Booker T. Washington High School

Model United Nations Club

Country Briefing: United States

The Pentagon

 The Pentagon team really consists of those elements of America’s foreign policy apparatus concerned with security.  As such, it has huge resources but also a great number of commitments.  This Pentagon player is responsible for making recommendations about the use of military force in the region.

 History of America’s security relationship in the Western hemisphere: The United States became involved in foreign policy issues in the hemisphere soon after independence in 1776.  In the early 19^th century, the Monroe Doctrine was drafted, pledging American opposition to any intervention by foreign powers attempting to reassert European colonial control over the region.  However, this was mostly theoretical before the Civil War, as the US had little capability to back up its declaration.  The Mexican War of 1848 expanded America’s presence and solidified US dominance.  After the Civil War, the US applied pressure to block a French attempt to establish a protectorate in Mexico.  After the 1898 Spanish-American War, acts of “gunboat diplomacy” became more common, such as the 1903 intervention in Panama’s revolt against Colombia.  President Theodore Roosevelt’s Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine asserted the American right to intervene in the affairs of Latin American states to “restore order” or otherwise assert US interests.  Consequently, US forces intervened in Panama, Nicaragua, Santo Domingo, and just about everywhere else.  The most significant event was the 1962 standoff over the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which the US military prepared to launch an invasion of Cuba to root out nuclear missiles.  Since then, the US military has toned down its presence a little, though there was the 1983 invasion of Grenada, the 1989 intervention in Panama, and a 1990s mission to restore order in Haiti.  Most military activity today consists of training allied forces to fight rebel movements and maintaining anti-drug patrols through the region.  In summary, the US military has been and continues to be the dominant power in the region, though its mission has changed from regional strong man to night watchman.

 Security Options: as the Pentagon you can recommend some, all or none of the following policies:

• Military advisers.  You can send military advisers, or increase the number of advisers, in Latin American countries.  Currently you have advisers in Colombia, helping their military’s struggle with the FARC.  Panama and Peru also face potentially serious rebel movements and could use advisers, but such an increase in US commitments could threaten to involve the military in drawn out conflicts resembling the Vietnam War.  Any recommendation to deploy troops would need strong justification.
• Military Aid.  Currently El Salvador and Colombia receive the largest amount of military aid.  You can make recommendations to increase or decrease these sums, or offer more military aid to any other country facing internal security threats.  Military aid can come in the form of arms, helicopters, munitions and even high-tech craft such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), useful for drug patrols.
• Military presence.  This is a serious option for serious situations.  It can range from aircraft for patrol of jungles and airspace, to naval operations off American coastlines, to military bases with troops to combat insertion teams.  The last represent small highly-trained special forces units that can engage in “black ops” – secret combat missions to interdict drug suppliers, rescue hostages or disrupt rebel forces.  If you make this recommendation, it must be done with the approval of Congressional committees, or it must be covered up by the president.
• Military invasion.  Under extreme circumstances you can recommend direct military action.  Highly-trained and equipped formations like the Marines, the 82^nd Airborne and the 101^st Air Assault Division can be mobilized within days to strike at threats to US security.  They can be supported by powerful formations of ships and aircraft, in sufficient force to defeat any conceivable force in Latin America.  However, such an action would have very serious consequences.  Would the US forces stay on as occupiers?  What would be the strategic objective of such an act?  What would be the exit strategy – the policy for establishing when US forces would leave?

Note that the Pentagon player can only recommend action – he or she cannot order these things unilaterally.  Congress and the president make the final decision for US foreign policy. 

Country Briefing: the United States

Department of State

 The State Department team represents the professional foreign policy apparatus of the United States.  It is their responsibility to run America’s embassies, communicate with foreign governments, protect and advise American citizens abroad, and advise the president on foreign policy.

 History of US foreign policy in the Americas: Immediately upon the creation of the United States, it became deeply involved in foreign policy in the Americas.  During the Revolution, it conspired with France to import guns into the country from French Caribbean bases.  Afterwards, it jockeyed for position with various European powers in the region, achieving successes such as the Louisiana Purchase, the Monroe Doctrine and the policy of “avoiding foreign entanglements.”  As its economic power grew, so did its ambitions.  After the Spanish-American war American diplomacy became more muscular.  US diplomats aggressively supported US corporations like United Fruit and Standard Oil as they set up businesses in Central America.  The 1903 Panama revolution was a diplomacy coup, as was the Canal Treaty.   Beginning in the FDR years, American diplomacy began to shift toward a “Good Neighbor Policy,” with the US promoting the stability of Latin American states.  After WWII, policy shifted again as a result of the Cold War.  The US supported regimes on the basis of their opposition to Communism, even if they were dictatorships.  The Castro Revolution in Cuba was a wake-up call for the need to be more active in Latin America, leading both to American efforts to isolate Communism on that island and to promote development through the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress.  In the late 1970s, President Carter set a new agenda to encourage democracy in the hemisphere, a policy the Reagan White House continued.  Despite considerable upheaval and instability in the 1970s and 1980s, this policy bore fruit, and now most states in the region hold competitive elections.  Current US diplomatic priorities include the continuing isolation of Cuba, the promotion of free trade agreements, and building diplomatic ties in the twin wars on drugs and terror.  New concerns include the increasingly dictatorial Chavez regime in Venezuela and the growing threat to American embassies and interests throughout the region.  The State Department would like to beef up security at every embassy in the region to protect them against acts of terror by rebel movements, Al Qaeda and narcotrafficantes, but money is short and choices have to be made.  State must choose its priorities in the region by assessing threats and opportunities.

