DISEC Background Guide 2017 Hello delegates! My name is Allie Webster and it’s my privilege to be your chair for DISEC at TUMUN. I am a freshman here at Tufts, but my Model UN career stretches back to my early high school days. I am originally from Arlington, Virginia, an exciting location for those interested in international affairs because of its proximity to Capitol Hill. Here at Tufts my interests are pretty diverse. I am an engineer, with interests in computer science, renewable energy, medicine, and of course, politics. I am very excited to be chairing this committee, as I got to look at some of the STEM subjects I’m attracted to through an international relations lens. I have chaired twice before, both times for the conference that my high school MUN team hosted, and I enjoyed the experience immensely—guiding delegates while they pursue creative resolutions is very rewarding. If you have questions before committee, don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to seeing you all in committee and hearing your take on the topics. Sincerely, Allie Webster

Committee Information DISEC, or the committee on Disarmament and International Security, is known as the First Committee of the General Assembly. The General Assembly is the main body of the UN, and these committees, including DISEC, debate and pass resolutions in an attempt to foster positive change worldwide. Along with the other five General Assembly committees, this committee began with the founding of the United Nations in 1945. The divisions within the General Assembly are why DISEC is focused only on certain issues. The main goals of this particular committee are to foster international peace and security, as well as to look into the issues of disarmament, which lead to peace as well. The non-binding resolutions passed within this committee do end up affecting real change and are paid attention to by many main global players, as they help to shift the direction in which the world is going towards a more peaceful coexistence. For our purposes, as this committee is in the General Assembly, issues will first be debated and then formed into draft resolutions, which are then edited and voted on as full resolutions. These resolutions will call for lasting change that will hopefully help to usher in a more peaceful future. Topic 1: Climate Change as a “Threat Multiplier” to National Security In 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense formally recognized climate change as a “threat multiplier” to national security for the first time. Chuck Hagel, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, released a statement

that noted that “rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict.”1 The statement went on to address more specific ramifications of climate change, positing that they “will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.”2 Although changes to the environment and ecological systems have not been thought of as security threats in the past, the geopolitical consequences of climate change have been increasing, creating stresses that governments must respond to. According to a report done by the Center for Naval Analyses, “Economic and environmental conditions in already fragile areas will further erode as food production declines, diseases increase, clean water becomes increasingly scarce, and large populations move in search of resources. Weakened and failing governments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism, and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies.”3 Many complex issues are tied to our changing climate—the goal of this committee is to mitigate these

1 “Hagel to Address “Threat Multiplier of Climate Change,” U.S. Department of Defense, accessed November 29, 2016, http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/603440. 2 Ibid. 3 “National Security and the Threat of Climate Change,” Center for Naval Analyses, accessed November 3, 2016, https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/National%20Security%20and%20the%20Threat%20of%20Climate%20Change.pdf.

challenges, looking at both present problems and those that could arise in the future. The Science of Climate Change It is important for policymakers to understand the science behind climate change if any real and effective solutions are to be implemented. Essentially, climate change is caused in large part by the burning of fossil fuels. When coal, natural gas, or oil are burned (typically for energy), “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat and cause temperatures and sea levels to rise. The following graphs are from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, created by the U.N. in 1988.

These graphs show that global average temperature has a clear upward trend, as does global average sea level. This is very likely related to the huge upswing of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are being released into the air.

This graph shows carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 10,000 BCE. From the trend line it is clear that humans (rather than natural phenomena) are the cause of this huge release of carbon, as the trend line before common era is nothing like the line when the 1800s (and the Industrial Revolution) hit. Specific Threats to National Security by Climate Change Water Scarcity Water scarcity is one of the most serious results of climate change and is projected to affect 40% of nations in the near future.4 Scarce water is likely to trigger war, and in fact conflict over water scarcity has already appeared: water scarcity has been cited as a driving factor for the conflict in Darfur that began in 2003. According to news reports, “disputes over scarce water and grazing land between black African farmers and Arab pastoralist communities triggered the war.

4 “Revealing the Face of Water Scarcity,” International Water Management Institute, accessed December 2, 2016, http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/About_IWMI/Strategic_Documents/Annual_Reports/1998/WSacarcity.pdf?galog=no.

