong>the</strong>
world and a GDP per capita of 31,800$ (46 th in
<strong>the</strong> world and 4 th in <strong>the</strong> Arab world as per <strong>the</strong>
CIA World Factbook), women are offered <strong>the</strong>
luxuries of <strong>the</strong> newest Cadillacs, Porsches, and
Ferraris. But this comes with a catch. They just
can’t drive <strong>the</strong>m. Indeed, ever since 1979, women
have been banned from driving in a country that
is supposed to represent economic stability and
affluence in a war-torn Middle East. Although
<strong>the</strong>re is no specific law in <strong>the</strong> country that says
so, Muslim clerics in <strong>the</strong> country interpreted
that <strong>the</strong> Shariah does. This came after <strong>the</strong> 1979
Iranian Shiite revolution that caused <strong>the</strong> seizure
of <strong>the</strong> Grand Mosque in <strong>the</strong> holy city of Mecca.
Religious figures in <strong>the</strong> country saw <strong>the</strong> Shiite
movement as a threat to <strong>the</strong>ir Sunni country and
implemented Shariah law 1 .
This status quo, though, seems to be slowly
changing. Recently, Saudi feminist, activist, and
blogger Eman al-Nafjanurged her female readers
and supporters to get behind <strong>the</strong> wheel as she
offered to film <strong>the</strong>m. To prove a point about <strong>the</strong>
“safety” of women driving, Eman went on to
uploading <strong>the</strong>se videos online. In fact, in one of <strong>the</strong>
videos, drivers passing by were waving and giving
<strong>the</strong> thumbs-up in support of <strong>the</strong> veiled person
operating <strong>the</strong> car. Sadly, though, not everyone was
pleased with Eman’s and <strong>the</strong> drivers’ actions and
decided to report <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong> police. As a result,
she and <strong>the</strong> woman driving were pulled over by a
police car, taken to <strong>the</strong> police station, and released
hours later after Eman had pledged she’d never get
in a car with a woman again nor film a woman
driving <strong>the</strong>reon.
Surprisingly, Eman interprets <strong>the</strong>se punitive
measures as a very good sign of change.
Apparently, instead of putting <strong>the</strong> women in jail
as what happened to Manal Al-Sharif, ano<strong>the</strong>r
activist who was detained <strong>for</strong> 10 days in 2011
<strong>for</strong> encouraging women to defy <strong>the</strong> ban, <strong>the</strong>
police were very friendly with Eman and her
“accomplice.” Eman specifically says that, “police
were smiling and easygoing, and <strong>the</strong>ir attitude
was very positive. The police were really nice to
us…. The vibe I got was that <strong>the</strong>y didn’t know
what to do with us. We could see <strong>the</strong> police going
around, calling, waiting.”
This change of heart, however, is not unwarranted.
It came after months of rallying support <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>
October 26 campaign against <strong>the</strong> ban on women
driving. This campaign gained more than 14,000
signatures, despite its website being shut down by
<strong>the</strong> Saudi government. As scheduled, on Saturday
October 26, 25 women were brave enough to take
<strong>the</strong> wheel and defy <strong>the</strong>ir country’s regulations.
Only 5 of <strong>the</strong>m were stopped when spotted by
police. The women were kept in <strong>the</strong>ir cars until
<strong>the</strong>ir male guardians arrived to take <strong>the</strong>m, after
signing a pledge never to drive again.
This is not <strong>the</strong> first time Saudi women have
spoken out against <strong>the</strong> vast discrimination in
<strong>the</strong>ir country. After Manal Al-Sharif’s ordeal in
2011, women across <strong>the</strong> Kingdom, inspired by
Manal’s courage, drove <strong>the</strong>ir vehicles in support
of ano<strong>the</strong>r campaign called “Women2Drive.”
Similarly, in 1991, 47 women protested <strong>the</strong> ban
on driving and were subsequently also banned
from any <strong>for</strong>m of travel and work. Obviously, <strong>the</strong>
punishment is no longer as severe.
While this is a very good sign, not all women in
Saudi Arabia are enthusiastic about demanding
<strong>for</strong> this basic right. After much interviewing,
CNN correspondent Rima Maktabi noted that
most women in <strong>the</strong> Kingdom are simply socially
conservative; <strong>the</strong>y veil by choice, consider men
to be <strong>the</strong>ir guardians, and see driving as a very
menial issue. In fact, Rawda al Youssef, ano<strong>the</strong>r
prominent female Saudi blogger, launched a

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campaign called “My Guardian Knows Best.”
This campaign, she believes, is supposed to reflect
<strong>the</strong> “real” concerns of Saudi women. Rawda is a
strong opponent of <strong>the</strong> October 26 campaign as
she views women “have problems with housing,
work and unemployment.” She views that “<strong>the</strong>se
are <strong>the</strong> basic issues that need to be resolved, not us
sitting here talking about driving a car 2 .”
The Saudi female population is <strong>the</strong>re<strong>for</strong>e
strongly divided between <strong>the</strong> rebels challenging
<strong>the</strong> police to demand a right, and those who
consider that right menial and useless. However,
<strong>the</strong> conservative female population must realize
that in order to attain social and economic
improvement in <strong>the</strong> sense <strong>the</strong>y understand those
two processes, every achievement is a milestone,
even if that achievement is simply being able to
go get groceries without a man’s help.
B. Are Women in Lebanon True Citizens?
Lebanon, though going through political
instability currently with <strong>the</strong> over spilling of <strong>the</strong>
Syrian Civil War, has always been considered
<strong>the</strong> Switzerland of <strong>the</strong> East. It is known to be a
liberal haven with equality among religions in a
completely Muslim and conservative surrounding.