  Diplomatic Agenda: the State representative has a variety of options and choices.

• Promoting America’s image through public diplomacy.  There is a limited budget for public diplomacy – promoting citizen’s exchanges, funding cultural programs and running public relations campaigns.  These are designed to combat misinformation about the US in target countries, and to give foreign cultures a better image of the US.  The Fulbright Exchange program is one such example, funding exchanges of scholars from the US and the target country for academic studies.  Over the course of the game the US can put three such programs in place, but they must be done with the consent of the target country.
• The Peace Corps.  There are Peace Corps programs in every country in the game except Cuba.  These programs work to combat rural and urban poverty and promote infrastructural development.  They are most needed in the poorest countries.  The US can pull missions from any country at any time, and it can upgrade the Peace Corps presence in any two countries, with the permission of those countries.  Peace Corps programs tend to raise the popularity of the US in host countries.
• Embassy protection.  State has enough money in the budget to improve security in two embassies, and must make recommendations on this during the game.
• Policy Recommendations.  State can recommend upgrading or downgrading relations with any countries in the region.  This has the effect of making it more likely that Congress will approve free trade agreements, military or foreign aid, or treaties with other states.  They can also recommend high-level meetings between heads of state and the US president, which can enhance the prestige of Latin American leaders.

State’s biggest priority in the game is to ensure that no other Latin American country strengthens its ties to Cuba.  It can work with other US players to pressure any country that tries to do this.

Country Briefing: The United States

Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce player is responsible for economic negotiations, and actually represents a little more than that department.  He or she also controls the foreign aid budget for Latin America, usually handled by the State Department’s Agency for International Development.  Commerce has the goal of increasing trade and protecting American economic interests.

Economic History: America has always been an economic powerhouse in the region, with strong trade connections dating back to the “triangular trade” of the 18^th century.  In those days, American vessels carried much of the shipping in the region.  As the country industrialized, its economic influence grew.  US corporations established themselves throughout the region, exercising considerable political power.  US commercial diplomacy focused on protecting these businesses against revolution and instability.  The opening of the Panama Canal increased the region’s economic performance.  Armed with both the economic incentive and the military muscle to back it up, the US pursued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.  The US pledged to seize the customs-houses of any Latin American country that defaulted on its loans to foreign powers.  Not all of American policy was hostile – US trade enriched poor countries, and American industry provided needed goods for the region.  During the Cold War, the US increased aid to Latin America, on the argument that improving their economies would prevent Communist revolutions.  After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was renewed confidence in the American economic model.  The so-called “Washington Consensus” argued that the path to successful economic development was through free trade, low public spending and creating an attractive environment for foreign investment.  Many Latin American countries pursued this policy with some success in the mid-90s.  The keystone of this trend has been the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), an economic treaty that reduces all tariffs between the United States and its partners.  So far Canada and Mexico have signed on, and seen their trade with the US increase dramatically.  Chile is next on the list, and other countries are waiting to be put on a “NAFTA track.”  There are risks to the Washington Consensus – both Mexico and Argentina have suffered currency collapses as their economies became more exposed to international pressures – but the basic principal remains sound.  The Commerce player has the job of promoting the economic gospel of alignment with capitalism and American trade.

Economic Policy Tools: As the Commerce player, you have a powerful collection of carrots and sticks to use in negotiations with other players.