Lack of access to water remains one of the major drivers of the ongoing conflict in Darfur.”5

“Women queuing for water in Darfur”– United Nations Environmental Programme6 Darfur isn’t the only area that has been affected by water scarcity. The Tigris-Euphrates river system, which provides water to Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, has been losing water rapidly. Between 2003 and 2009, a water volume equal to that of the entire Dead Sea vanished from the river basin.7 The absence of water in Syria forced many disgruntled farmers (who could no longer make a living) to migrate to city centers in search of work.8 This meant that several people who had lost their jobs and 5 “Water Scarcity Root of Darfur Conflict,” VOA News, accessed December 2, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/a/water-scarcity-root-of-darfur-conflict-123688459/158292.html. 6 “Renewed momentum for tackling water scarcity and conflict in Darfur,” U.N. Environmental Programme, accessed December 2, 2016, http://www.unep.org/NEWSCENTRE/default.aspx?DocumentId=2647&ArticleId=8801. 7 “Is a Lack of Water to Blame for the Conflict in Syria?” Smithsonian Magazine, accessed December 16 2016, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/is-a-lack-of-water-to-blame-for-the-conflict-in-syria-72513729/ 8 Ibid

were struggling economically were concentrated in one place, which contributed to the revolutions that began Syria’s civil war. Seeing as battles over water have already begun, it is of utmost importance to develop effective and thoughtful policies on water scarcity now. And good policies really can make all the difference explains Carl Brunch, the director of international programs at the Environmental Law Institute: “One thing we've found in context of water security and climate change—it really comes down to institutions and governance. Changes in water availability, timing, temperature—these are stresses. And how well a country or community copes with those stresses depends substantially on governance.” Essentially, if a nation is good at using and distributing its water reserves thoughtfully, then the potential for conflict is low. However, if there is no plan to regulate water usage and it is distributed unevenly, people get angry at the government and other people/nations who do have water, and conflict ensues. Changing Weather Patterns Refugee crises, large migrations, and general political instability can result from climate change because of changing weather patterns toward more extreme weather. For instance, in 2006 Somalia was hit with an intense drought, which caused many people and livestock to die of starvation when crops would not grow because of the lack of rain.9

9 “Somalis Cope with Triple Disaster of Drought, Flooding, and Warfare,” Worldwatch Institute, accessed December 2, 2016, http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4813.

Shortly thereafter, a huge flood hit and killed or displaced even more people.10

“A Somali man contemplated what was recently a maize field, now inundated by the worst flooding in East Africa in 50 years.”11 Displaced people were forced to migrate to other parts of the country because their region had been destroyed. Because of the chaos that the drought/flood combination created, Somalia became politically instable and war lords were able to rise and disrupt the government of Somalia.12 This example demonstrates the two clear paths that extreme weather can take to threaten national security. First, droughts—lack of rain is a very serious problem for everyone because crops require rain. Without rain, crops die, and food shortages ensue. Farmers are hit particularly hard by this phenomenon because they lose their livelihood and source of income, which will prompt them to migrate to some other place with arable land and more rain. As this continues, there will not be enough locations left that are suitable for farming, and conflict is likely to break out. Besides droughts causing food shortages, the other avenue that extreme weather can take to threaten 10 Ibid. 11 “Perils of Somali Flood: Hunger and Beasts,” New York Times, accessed December 2, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/world/africa/12flood.html. 12 “Somalis Cope with Triple Disaster of Drought, Flooding, and Warfare.”

national security is through natural disasters. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, and floods can cause a huge amount of damage to countries in terms of loss or displacement of population, rise of panic, and economics. These conditions can make governments unstable and vulnerable to attack. Therefore, extreme weather can have a clear impact on a country’s stability if the proper precautions are not taken. Rise of Disease Climate change can cause increased instances of disease, and possible epidemics. Lack of clean water (water scarcity) leads to lower sanitation rates, which in turn leads to the spread of diseases. Second, natural disasters that involve water, such as flooding or hurricanes, can spread certain waterborne diseases through populations. One example was that the flood in Somalia: the flood triggered a rise of cholera and malaria as people were trapped in water and drank from it.13

Malaria—Wikipedia14 And finally, when events that force migration or refugee crises happen, people live in very close proximity for a considerable amount of time. This simple proximity increases the rate at which disease

