The Division on Yemen Civil War In the UNSC

Security Council (Day 2)

The division soon emerged after yesterday's late discussion. It had come to a clarity that the house was divided into two blocs, one with the view of carrying on with firearms selling, one that considered weapons should only be used for defense and should be restricted by software.

At the commencement of the fourth session, an unmoderated caucus was quickly proposed by the delegate of France, after which came a 20 minutes long fierce debate. The establishment of “demilitarized zones” and the definition of “defensive weapons” were still controversial, concerns were raised pertaining to whether demilitarized zones would offend a country’s sovereignty and might cause even more problems than the present. With the end of the unmoderated caucus, the potential draft resolution 1.1 was successfully introduced to the floor which led to a more acute and intense argument. Friendly/Unfriendly amendments were in the preparation phase, hopefully, these changes could facilitate the improvements of the potential draft resolution.

As the dispute escalated, yielding to questions and the yielding to other delegates became usual ways to spend the remaining time. Questions asked were regarding the excessive intervention on Yemen’s domestic affairs, the repeatability of Draft Resolution 1.1, and the past United Nations Security Council’s actions and agreements. Quoting the delegate of Belgium “Take Syria and Afghanistan for examples, this delegate would like to ask the delegate of United States of America, as a country that is still actively engaged in conflicts and is causing a huge amount of casualties in Syria and Afghanistan, how is this Draft Resolution different from all previous actions that had already failed?”

After a few arguments, signatories’ stances began to swing between the two blocs, it had finally come to a realization that the subtle harmony in the former unmoderated caucus was only a calm before storm. While several friendly amendments were submitted to the Dias team for the purpose of bettering Draft Resolution 1.1, divisions started to emerge among blocs, no consensus can be reached due to the significant differences of their representing countries.

Consequent to that is an unmoderated caucus raised by the United Kingdom focusing on the amendments with which its purpose being bettering the resolution and to further elaborate the concepts of the methods of their draft resolution. The word “Utopian” seemed to be a hot word for the day, though difficult, all delegation strived to come together to make the resolution practical and feasible. For example, Belgium, Equatorial Guinea, and several other countries, those who placed their emphasis on humanitarian aids, daily necessities, and disarmaments, cooperated with others whose focus were on distinct aspects such as demilitarized zone.

By the end of the lunch break, a war of amendments was declared, friendly/unfriendly amendments took up the following session. Whether to strike or modify clauses regarding the establishment of a unified Yemeni state government is being fiercely debated. Some concerned that this might lead to even more severe inhumane consequences and intensify the conflicts.

As session five began, the primary topic being discussed was still the definition of the word “defensive weapons”, because of delegates' diverse opinions. To further explain the differences between defensive weapons and the offensive ones, delegates even brought out the movie lines from Shaolin Temple and Jurassic Park. Nonetheless, there was still no consensus on the usage and the definition of defensive weapons.

Peace talks were still a hot issue being argued throughout the day, some thought peace talks can be the long-term solution, some were still convinced that without mandatory force, the effects and efficiency of such measurements would be limited.

Followed by a sequence of amendments, numerous amendments on the second degree were being introduced by China, raised to modify the cornerstone of the original amendment’s. The focus was shifted from enhancing clean water systems to the lack of water itself. To revise the draft resolution as a whole after all the amendments and secondary amendments, the Dias team suggested an unmoderated caucus to take place.

With the motion raised by the delegation of China, the meeting of the day was suspended.