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Anushka Kaushik predicts a complete failure of the Geneva II talks and explains why theres no viable solution to the Syrian crisis in the near future.

Musings of a Rational Cynic

The Means to Achieve Power, Money and Greed Have Become Violent
In an exclusive interview with the Executive Board of the United Nations General Assembly, Sameeksha Khare talks to them about their committee and more.
The Expositor: Are missile programs indispensable for the security of a nation, in todays world, or is that basically an argument put to increase their offensive arsenal? -In an ideal world, there should be no requirement for an extensive missile program by countries to protect their security interests. However, in a realistic world, in order to maintain the balance of power between nations, they become indispensable. The pool of power the possession of such missiles provide is immense and hence, eyed by countries. TE: How crucial has it become, irrespective of their importance, to curb the threat these missiles pose? - It obviously is extremely urgent to put a halt to this grave issue. With power, money and greed and the desire to acquire all, the means to achieve these ends have become violent and it becomes a threat to the people and the world community at large. Hence, a systematic way of approaching a reduction of these violence ways needs to be brought about. TE: On a lighter note, what are your views on the proceedings of this simulation of the United Nations General Assembly? It is a huge committee with a great participation from a lot of school students and first time participants, and such cute kids! Irrespective, a lot of good points are coming up from all corners, with placards flying around in the air, and it has become difficult for us to look around appreciating all. We congratulate the JMC Model United Nations team for making such a committee possible. TE: What do you, being the conveners, expect the conclusive stand of the committee to be? We would be happy with whichever direction they choose to go in. They are an impressive lot of minds and were sure of a substantive end.

What We Do at MUNs

PHOTO ESSAY BY VANSHAJ MEHTA

What the UN thinks we do

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What people think we do

What our parents think we do

What our friends think we do

What we atucally do!

JANUARY 24, 2014 | THE EXPOSITOR

Human Rights Council Struggles to Reach Consensus on Death Penalty for Juveniles

Why do people rape?

Have you ever wondered why do rapists rape and about the psychological mindset they carry? Is the judicial system prepared enough to reform them? Amlan J. Das
As the deliberations continue regarding the reforms to be brought into the existing rape laws, no one actually cared to think of the accused or the convicted criminal. A popular logic would say that why should we care to think about a person who acted no less than an animal. But in a country which guarantees human rights to each and every of its citizen, its important to even consider the same for the criminals. Did anyone of us ever cared to ask a rapist, why did he rape? Once a person commits a heinous crime, we condemn it and leave it up to the system to in route to justice. But what we fail to realize is that a convicted criminal, after completing his/her tenure in the prison, returns back to the society. But when he does return, is she reformed? What effect would the punishment have on the convict? Will it reform me morally or make him sicker mentally and socially? We never care to think of it. An American journalist, under the penname Doon, went up to a few rapists and asked them why do they rape? His question was very simple; why do rapists rape when we have prostitutes offering their body for free? Some replied by saying that rape is free, whereas prostitutes cost some money. But many, mainly serial rapists replied back saying that they rape because it feels good. So basically, even if this is a case study from America, one thing is very clear. There are reasons as to why one commits such a crime. And reasons can be economic or psychological. Hence to make sure a safe society for women, we must understand these reasons, try to change them, and when they come out, how changed are they? No one really cares. Very few in the Parliamentary Standing Committee actually cared to talk about the rape convicts. No one talked about the reform measures to be taken in order to bring a change into the convicts mentality. They talked about punishment, from being hanged to chemical castration. Death penalty in the rarest of the rare cases is acceptable, but what effect would something like chemical castration have? Will it eradicate the mindset that makes a person rapist? Will it reform him once he is back? No one really cares to bother about it. Kakali Ghosh Dastidar of the Indian National Congress again came up with a therapeutic approach to the whole situation. She stressed on the fact that all the convicts needs to have therapy session to determine their mind set and make sure that when we come out of the prison, they have actually reformed. To establish a safe society, legal methods are just not enough. Various socioeconomical and psychological facts should also be considered. To prevent rapes from being committed, it is equally important for us to understand why a rapist rape and reforms need to be taken care of as to how to go about bring in a change into their mentality.