13 Ibid. 14 “Malaria,” Wikipedia, accessed December 16, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria

are spread substantially. The rise of disease is a threat to security because when a portion of the population of a country is struck ill, human capital15 is lost (decreasing both productivity and security) and unhappiness/dissent grow, creating a perfect atmosphere for political instability. How to Approach Solutions for National Security Threats Posed by Climate Change In this committee, the main focus will be creating resolutions to deal with the security threats posed by climate change, but you should also suggest some ways that your country can help combat climate change in general. After all, plans to try to keep the effects in check will fall apart if nothing is done about underlying cause. The fossil fuel combustion that drives climate change is for the purpose of creating usable energy. Hence, alternative sources of energy should be researched. The current major renewable energy sources that do not emit carbon include wind, solar, hydro power, and tidal power. Wind: There are two types of wind energy: onshore wind and offshore wind. For onshore wind, the advantages are that the technology is well-tested and uncomplicated, it’s easy to operate, and the cost of energy from onshore wind turbines is estimated to be competitive with (or even lower than) the cost of energy from coal. The disadvantages are that wind farms require a lot of land area, the power varies based on wind conditions (meaning it may not be at its peak when power demands are at their peaks), and this means that some way of storing energy is needed. For offshore wind, the advantages are that much more power is produced per wind turbine

15 Value of a country’s population in terms of their skills, knowledge, creativity, etc.

because the winds are stronger and more constant offshore, and they are out of sight of the public. The big disadvantage is cost: most experts say offshore wind is prohibitively expensive at the moment, but still, some offshore wind farm projects are moving forward. Solar: There are many different kinds of solar panels available, although the most popular is crystalline silicon. The advantages of solar energy are that it is well-tested and the cost of energy from solar panels is not too much higher than the cost of energy from coal. The disadvantages are that the panels do not produce energy for half of the day, so energy storage systems must be utilized. Also, solar farms require large plots of land. Hydro: The advantages of hydro power are that the plants can last over 100 years, the power generated is relatively constant, and they can work as energy storage systems as well. The disadvantage of hydro power is that it has been accused of disrupting fish populations in rivers. Tidal: Tidal power is the new renewable energy technology on the scene. Generators are placed on the ocean floor, and when tides roll in and out, the generators turn and produce power. The advantages of tidal power are that it is highly predictable (unlike wind and solar), it is out of sight of the public, it’s unlikely to disrupt boats, and it does not require land above sea level. The disadvantages are that this technology is relatively untried. Nuclear Another power source that does not emit carbon (but might not be considered renewable) is nuclear power. It is the biggest carbon-free energy source, and many argue it can serve as a ‘stop-gap’ while

countries attempt to switch over to renewables from fossil fuels. Current nuclear energy processes are very efficient (much more so than typical coal or gas-burning plants) but leave waste sites that are radioactive for hundreds of years. Also, most current nuclear energy processes begin with uranium and end with plutonium, a material that is used to make nuclear weapons. Lots of nuclear plants in a country could mean that country is then equipped with lots of plutonium. On the other hand, nuclear power has a power density that is much higher than any other carbon-free technology, so it can create huge amounts of power. Economics The main problem right now with renewable energy (i.e. why we do not sustain ourselves on it already) is the economics—energy from renewables (apart from a few) is generally more expensive than energy from coal or natural gas. However, the cost of energy from renewables might be competitive with the cost of energy from fossil fuels with some government subsidies, especially if subsidies on fossil fuels (which are present in some countries) are removed. Another way to fight carbon emissions while we do still have fossil fuels is to use energy more efficiently, which can be done in a number of ways. As representatives of DISEC, it is your job to make a plan that combats the effects of climate change on national security and takes steps toward solving the underlying problem. Questions to Consider Water Scarcity How much water does your country have? Will it have to trade with other water-rich countries eventually? How can your country manage its water on a sustainable and equitable basis? Is it worth looking into

water purification techniques from sea water? Changing Weather Patterns How can your country prepare itself for natural disasters? For droughts? What should be done in times of famine or food shortage? Does your country have the resources to aid other countries if a refugee crisis arose? Would it want to help? Rise of Disease What can be done to improve sanitation and medical attention so that instances of illness do not turn into an epidemic? How can epidemics be contained? How can panic from epidemics be minimized? Renewable Energy What renewable energy technologies is your country best equipped for based on geography? (example for states in the US: Arizona has appreciable sun resources but very little wind, so it makes sense to invest in solar but not wind turbines. Massachusetts, on the other hand, has strong winds on the coast but many cloudy days and not much direct sunlight, so it makes sense to invest in wind turbines but not solar). Are these technologies economically feasible? Is your country an exporter of fossil fuels? (For example, OPEC countries). Will a global switch to renewable energy hurt your economy? What steps can you take to change that? Nuclear Energy How should we approach nuclear energy? Is nuclear energy a technology worth investing in? What are the safety concerns and how can they be minimized? Should we consider nuclear power that runs on other elements besides uranium (such as thorium)?

