Paris Peace Summit, 1971 - World Model United Nations

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I N T R O D U C T I ON It is a conict known to Americans and Westerners as the “Vietnam War.” But the ghting that occurred in Vietnam between 1961 and 1975 goes by dierent names to the varied belligerents. To the Vietnamese, who have seen foreign intervention time and again it is the “American War;” Vietnamese communists call it the “Resistance War Against America.” To scholars seeking detached terminology, it is the “Second Indochina War”—marking the continuation of a previous, unnished battle that aected not only Vietnam, but neighboring Cambodia and Laos—or the “Vietnam Conict”—acknowledging that the United States Congress never actually declared war on the Southeast Asian nation. Such varied terminology is perhaps evidence of the contrasting points of view and the controversy surrounding the Cold War-era conict. e Paris Peace Summit meets in 1971 amid weariness and popular discontent on all sides for the repercussions of the lengthy war. e central question of this committee is, if the belligerents of the Vietnam War had made dierent choices at the negotiating table, could a long-term peace in South Vietnam be achieved? To answer this question, this committee will gather the parties involved in the Vietnam War to debate the conditions for peace—and if peace is possible, to cra the principles that will ensure lasting national and regional prosperity. is committee’s focus is not only on the short-term technical or military aspects of an end to conict—discussion of regional issues and, indeed, the international backdrop of a bipolar world will be critical to coming to an agreement. e e American delegation participated in a series of talks to formulate a treaty to end the war in Vietnam. purpose of this study guide is to help delegates gain a full understanding of the factors behind the conict in Vietnam, as well as the motivations and interests of each party to the war. However, please keep in mind the need for additional research, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Over half of the guide comprises the History and Discussion of the Issue, which explains the development of a fractured Vietnam, from the rst foreign domination under the Chinese onwards. e rest of the guide provides additional helpful information and advice, including the substantively oriented Proposed Solutions, and Suggestions for Further Research. In the spirit of the crisis committee, all actions of the Paris Peace Summit will be up to you and your fellow delegates to decide. In a year when tensions are higher than ever before, disagreement could bring yet more escalation—and cooperation could usher in a new era of national peace. Best of luck, and I hope that this study guide will be useful in your preparations. HISTORY & STRUCTURE OF THE COMMITTEE The Paris Peace Summit comes together on January 1, 1971, with the common hope that the new year will push forward the end to the conict in Vietnam. Present in Paris are delegates from the United States of America, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), and the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong). While the Soviet Union did not attend the Paris Peace Talks in the real timeline of history, their presence at this simulation of the Paris Peace Summit reects the instrumental part they played in materially and ideologically supporting the North Vietnamese cause. A team of three individual delegates will represent each nation. Each team, comprising delegates from dierent universities, will work in tandem to push forward their respective nation or group’s objectives. Delegates representing nations will include the ministries of defense and foreign aairs, and advisors or negotiators. Following a lengthy period of debate and political maneuvering to bring every side to the negotiating table, the rst meeting in Paris took place on May 10, 1968. Powers of the Committee The committee’s mission is to dra an accord that will end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. erefore, Harvard WorldMUN 2012 PARIS PEACE SUMMIT 1971 4
its delegates have at their disposal every necessary power to negotiate a peace (such as declaring a ceasere, deciding upon a timeline for troop withdrawal, and calling a referendum). Delegates who are cabinet members also have their portfolio powers at their disposal. All delegates may privately communicate with military ocials and the head of their respective state. H I S T O R Y AND DISCUSSI ON OF T H E ISSUE The Long Road to Revolution (1802-1945) Early Foreign Domination Even before the rst American boots hit the ground in Southeast Asia, powerful foreign forces had shaped Vietnamese history for centuries. e narrative of foreign domination began with China, which conquered the Viet ethnic group in 111 BC and ruled the nation as a de facto province for the next millennia. A complicated relationship developed between the Vietnamese people and their Chinese rulers—one in which Vietnam embraced and adapted Chinese culture, religion, technology, language, art and architecture. In particular, the Vietnamese adopted the basic economy of China, based on wet rice farming. e cultivation of rice required cooperative labor, and became the foundation of the strong collective spirit within and among Vietnamese communities, which, though autonomous, could be mobilized as a unied chain to ght against foreign invasion. 1 e hierarchical government structure of China, based on Confucian ethics and bureaucratic administration, quickly took hold over its southern neighbor. 2 At the same time, however, Chinese domination sparked a series of bloody insurrections led by the Vietnamese elite. e most celebrated of these rebellions was led by the Trung sisters—Trung Trac and Trung Nhi—who vanquished the superior Chinese military in 39 AD. eir independent Viet kingdom lasted for three years before Chinese forces put down the insurrection, but the Trung sisters committed suicide, lasting in perpetuity in the memory of the Viet nationalists who followed them. 3 By the tenth century, a crumbling Tang dynasty in China could no longer aord the resources to maintain control over its colonial limbs. In 939, a Vietnamese army ambushed and defeated a much larger Chinese army at what is today Haiphong. Despite periodic attempts by the Chinese to regain control, the state of Dai Viet (“Great Viet”) maintained its independence through diplomacy, tribute payments to the Chinese capital, and successful military campaigns against invaders. e Trung sisters, TrungTrac and TrungNhi, are celebrated for leading a rebellion in 39 AD to defeat Chinese occupation and establish an independent Viet kingdom. Dai Viet Once established, the Viet kingdom saw its own imperial, expansionist desires. Population growth and economic factors spurred the Vietnamese to push southward, toward the fertile plains and the Mekong delta. In doing so, they vanquished their Cham and Khmer neighbors. Finally completing their expansion in 1700, Dai Viet controlled 800 miles of coast. 4 But expansion brought its own concerns, and the Vietnamese began to experience the internal dissension and strife that had long plagued its northern neighbor. From Hanoi, rulers found it dicult to exert control over Southern farmers. In the South, fertile lands and high crop yields shaped the development of an individualistic culture, which contrasted with the tradition-bound ethos of the North. In 1613, tensions came to a head with the explosion of civil war that split Vietnam into rival territories ruled by two warrior families, the Nguyen in the South and the Trinh in the North. Aer two hundred years of periodic strife, the Nguyen family managed a tentative unication of the two halves of Vietnam. e Nguyen Dynasty named their new empire “Nam Viet” (“Southern Viet”), and turned towards Confucian principles to assist in the consolidation of their domain. Within a few decades, however, the Nguyen faced yet another threat: French imperialists who sought to colonize Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. French Encounters Vietnam’s earliest encounters with Europeans date back to 16th century merchants and missionaries, but Harvard WorldMUN 2012 PARIS PEACE SUMMIT 1971 5
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Paris Peace Summit, 1971 - World Model United Nations

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