If death penalty were to be present, should its commission spare no criminal or should age be a constraint? Kartik Maini reports from the UN Human Rights Council.
The United Nations Human Rights Council sought to reach a consensus on the permissibility of death penalty for juveniles. A consensus, however, stayed out of reach as the committee saw the emergence of two perceptual blocs of those against and those in favour. Debating in disagreement, the delegate of Malaysia referred to Article 6.5 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that prohibits capital punishment for those under the age of 18 years (which is the internationally recognized age of majority). Elucidating on the aforementioned, the delegate of Angola shed light on the behavioural aspect of the discussion saying that juveniles are psychologically developing, making capital punishment for juveniles unjustifiable. Alternatively, the delegate added that rehabilitation should be stressed on. The delegate of Yemen, one of the most recent countries to raise its age of majority to 18, supported death penalty for juveniles and opposed the delegate of Angola saying that execution of a 17 year old is permissible as the mental status of the person has developed, thus making him/her accountable for criminality as much as an adult. In agreement, the delegate of Iran pointed out the gross disparity in the legal mechanisms of the United States of America and the United Kingdom that permit driving at the age of 16 but prohibit death penalty. If a juvenile is developed enough to drive, he is mature enough to be executed. With the emergence of varied viewpoints of delegations tied in two broad perceptual blocs, it remains to be seen whether a global consensus is reached.

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We Are Not the Ones to Blame. You Are.

Bombarded by a plethora of questions and allegations regarding the implementation of its anti-dumping policies, the delegate of China was clearly the centre of dispute throughout the settlement process. When questioned about its predatory dumping practices in India, the delegate of China completely refuted the statement of the press by saying that no question would be entertained if there was no evidence to support it. He also said that China had won all cases filed against it in the WTO regarding its anti-dumping practices, and therefore the allegations were useless. During the blame game held in the name of dispute settlement, the representative from European Communities held China responsible for dumping large amounts of stainless steel in the territory for the European Union. She stated that when China was questioned on the subject, no information was provided. Also, the cost reduction done by China was not based on fair comparison. She mainly demanded clarification on three grounds: No retaliation to the allegations by China, transparency regarding information and duties alleviated on the imported goods. The delegate of China not only refuted these allegations, but also turned the table on the EU, saying that they are ones who have reduced the cost of all commodities including labour, raw material and fuel. In general, the EU reduced the cost of its exports by 44.42% in the past 3 years. As for the transparency regarding its actions, the delegate of China stated that they had put out a notice that contained every minute detail of the goods that had been exported to the EU. Conclusively, we hope that the two sides arrive at a common consensus, and that this dispute settlement process ends up as a constructive one instead of being a mere blame game.

Naina Kataria

Everyone sees. Very less observe. And even fewer stop to capture what they observe. I have tried to capture things that go unnoticed. It made me realise how there can be beauty in everything.

Perspective

PHOTO ESSAY BY VARSHA DAHIYA

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COVER STORY

Anushka Kaushik

Musings of a Rational Cynic

dialogue. It might be early to predict but the author can assert that the reader shall be, in approximately five years, reading the same headlines making the same promises. but substantiate my view with pertinent arguments. The fact of the matter remains that the Syrian crisis can and will not be solved by a series of peace talks. We first ought to look at the context.

In early 2013, representatives from the United States of America and Russian Federation called for both sides i.e. the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition, largely represented by the Syrian National Coalition to discuss their respective viewpoints to reduce the staggering level of killings across the nation of Syria. An attack involving chemical weapons in August 2013 outside the borders of Damascus further gave an impetus to resolve the crisis as the USA assumed moral authority to safeguard the world once again. Resolution 2118 adopted by the Security Council, in addition to demanding the removal of Syrias chemical stock-pile, stated in the seventeenth operative clause that the Security Council calls for the convening, as soon as possible, of an international conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communiqu, and calls upon all Syrian parties to engage seriously and constructively at the Geneva Conference on Syria, and underscores that they should be fully representative of the Syrian people and committed to the implementation of the Geneva Communiqu and to the achievement of stability and reconciliation . The Geneva II peace talks thus are a culmination of international action accompanied

by the ostensible need of Western nations to prevent further bloodshed. Despite all the mechanisms in place, the crisis is poised to remain as it is. Firstly, over the course of the uprising, the opposition has failed to adopt a united stand against the Syrian government. From the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the armed opposition mainly consisting of defected Syrian Armed Forces soldiers, representing the opposition to the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, currently the largest opposition force, there has neither been a consistent nor a competent enough resistance. Secondly, in addition to the lack of a consolidated opposition, the internal rife within the Syrian National Coalition will affect any chance of a compromise. Following the chance of Iran being present in the Geneva II talks, the opposition was divided on attending the peace talks. The National Co-ordination Committee, for example refused to attend the talks which may hamper a wide-ranging solution given their status as an official opposition alliance. Thirdly, one of the primary objectives of