Carbon Sequestration/“Clean Coal” Carbon sequestration (or “clean coal”) refers to fossil fuel-burning power plants that capture their carbon emissions before they are released into the atmosphere and pump the carbon underground instead. Is carbon sequestration worth it, at least in the meantime? How much does it cost to add

carbon sequestration to a plant? Does that added cost make energy that comes from plants with carbon sequestration cost competitive with energy from renewables?

Bibliography Center for Naval Analyses. “National Security and the Threat of Climate Change.” Accessed

November 3, 2016. https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/National%20Security%20and%20the%20Threat%20of%20Climate%20Change.pdf.

International Water Management Institute. “Revealing the Face of Water Scarcity.” Accessed

December 2, 2016. http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/About_IWMI/Strategic_Documents/Annual_Reports/1998/WSacarcity.pdf?galog=no.

New York Times. “Perils of Somali Flood: Hunger and Beasts.” Accessed December 2, 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/world/africa/12flood.html. Smithsonian Magazine. “Is a Lack of Water to Blame for the Conflict in Syria?” Accessed

December 16 2016, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/is-a-lack-of-water-to-blame-for-the-conflict-in-syria-72513729/

U.N. Environmental Programme. “Renewed momentum for tackling water scarcity and conflict

in Darfur.” Accessed December 2, 2016. http://www.unep.org/NEWSCENTRE/default.aspx?DocumentId=2647&ArticleId=8801.

U.S. Department of Defense. “Hagel to Address “Threat Multiplier of Climate Change.”

Accessed November 29, 2016. http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/603440. VOA News. “Water Scarcity Root of Darfur Conflict.” Accessed December 2, 2016.

http://www.voanews.com/a/water-scarcity-root-of-darfur-conflict-123688459/158292.html.

Wikipedia. “Malaria.” Accessed December 15, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria Worldwatch Institute. “Somalis Cope with Triple Disaster of Drought, Flooding, and Warfare.”

Accessed December 2, 2016. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4813.

Topic 2: Cyber Espionage and Government Security Over the past few decades a new threat has arisen which jeopardizes global peace and security. This is the threat posed by cyber espionage and the government surveillance of telecommunications. While previously not possible, the global rise and usage of the internet has created these issues which pose a threat to every country. Cyber espionage is not a threat that just stems from non-state actors; it also comes from states themselves and their spy agencies. Little is known about much of the operations that go on, as they remain secretive until the damage is done or they are exposed by an internal or external source that leaks the information. These operations also inherently violate national sovereignty, something that the UN works to uphold for every nation. While DISEC usually focuses on conventional conflict, this type of cyber conflict has reached a point that can cause harm to many nations on a scale equivalent to conventional conflicts. That is why it is up to this committee to devise a solution for how to handle these kinds of activities, decide when they should be allowed, and determine what constitutes an appropriate response to harmful actions. The proceedings of this committee will start on August 21st, 2015. Non-state actors prove a major threat when it comes to the issues of cyber security. Non-state actors, like states, are subject to the punitive measures of international law when their actions are on behalf of states themselves. This means that it is important for this committee to focus on this issue with the same magnitude of importance that is given to those caused directly by states. Nonstate actors should refrain from the usage of force through online cyber attacks just as states should, as they can cause the same amount of harm. One of the issues that

rises up and will continue to, however, is the difficulty in where exactly to place the blame in instances of cyber crime. These non-state actors, like states, often times get away with their covert actions and never have their identities revealed. Therefore, it is important not to jump the gun in accusations, but to take thorough steps in finding exactly who and what is responsible for any action before taking any punitive measures. This is especially important with non-state actors, as their actions will fall out of the jurisdiction of the UN if they in fact have absolutely no proxy association with any state’s government. Non-state actors not only can attack through the internet, they can also monitor the activities of anyone in cyberspace just as governments can, and they use this information any way they wish.16 While this issue remains important, as billions could be affected by the actions of these groups, it is of the utmost importance of this committee to focus mainly on the actions of those groups that we can directly influence: states themselves.

