United States National Security Council
Specialized Agency Background Guide
Positions and Roles
of Selected Members of the USNSC
Attorney General John Ashcroft: The
Attorney General’s role for this simulation is to make sure that any public
action taken by the USNSC is constitutional. He also, under the guise of
the Patriot Act, heads the department that tries, or may retain, and
suspected terrorists internally.
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet:
For the purposes of this simulation most intelligence will be given to, and
if need be divulged by, the Director of Central Intelligence. He will also
be responsible for taking and clandestine actions either required by the NSC
or alluded to by it.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice:
The National Security Advisor, working with the Secretary of Defense and
Secretary of Homeland Security, will help address the threats to the
security of the United States both domestically and abroad.
Secretary of State Colin Powell: The
Secretary of State will be the person to interact with the other committee
and also be the foremost advisor on all items pertaining to international
affairs.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:
When it comes to any military matters, the Secretary of Defense will be the
one to be the expert on it. For this simulation knowledge of our defense
systems, military protocols, and basic military strategy is required.
Secretary of Homeland Security Thomas Ridge:
The Secretary of Homeland Security will be the one who ultimately addresses
security threats internally or in close proximity to the United States of
America.
Vice President Richard Cheney: The Vice
President, like in the real USNSC, will be on equal footing with the rest of
the members. In this simulation the Vice-President will be the one to
discuss the political ramifications of all actions taken by the USNSC.
All participants need to know their roles and
responsibilities in the real USNSC and know the basic layout their
respective departments. Also, you must know your person’s political
affiliation and their basic past trends.
Topic: Taiwan
The Taiwanese debate has been an issue for the United
States for a number of years. In June of 1950, in order to protect Taiwan
from reoccupation by the Chinese, President Truman sent the 7th
fleet into the Taiwan straits and the 13th fleet of the Air Force
to be stationed in Taiwan itself. In 1954 the United States signed a
defense treaty with Taiwan, effectively making the Chinese province a
protectorate of the United States. This remained the status quo until in
1971 Resolution 2758 restored the rights of China to Taiwan and called for
the removing of the United States military forces. In 1972, while visiting
China, Nixon declared that that China and Taiwan are one nation. Following
through with resolution 2758, the United States withdrew its military forces
from Taiwan and abrogated the defense treaty in 1978.
Although the United States no longer takes the
official position that Taiwan ought to be its own country, it does believe
that Taiwan ought to not be under the control of the Peoples Republic of
China. In 1992 the United States sold 150 fighters to Taiwan and through
the present has sold billions of dollars of fighting equipment to Taiwan.
Questions:
Topic: North Korea
North Korea currently destabilizes the Pacific Rim, and
quite possibly the rest of the world, with its threat of developing nuclear
weapons and selling them to the highest bidder. In 1985 North Korea signed
the Non Proliferation Treaty which as an undeclared declared nuclear power
means that they were not to develop a nuclear weapons program. Also in
1990 and 1992 North and South Korea signed a Denuclearization Statement.
In 1993, because of its non-compliance with many
portions of the NPT, specifically in dealing with the International Atomic
Energy Agency’s inspections of nuclear power facilities, North Korea removed
itself from the NPT. In response the United Nations passed a resolution
urging the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to work with the IAEA and
to abide by the terms of the Denuclearization treaty signed between the DPRK
and the Republic of Korea.
The United States took a unilateral approach when
dealing with the DPRK in 1993. The United States negotiated and came to an
agreement with North Korea to allow the United States to repair old nuclear
facilities of the DPRK, to help with the safe storage of spent fuel rods and
for both nations to work together on creating a peaceful Korean peninsula.
In return for this the DPRK had to freeze and nuclear weapons program.
In accordance with the agreement in 1995 upon assessing
the DPRK’s progress in its freezing of its nuclear program and securing its
nuclear power facilities the United States eased the economic sanctions
placed on the DPRK.
In 2002 it was discovered that in fact the DPRK had
begun the development of its nuclear weapons program through uranium
enrichment plants. In 2003 the DPRK and United States, along with the
People’s Republic of China, South Korea, the Russian Federation and Japan,
multilaterally discussed a resolution to the problem the DPRK presented.
The DPRK for the most part has not cooperated with these negotiations, but
recently acknowledged that it might consider eliminating its weapons
program.
Questions:
