United Nations Security Council: The Cypriot Missile Crisis, 1997

Approximate Committee Size: 15 Double delegations (30 Delegates)

Since the island of Cyprus was under Byzantine and Ottoman rule, two major ethnic communities have existed within the country: the Greek-Cypriots and the Turkish-Cypriots. Ethnic tensions within the country have been present for centuries and steadily escalated throughout the 20th century until, in 1974, the Greek military junta overthrew the democratically elected Cypriot government to unite the island with Greece. In response, the Turkish military invaded the northern third as a defensive measure for the rights of Turkish Cypriots. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared independence, though the only country to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as legitimate was and remains Turkey. In January 1996, the Greek and Turkish militaries engaged in a tense standoff over the Imia islets as part of a continuing dispute between the two states. Although pressure from the United States forced both sides to stand down, the Cypriot government quickly recognized the need to defend against future Turkish intrusions into its airspace. Given the extent of U.S. security assistance to Turkey, the Cypriots looked instead to acquire integrated air defense systems from Russia. The Cypriot purchase of Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles was made public in 1997, escalating conflict on the island and creating an international crisis involving two long rivals with an ugly history of violence and a large supply of modern weaponry. This dispute will present rewarding challenges for delegates in which they will engage in diplomacy and this committee topic will serve as a pretext for looking at creative solutions. 

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Controlling Military Escalation by Both Sides of the Conflict

Addressing the Security Concerns Surrounding Cyprus

Long-Term Peacebuilding in the Mediterranean

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

NAIMUN prides itself on promoting international education to the highest caliber. In this committee, delegates will:

• Understand the role of the UNSC in responding to regional crises, even those that do not directly involve great powers.

• Learn about the history of an ethnic conflict with modern-day relevance and the role international institutions play in reducing or exacerbating the threat of violence.

• Understand how the UNSC can lead a comprehensive peacebuilding effort, rather than simply serving as the first-response body in a crisis situation.

About the Chair

Jupiter Huang is a member of the Class of 2025 at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs, and also pursuing an accelerated master's in Security Studies. His interest in foreign policy stemmed from a childhood love of history and growing up between the opposite worlds of Guangzhou, China, Boston, Massachusetts, and central New Jersey (which he will NOT apologize for, go Jersey!). He was a former Under-Secretary General for the National Security Apparatus at NAIMUN LXI and staffed multiple NAIMUN and NCSC conferences. As such, he’s incredibly excited to wrap up his last year in NAIMUN LXII’s UNSC committee working alongside his close friend and CM Phoebe Chambers. Outside of MUN, he's the Editorial Board Chair for the Georgetown Voice, a Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellow focusing on U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy, and a former co-coordinator for Georgetown Opportunities for Leadership Development. Jupiter enjoys painting, going on bike rides while blasting Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran in his headphones, and playing tennis in his free time. 

About the Crisis Manager

Phoebe Chambers is a member of the Class of 2025 in the Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Government with a minor in Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs. She grew up in Potomac, Maryland, just thirty minutes away from the Washington Hilton, so feel free to ask her about her favorite D.C. museums and coffee shops.  This will be Phoebe’s seventh and final NAIMUN, as she started her Model UN journey as a sophomore in high school at NAIMUN LVI and has been in love with the activity ever since. At Georgetown, she served as an Under-Secretary-General of the National Security Apparatus (NSA) organ for NAIMUN LX and was the Grand Crisis Manager of the NSA for NAIMUN LXI. She also staffs NCSC, NAIMUN’s sister conference for college students, and serves on leadership for Georgetown’s Model UN team. As a Greek-Cypriot American, Phoebe has always wanted to run a committee about an issue she is so passionate about. She is very excited to make that dream come true with NAIMUN LXII’s UNSC, especially with her close friend and chair Jupiter Huang. Outside of Model UN, Phoebe is involved with the Georgetown Institute for Politics and Public Service and the Georgetown University Student Association. In her limited free time, she can be found listening to Taylor Swift’s entire discography or reading a Sally Rooney