Source: Telegraph17

16 Wolter, Detlev. "Arms Control Today." The UN Takes a Big Step Forward on Cybersecurity. Arms Control Association, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2013_09/The-UNTakes-a-Big-Step-Forward-on-Cybersecurity>. 17 Holehouse, Matthew. "Britain 'losing the War on Cyber Crime' as Costs Hit £205 Million." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 30 Dec. 2012.

While looked down upon by many nations, cyber espionage is all too common around the world. Many of the nations that condemn this sort of action take part in it themselves, as they see it as a form of selfdefense. These countries do so in order to stay ahead of the curve and to gain an advantage militarily, politically, or economically. It is done to uncover information that has been classified as secret by the governments of the countries which are being spied on. Cyber espionage is not only an issue that crosses international boundaries, but is something that is commonly done domestically by governments to gather information on their own citizens. Both of these actions are viewed as reckless, and are greatly condemned by many people. Examples of these actions come from all around the world. China has been one of the nations at the forefront of this issue, not only accused of spying on many nations and institutions, particularly in the United States, but also on its own citizens. With some of the strictest internet censorship laws of any country, China monitors the online activities of its citizens to maintain its government’s stronghold over its population. China’s international espionage is, in their view, a way to benefit their nation by gaining intelligence to keep their nation alert. However, very little of this has been admitted by China, as it is easy to keep this type of action under wraps as it all occurs away from the public eye.18 19 The United

Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9771627/Britain-losing-the-war-on-cyber-crime-as-costshit-205-million.html> 18 Schwartz, Felicia, and Ian Talley. "U.S. Officials Warn Chinese Cyber Espionage Imperils Ties." WSJ. Wall Street Journal, 23 June 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-

States, while a victim of Chinese and many other nation’s cyber espionage, is also a major perpetrator. The US has admitted to these actions, and justifies their legality in the name of both counter-terrorism efforts and efforts to maintain global peace and security. The US also has been shown to monitor communications of its citizens justifying the action as a means to protect them.20 Other countries have been accused of these and very similar actions as well, such as Israel, North Korea, Iran, India, and many European nations. Those countries that admit to their actions consistently work to justify them, however it is clear that many of these actions may be outside the boundaries of international law.21 One of the most recent outbreaks of a spying virus was Stuxnet. Stuxnet is a computer worm that still has an uncertain origin, but it was used to monitor and attack computer systems all over the world while going undetected. Its specific purpose was to take down industrial systems made by Siemens.

urgeshonest-direct-talks-between-u-s-china-1435071461>. 19 Xuecun, Murong. "Scaling China’s Great Firewall." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015.<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/opinion/murong-xuecun-scaling-chinas-greatfirewall.html?ref=topics&_r=0>. 20 Moran, Theodore. Cyber Surveillance Regulations: Is the United States Asking China to Accept a Double Standard? (n.d.): n. pag. AEI. AEI, Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. 21 Rubenstein, Dana. "Nation State Cyber Espionage and Its Impacts." Nation-State Cyber Espionage and Its Impacts. Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse571- 14/ftp/cyber_espionage/>.

The main focus of Stuxnet is believed to be an attack on Iran’s nuclear research facilities. Iran wasn’t the only country to receive the infection, and Indonesia, India, Azerbaijan, the United States, and Pakistan all had computers infected by the virus.22 It is believed that this was the largest and most expensive program of its kind developed in history, showing that the information that was sought through its creation was of great importance to the developers. From analyzing the code, it was said to have taken at least six months to develop Stuxnet. The virus reached the majority of Iran’s nuclear facilities, dropping the capabilities of Iran’s centrifuges and decreasing Iran’s nuclear capabilities for a few months. Iran reacted saying that while they acknowledge the virus, there was no serious damage done to any of their systems by Stuxnet, and they were able to continue with their nuclear related activities. The Iranians were able to get rid of the virus from their computers and continue on with what they were doing, likely to the surprise of the creators of the virus. While there is no definite answer as to where the virus came from, most people agree that it was developed by Israel and the United States, not only because of their mutual desire to end Iran’s nuclear program, but also from admissions of general cyber warfare activity by the United States and Israel. There are also pieces of code and names from which many experts have drawn