the peace talks is seen as the establishment of a transitional government. This stands as the main demand of the opposition and while it may prove to be a solution, there exist innumerable obstacles. For instance, it is ludicrous to think that the Syrian government will willingly agree for a system where the governance is even partially shared by another set of actors. Further, it is difficult to imagine that either side would compromise on the intricate details that may require a compromise given the nature of an interim government. Given the failure of governments in Arab Spring states such as Egypt, the viability of such an option also remains questionable. Perhaps the most fundamental dilemma in reaching any sort of compromise however would be the staunch opposition the Syrian government has to removing Bashar Al-Assad as the head of government. Given the strong insistence of the opposition on the same, it is almost impossible that any settlement could be reached in the near future. We may be optimists or cynics. We may have faith or false hopes. We may value belief over reality. Thats a choice we make.

Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man -Friedrich Nietzsche

With the Geneva II talks underway and the high hopes attached to I wish not to trivialize the the success of this supposed peace matter by inordinate cynicism

THE EXPOSITOR

JANUARY24, 2014

JANUARY 24, 2014

THE EXPOSITOR

The Means to Achieve Power, Money and Greed Have Become Violent
In an exclusive interview with the Executive Board of the United Nations General Assembly, Sameeksha Khare talks to them about their committee and more.
The Expositor: Are missile programs indispensable for the security of a nation, in todays world, or is that basically an argument put to increase their offensive arsenal? -In an ideal world, there should be no requirement for an extensive missile program by countries to protect their security interests. However, in a realistic world, in order to maintain the balance of power between nations, they become indispensable. The pool of power the possession of such missiles provide is immense and hence, eyed by countries. TE: How crucial has it become, irrespective of their importance, to curb the threat these missiles pose? - It obviously is extremely urgent to put a halt to this grave issue. With power, money and greed and the desire to acquire all, the means to achieve these ends have become violent and it becomes a threat to the people and the world community at large. Hence, a systematic way of approaching a reduction of these violence ways needs to be brought about. TE: On a lighter note, what are your views on the proceedings of this simulation of the United Nations General Assembly? It is a huge committee with a great participation from a lot of school students and first time participants, and such cute kids! Irrespective, a lot of good points are coming up from all corners, with placards flying around in the air, and it has become difficult for us to look around appreciating all. We congratulate the JMC Model United Nations team for making such a committee possible. TE: What do you, being the conveners, expect the conclusive stand of the committee to be? We would be happy with whichever direction they choose to go in. They are an impressive lot of minds and were sure of a substantive end.

The JMCMUN Chronicles

PHOTO ESSAY BY ANKIT KUMAR SRIVASTAV

That moment when you realise that every moment you wished something good to happen. Every sin you stopped yourself from committing. And every sacrifice you made has been worth it for this moment. The moment you see perfection. Actually, it is just G. S. Chaitanya smiling at you! #orbit

ACP Pradyuman. He is excellence of detective work. His overall skills are unmatched. And he is the ladies man. Meet Abhinav Verma. He is the successor to ACP. Here: Abhinav uses the infamous Right Hand Rule to catch Chinas lie.

Meet Geetika Nagpal. She is hitting on the EB. #DeputySecretaryGeneralBlues

The Desi Exorcist. Here, we witness Ayushi Teotia possessed. The witness were rendered unconscious, traumatised. It was the timely appearance of the great priests of JMCs Food Staff performing Samosaexorstism that saved everyones life.

After yesterdays mishap formally dubbed as the Great Chaitanya Outbreak, G. S. Chaitanya was spotted happy go lucky today. Sources say it was Sasha who was responsible for Chaitanyas calm demeanour With the casualty of yesterdays disaster, people world wide only wish for Chaitanya to never get angry again. JANUARY 24, 2014 | THE EXPOSITOR

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Lets Not Have Another Thangjam Manorama