However, <strong>the</strong> country’s laws are plagued in
manners that put <strong>the</strong> generous compliment to
shame, such as <strong>the</strong> fact that Lebanese women
can’t give <strong>the</strong> nationality to <strong>the</strong>ir children if <strong>the</strong>ir
husband is non-Lebanese, or that <strong>the</strong>y are not
protected by law from domestic violence.
B1. The Nationality Law
The first step towards giving women <strong>the</strong>ir full
citizenship rights happened in 1993 when a
ministerial committee was <strong>for</strong>med to handle <strong>the</strong>
issue. The topic <strong>the</strong>n went dormant until 1995
when <strong>the</strong> Parliamentary Committee <strong>for</strong> Justice
and Administration endorsed a draft law that
would allow widowed mo<strong>the</strong>rs to give nationality
to <strong>the</strong>ir children. This created great controversy
throughout <strong>the</strong> country, and a sub-committee
was created to revise this issue, which to this day
has yet to reach a conclusion.
The debate <strong>the</strong>n resurfaced in 2005 when over
60 NGOs in <strong>the</strong> country initiated a campaign to
call <strong>for</strong> women’s equal rights. Lebanese politicians
again stalled this campaign <strong>for</strong> a long time until
July 2011, when a draft law of <strong>the</strong> project was
presented to a representative of <strong>the</strong> government.
Again, <strong>the</strong> draft law has still not been adhered
to. These draft laws are among many of <strong>the</strong> sort
thatwere ignored. Some of <strong>the</strong> most prominent
were by MP GhinwaJalloul in 2006 and PM
ZiadBaroud in 2009. In all cases, <strong>the</strong> government
used <strong>the</strong> excuse of <strong>the</strong> country’s pressing security
matters to avoid dealing with <strong>the</strong> nationality issue.
In a mediation attempt, MP NeamtallahAbi
Nasr suggested in 2010 <strong>the</strong> idea of <strong>the</strong> green
card. It would be given to children and husbands
of Lebanese women as an alternative to <strong>the</strong>
citizenship; it would only give civil rights, not
political rights. Women activists and NGOs
handling <strong>the</strong> project shot down this plan.
Even after endorsement from Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch, <strong>the</strong>se
movements still faced strong opposition from
Lebanese politicians who even suggested excluding
women married to Palestinians from benefiting
from <strong>the</strong> amendments done to <strong>the</strong> Citizenship
Law. This is lobbied as in accordance with <strong>the</strong>
Lebanese Constitution, which prohibits <strong>the</strong>
naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon, so that
<strong>the</strong>y may return to Palestine once it is safe. So far,
after <strong>the</strong> most recent Universal Periodic Review
on March 17 th , 2011, <strong>the</strong> Lebanese government
accepted 41 recommendations and refused 37
pertaining to women’s rights. Till today, <strong>the</strong>
campaign topic is still very visible, yet delicate, in
Lebanon, showing all over social media sites, road
commercials, and news outlets. 3
B2. Domestic Violence in Lebanon
Similar to <strong>the</strong> nationality issue, <strong>the</strong> right of
women <strong>for</strong> protection from domestic violence is
very contested. In fact, until recently, <strong>the</strong> country’s

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A Background Guide For <strong>the</strong> Disarmament and International Security Committee
police would not respond to calls about domestic
violence, stating that it is not <strong>the</strong>ir business
interfering with how a man handles his household.
Christian leaders lobbied strongly <strong>for</strong> protection
to no avail, while <strong>the</strong> Shiite Muslim community
refused to endorse such a campaign. This lethargy
inevitably led to several children and wives being
beaten to death. Tension among <strong>the</strong> Lebanese
feminist community kept increasing until nationwide
outrage broke in early July 2013, with <strong>the</strong>
death of a 33-year-old RulaYaaqub, beaten to
death by her husband in <strong>the</strong> sectarian Lebanese
North.
3
American University of Beirut, “Women’s Citizenship
Rights in Lebanon.”
4
Fox News, “Lebanon Panel Approves Draft Law on
Domestic Violence,” 22 Jul. 2013
After undergoing harsh criticism from national
and international critics, a parliamentary panel
approved a bill on July 22 nd , 2013, that alleged to
protect women completely from such violence and
danger. The draft had originally been approved
by cabinet in 2010, but in Lebanon’s system, <strong>the</strong>
draft must be voted in by MPs. This has still not
happened. In fact, <strong>the</strong> draft is opposed strongly by
Lebanon’s Muslim community. The highest Sunni
authority once slammed <strong>the</strong> idea of criminalizing
marital rape as “Western heresy.” Similarly,
<strong>the</strong> Shiite population has claimed that <strong>the</strong> bill
interferes “in <strong>the</strong> affairs of husband and wife 4 .”
On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side, <strong>the</strong> activists leading <strong>the</strong>
campaign have claimed that <strong>the</strong> draft law is not
comprehensive. For example, marital rape is
listed as an offense, not a crime. The text only
classifies assault and battery as crimes. Women
are calling <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> revision of <strong>the</strong> draft, with <strong>the</strong>
consultation of various experts and similar bills
of o<strong>the</strong>r countries so that it meets international
standards. <strong>An</strong> organized movement to do this has
yet to <strong>for</strong>m, while <strong>the</strong> draft law idly awaits being
voted into discussion in parliament.
Endnotes
1Wagner,
“Saudis Debate Gender Segregation.”
2
Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, “Saudi Blogger Detained,”
13 Oct. 2013