22 Kroenig, Matthew. "A Time to Attack." Google Books. Macmillan, 2014. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <https://books.google.com/books?id=vNJXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=stuxnet%2Bazerbaijan&source=bl&ots=abfZIrJW1B&sig=I5zEePZxQ9nNTYxLFoU4FsB8_wU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwADgKahUKEw Ok5a0rrHAhUG2R4KHW3aDeE#v=onepage&q=stuxnet%20azerbaijan&f=false>.

easy connections to Israel.23 Because of the lack of clear information of who was behind Stuxnet, it is highly doubtful any nation will face repercussions for their actions in the development of this virus, even though it goes against international law. While Stuxnet was not successful in causing any real damage in Iran, its ability to infiltrate its nuclear program shows the beginning of a new age in cyber warfare.24 Many experts have stated that this was the first electronic weapon of geopolitical importance, and therefore it can change the way wars are fought in the future. Other recent cases of cyber espionage and attack haven’t happened on such a large scale, but they certainly garnered a lot of attention due to the nature of the action, bringing theses cyber security issues to the forefront of many people’s minds.

Source: TNW25

23 Zetter, Kim. "An Unprecedented Look at Stuxnet, the World’s First Digital Weapon." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.wired.com/2014/11/countdownto-zero-day-stuxnet/> 24 Nakashima, Ellen, and Joby Warrick. "Stuxnet Was Work of U.S. and Israeli Experts, Officials Say." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2 June 2012. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nationalsecurity/stuxnet-was-work-of-us-and-israeli-expertsofficials say/2012/06/01/gJQAlnEy6U_story.html>.25Lopez, Napier. "The FBI Says There’s No Link between North Korea and the Sony Hack." TNW. The Next Web, 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 22 Aug. 2015.

The November 2014 hack of Sony by North Korea came as a shock to many. As a developing nation lacking in major cyber infrastructure, North Korea isn’t seen as a major player in the field. However, over 100 terabytes of data was stolen from Sony computer networks. This data included personal information about thousands of employees, and countless communications as well. The hack was done by a group going under the name Guardians of Peace. Their demands were for Sony to cancel the release of the comedic Sony Pictures movie, The Interview, due to the plot revolving around an assassination attempt on North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un. Sony refused to comply with the hackers’ demands, and therefore the data collected by the hackers was released and distributed, much of the information putting a dent in Sony’s reputation. While Sony still went on with the showing of the film, the majority of theaters in the US refused to show it due to threats coming from not only the hackers but also increased rhetoric from North Korea. The US was the first to say definitively that the North Koreans were indeed the ones behind the cyber attack, stemming from their investigations by the FBI. The hackers from North Korea left a clear trail from which the US was able to track these attacks back to North Korea. North Korea, however, denied their involvement in these actions, yet they decided to go ahead the commend the actions of the hackers, calling them and important and righteous act in support of the their government and ideology. There are some other doubts about the hacks originating from North Korea, due to the overtness of the attacking group, and the high likelihood that this could’ve been an inside job done by a disgruntled Sony employee. Despite the denials, it is very

<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/12/09/fbi-saystheres-link-north-korea-sony-hack/>.

clear to most people that this attack was in fact of North Korean origin. North Korea, like many other nations, is unlikely to face and punishment from the United Nations for their actions.26 In 2013, the United States experienced the largest leak of classified information in its history. This leak was caused by one man working for the NSA (the US National Security Agency), and this man was Edward Snowden. Snowden was a system administrator hired by the NSA who gained access to millions of classified documents through his job, and personally released 1.7 million of them. What this leak revealed changed many people’s opinions of how the US government surveillance programs worked, as they were mostly unaware of the scope of these operations both domestically and abroad. These documents that were released revealed many of the operations undertaken by the US government. They exposed that the US was not only monitoring activity in places like North Korea and China, but also in strong allies in Europe such as Germany. Other documents found included classified information sent from Australia and the United Kingdom and 900,000 documents from the US Department of Defense. The most incriminating information revealed were the documents that pertained strictly to surveillance by the US government. These were given by Snowden to different journalists to be analyzed and published through various US and worldwide media outlets. Programs that were revealed included PRISM, which

26 Network, Lori Grisham. "Timeline: North Korea and the Sony Pictures Hack." USA Today. Gannett, 05 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nationnow/2014/12/18/sony-hack-timeline-interview-northkorea/20601645/>.