Chemical Castration Should be Introduced in India: JS Mallik

Amlan J. Das talks to LK Adwani from BJP and JS Mallik from Congress.
Q. (To LK Adwani) Your take on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)? What do BJP think of it and about the various sexual assaults related cases on Army personals? L K. Adwani: One thing is very clear, AFSPA should not be abolished. It has been one thing that is keeping the integrity intact in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North Eastern region. Special power is needed by the Armed forces, because they defend the country. Hence as what many Congress leaders demand, AFSPA should not be abolished. But what we demand is amendment into the law to tackle sexual assault related cases. All army personals accused of sexual assault related cases should be tried with civilian laws. What happened in Manipur should not be repeated. We are very clear about this. Q. (To JS Mallik) A lot has been talked about the two finger test and other tests done to determine sexual assault. Many favour the abolishment of such tests. What alternative test do you suggest? J S Mallik: Two finger test is defiantly a violation of the womens integrity. What we suggest is SAFE kits. These are kits are extensively used in the western countries. However, one kit costs around $1500 and hence it is quite expensive. But I am sure we can get subsidy on them and make them mandatory. Polygraph tests also an alternative. Q. You have been talking a lot about chemical castration? How do you think it would be effective? J S Mallik: Chemical castration is very much prevalent in some countries like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. What it does is create a fear amongst others to not commit such crimes. I believe chemical castration should be introduced in India, at least for the rarest of the rare cases. This will at least create a fear.

How many you remember Thangjam Manorama? The lady from Manipur who as allegedly gang raped by Indian Army back in 2004. She was possibly a rebel and a member of the Peoples Liberation Army of Manipur and was picked up from her home by the Indian paramilitary unit, 17th Assam Rifles on July 10, 2004 and the next day her bullet-ridden corpse was found in a field. The autopsy report later revealed semen marks on her body suggesting a possible rape. This was possibly the first instance when the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) came into the limelight for sexual assault related cases. So many Army related rape cases all of a sudden came into the limelight, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur, two states which continue to remain under the AFSPA. A long drawn demand then started for the amendment of Criminal Law pertaining to AFSPA and Rape.

Regarding the 2004 Manipur incident, a commission of inquiry was set up by the Manipur government in 2004, and submitted its report in Nov 2004. However, the Guwahati High court also looked into the matter and ruled that since the Assam Rifles had been deployed under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the state government did not have jurisdiction over them, and the case should be dealt with by the central government. And this has been happening ever since, the quest for justice in Army related rape cases continue. Many demands were raised by many Human Rights Activist groups and women activists. The standing committee that is currently deliberating reforms related to rape laws needs to keep in mind AFSPA and issues related to it. Its a very sensitive issue, but unfortunately very less attention is being paid to it. It was only D Raja, who was quite vocal about the AFSPA. No one really paid attention to the trauma of the

rape victims in the Army controlled regions, who still await justice while many others live in a constant fear and trauma. People back in Assam live in a constant fear, even though they dont know about the Act, they know one thing for a fact that nothing can be done against these Army people. Hence, it is for the Government to formulate laws that safeguard the rights of women in these areas and they assure them safety and justice when required. The standing committee has been considerate enough to raise concerns regarding the safety and sovereignty of women. Just that a more concrete decision is expected from the committee regarding army and elected representatives. The country looks up to its leaders and army a lot, hence a new legal frame work strengthening rape laws and women safety is definitely expected.

Amlan J. Das

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The United States of Hypocritical America: Delegate of DPRK

Sameeksha Khare reports the proceedings of the second day of the New Delhi summit of the United Nations General Assembly.
The urgency to discuss the need to limit and prohibit the proliferation of ballistic missiles took up the committees interest. The argument of concentrating the limitations on developing or developed countries fuelled the debate. The delegate of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea theatrically narrated the case of the United States of hypocritical America, and mentioned the country having set up about 150 military bases in different countries, more than half of which contain ballistic missiles. This point was agreed with by many present, with a loud voice being raised in favour of the developing countries. The large numbers of missiles that developed countries possess should first be taken care of, rather than paying attention to the deployment systems that the developing countries are coming up with to maintain their security program. Hence, the onus lies on the developed countries to start taking requisite actions for the prohibition of such a proliferation. The delegate of India vehemently denounced the discriminatory nature of the concept of ballistic missile credits introduced by the United States, following the precedence of many other biased agreements like the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Missile Technology Control Regime. The delegate of the Syrian Arab Republic talked about the discrepancies of the ballistic missile credit system that only concerns itself with the quantitative increase of ballistic missiles and not their qualitative increase. Countries with advanced technology at their disposal can come up with better and advanced ballistic missiles as compared to other countries. This helps us come abreast with the current state of hazard that prevails in this sector by the developed countries and how treaties in a way support them. For the solutions to this problem, the involvement of non-state actors that run the ballistics black market was taken into consideration. There should be a strict vigilance and security to prevent missiles from getting into the hands of terrorist organizations. There are problems of the terrorist organizations getting their hands on missiles that are set up by the USA in various countries as the security of these systems is not accounted for. What is left to be seen is the conclusive stand the committee comes to after a heated session of allegations flying north and south.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee Saga

While discussing the sensitive issue of rape in the Parliamentary Standing Committee,some parliamentarians seemed to be swayed by emotions and opinions, while others aimed to be practical, as expressed through their words and actions.