• NAFTA recommendations.  You can make two recommendations on NAFTA in this game.  Currently, Chile’s application for NAFTA is delayed, perhaps because Chile voted against the US in the Security Council on the Iraqi conflict.  You can recommend that the Chilean application be considered without delay, or dropped.  You can also recommend that one Latin American country be put “on deck” for consideration as the next NAFTA member.  Any recommendations must be justified, so Commerce should make decisions based on sound economic principles.  These might include countries with large, healthy economies, natural resources, a commitment to the Washington Consensus, and high levels of trade with the United States.  In addition, however, they should also be democracies with good or improving human rights records, or else they could embarrass the US diplomatically.  Commerce should consult with its US partners when deciding.
• Foreign aid.  Commerce controls the foreign aid budget, disbursed to virtually every state in the region.   The purpose of this aid is to foster economic development, promote stability and strengthen diplomatic ties.  Commerce can recommend increasing or decreasing aid to any country in the region.  Such recommendations should be made based on clear diplomatic objectives.
• The International Monetary Fund.  The IMF is the largest international financial institution in the world, taking in money from the largest economic powers and loaning it around the world.  Its purpose is to encourage countries to follow sound economic principles for currency stabilization, so that countries may engage in free trade with one another on a predictable basis.  As the largest donor to the IMF, the US has considerable influence in that organization.  To represent this, the Commerce player may veto any loans made by the IMF to any country in the game, though it should do so on the basis of sound economic and political objectives.

Country Briefing: The United States

The FBI/Intelligence Community

This player represents all of the American intelligence agencies active in the region, including especially the CIA and the FBI.  The job of the intelligence community is to identify and deal with threats to American security, and to keep our policymakers well informed of developments in the region.

The Secret History: Before the 20^th century, most overseas intelligence was gathered by US diplomats, who talked to politicians and businessmen about events in Latin America, and reported back to Washington.  Since the middle of the twentieth century, intelligence-gathering has grown much more sophisticated.  President Dwight Eisenhower used the CIA during the Cold War to destabilize and overthrow dangerous regimes, especially those that smacked of communism.  In 1954, the CIA used a few radio stations, a Guatemalan general and some surplus aircraft to convince that country’s government it was under invasion.  The government, which was promoting land reform and nationalization of US businesses, folded, and a US-friendly regime was put in place.  In 1961, the CIA organized an invasion force of Cuban exiles in the failed Bay of Pigs attempt to overthrow the Communist Fidel Castro.  In 1962, military intelligence gatherers successfully identified Soviet nuclear missile installations under construction in Cuba, warning President Kennedy in time to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis.  In 1973, the CIA worked with elements of the Chilean military to overthrow the elected socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile, again to prevent the nationalization of US-owned businesses.  In the 1980s, as communist revolution spread to Nicaragua and El Salvador, American intelligence operatives organized anti-communist guerillas known as Contras to (illegally) destabilize Nicaragua’s Sandinista regime.  Around this time the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was created and given the job of interdicting the flow of drugs from Latin America into the United States.  US intelligence has thus been associated with a number of unpleasant activities, and often attracts considerable ant—American sentiment.  On the other hand, it has successfully dealt with threats of communist subversion and helped to prevent a nuclear war.  Since 9/11, intelligence has taken on the difficult task of protecting the homeland against foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).  Its primary job is to go after these FTOs and see that they do not establish themselves in a position to harm US interests or launch terror strikes in the US.  Some of the FTOs on the watch list include Latin groups such as the FARC in Colombia and Peru’s Shining Path and Tupac Amaru.  In addition, intel watches for any international group that might try to establish ties with local groups, such as Ireland’s IRA, Hamas or, worst of all, Al Qaeda.  If such groups were to gain a foothold here, they could threaten the US.

Intelligence Missions: The US intelligence player has the following goals and capabilities:

• Establishing regional offices.  Currently, the FBI has an expanded office in Colombia.  It can establish more regional offices if it suits their purposes, and if the host country accepts.  Establishing new offices increases the security capacity of the US in the region.
• Aerial and satellite intelligence.  By using unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites controlled by the National Security Agency, intelligence can get increased information about the movements of drug traffickers, rebel groups and FTOs.
• Covert Missions.  Working with the Pentagon player, intelligence can conduct secret operations in other countries, to disrupt enemy organizations or rescue American hostages.  Small units of light infantry, guided by satellites and equipped with the latest weapons, could be very effective in the region.  The trouble is that such missions could lead to controversy in the US.  Any covert missions must have the approval of the president and/or congress, represented by Control in the game.  Getting the permission of the country where the operation is to occur is optional!
• Rescuing hostages.  Recently, the FARC took three US security workers hostage in a remote part of Colombia.  An attempt by the Colombian government to rescue other hostages last week ended in catastrophe, increasing pressure on American intelligence agencies to do something.   The intel player must look for clues as to the whereabouts of these hostages, and make a policy recommendation.
• Monitoring the tri-border region.  The area connecting Brazil, Peru and Colombia is very rough, and not really under the supervision of those governments.  For decades bandits, rebels, and now drug traffickers and terrorists have used this region as a hideout.  Intelligence would very much like to improve its understanding of this region.