monitors internet activities in the US, Bullrun, which monitors US email communication, and others in which the US cooperated with its allies to engage in global surveillance. The US says that all of this was done in the interest of national security, something that Snowden says many of these actions superseded, going beyond the point where these actions were helpful. Snowden left the US before facing criminal charges for espionage and leaking information, seeking asylum in Russia where he remains today. Many around the world and in the US revere him as a hero for disclosing all of this information. Many others, however, including the governments of many nations other than the US, condemn his actions due to the fact that they now have to find new ways to go about their counter terrorism and national security efforts. However, all nations see that cybersecurity is a major issue, unanimously adopting GA resolution 68/167 which states the right for protection and privacy against unlawful surveillance.27 This shakeup caused by Snowden changed the general discourse about government surveillance, making it much more tangible now that it was known what actually was going on behind closed doors. The US and the other nations that were exposed for their actions through these leaks are very unlikely to face any sort of action from the UN even though they likely broke international law. If there were attempted action to enact consequences on these nations, it is unlikely that they would be complied with in the

27 "Developments - General Assembly Resolution "The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age", A/RES/68/167." Developments - General Assembly Resolution "The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age", A/RES/68/167. UN, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.humanrightsvoices.org/site/developments/?d=11687>.

interest of maintaining national security and upholding what they see as their rights to gather information. While the UN thus far has done little to prosecute these nations, this doesn't mean that there is no infrastructure in place to try and remedy these issues.28 The biggest organization that has been created to deal with cyber threats is the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats, IMPACT. IMPACT works with the existing UN body the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, to fight cyber threats from a neutral perspective. This program is called GCA, Global Cybersecurity Agenda, and its ITU’s department on fighting this issue. This effort is supported by 152 nations around the world, all working to try and make sure that comprehensive approaches are taken to ensure cyber security. IMPACT is based in Malaysia, and the member’s of its advisory board hail from a variety of changing nations who are either important government officials or experts in the field. As IMPACT expands its operations, it is expected to partner with more committees and groups within the UN to help under its existing cyber security operations.29 In addition to work by IMPACT and ITU, the UNODA, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, also works on this issue. This committee releases an annual report with input from all countries that seek

28 Bamford, James. "Edward Snowden: The Untold Story." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.wired.com/2014/08/edward-snowden/>. 29 "ITU-IMPACT | About Us - IMPACT." ITUIMPACT. IMPACT, 2015. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. <http://www.impactalliance.org/aboutus/ITU-IMPACT.html>.

to be involved that states what they are individually doing and what they would like to see happen for increased cybersecurity. This committee is also working to enforce its ruling about the justification of international law in prosecuting cyber security issues, as well as the need to uphold national sovereignty. Together with the existing framework set up by these committees, DISEC can work to pass a comprehensive resolution to address these issues of cyber espionage and government surveillance.30 While these committees have mostly focused on cyber attacks, this committee can add dialogue to the issue by showing the importance that these issues hold as well. International law is strongly applicable in this situation as well, as proven by the other UN committees, and therefore this committee has the responsibility to decide what to do about these other outstanding cyber threats. Questions to Consider Sanctions Should standard UN punishments such as sanctions be used against countries that are caught committing espionage against another country’s peoples? Would sanctions be successful in this? What could be some alternatives to sanctions that might be successful? Determining the Culprit It is very hard to prove who is behind many instances of cyber surveillance and attacks

30 "UNODA - Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security." UN News Center. UN, 2015. Web. 22 Aug. 2015. <http://www.un.org/disarmament/topics/informations ecurity/>.

as well. What should happen in those cases in order to try and bring the perpetrators to justice? Is it the responsibility of a UN body to try and seek them out? Self-Defense Do the laws permitting self-defense as detailed in the UN Charter apply to cyber attacks, whether they are intentionally destructive or data breaches? While many nations claim self-defense in almost all instances of cyber attacks, these are often considered to be breaches of national sovereignty. How should these differences be defined? Should it be different than how we define conventional wars and attacks? Proper Response to Cyber Attacks What constitutes necessary and proportional force in response to a cyber attack or malicious digital surveillance program? A service like UN peacekeepers obviously can’t be used in this type of situation to defuse it. Could there be a UN backed organization that could do so? Many nations have this kind of capability already; could they be trusted in aiding in these efforts?

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