PHOTO ESSAY BY TUSHAR PASRIJA

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Anushka Kaushik asks some tough questions to delegations of the Security Council to get responses on the Syrian crisis
Q1) In addition to humanitarian United Nations aid, what solutions can your country needs to send humanitarian aid propose for the refugee crisis in Syria? Western nations need to change their nature of aid from France: Security Council lethal weapons to humanitarian aid sanctions against Syria are Canada: The refugee crisis needs the best option available. attention both inside Syria Russian Federation: The only which is dealing with IDPs and comprehensive solution is the neighbouring states which have long term one, which is peace and taken refugees in. Apart from stability in Syria. As of now, the humanitarian aid, refugees right Syrian government already has too of return, possible plans of social much on their hands and therefore: inclusion in the host countries and plans of action therefore need to be drawn up by the host nations. It is not a bilateral conflict between the government Q2) To what extent is a transitional and the rebels, but a lot more government viable in Syria? non state groups are involved A United Nations France: A transitional government body would not hold legitimacy would work until and unless theres and would not be recognized no external intervention by either as the government by Syrians Syrian government or Syrian rebels Chaos will which would give enough time to the be created as Assad is strong Geneva talks to become successful militarily and will resist (system Russian Federation: Its not viable of a transitional government) due to the following reasons: Q3) To what extent does the disunity in the Syrian opposition is a diverse mix of exiled opposition hamper peace talks? political groups, grass-root activists organizing protests inside Syria and France: The strife within the amend groups waging a guerrilla opposition can be dealt with, later. war on the government forces However, right now, the most important fact is overthrowing *The delegation of Russian the Assad government. Federation and Canada were not available for comment. Pakistan: It hampers peace talks to a large extent as there is no leader in the organization who can speak on behalf of the entire opposition movement and sign the peace agreement. Syrian
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5 Speeches That Could Have Changed the Councils Direction

Canada: The delegation of Canada focused on the role of Iran in the Syrian crisis and the supposed sectarian divide that the nations intervention has created. Further, Canada emphasised on the targeted violence against Syrian opposition factions by other nations that have only worsened the situation. Although the role of neighbouring nations was not discussed at length, a nuanced approach to this aspect could have widened the scope of issues the Council addressed Russian Federation: In addition to refuting allegations that the Russian Federation was supplying arms and ammunition to the Syrian government, the delegation of Russia sought to differentiate between the lethal and non-lethal weaponry used by rebel factions. This matter of technicality could have provided a structure to the Council discussions as to the specific weaponry used/ supplied. Finland: Call it a media bias but the speech made by the delegation from Finland emphasised on the need to provide freedom of speech and expression to journalists and reporters. Notwithstanding the fact that such an issue has never been discussed in the Security Council, its focus on the larger aspects of human rights violations could have been central to debate on the Syrian crisis. Guatemala: The Guatemalan delegation elaborated on the

Anushka Kaushik lists five delegations whose speeches had the potential to widen the scope of discussion and perhaps render the sessions more solution-centric
violations by the Syrian government of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Although the use of chemical weapons was discussed in Council courtesy the delegation of Togo, the framework of this particular mechanism had the potential to initiate debate on security innumerable issues. Argentina: The primary focus of Argentinas speech was on the use of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) to establish Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). Strengthening existing mechanisms of the UN could be a potential short-term solution that the Security Council looked to adopt.

Whilst delegates look for opportunities to get recognised but theres always someone in the Committee who ends up cribbing about not been given a fair chance. Following is a compilation when a delegate after a long phase of desperateness finally got a chance to express.

...And the Chance Came Finally!

PHOTO ESSAY BY YATHARTH BUDDHIRAJA

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The International Press

Pallav Kumar Singh Head of International Press Editors-in-Chief Aayushi Thakur Sinha Sarah Zia Editor of Photography Tejinder Pal Singh Creative Head Anushree Malik Journalists Akriti Paracer Amlan J. Das Anushka Kaushik A.R.Rakshita Kartik Maini Naina Kataria Sameeksha Khare Photographers Ankit Kumar Srivastava Tushar Pasrija Yatharth Buddhiraja Varsha Dahiya Vanshaj Mehta