UN Sanctions Reform - The Watson Institute for International Studies

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Workshop on UN Sanctions 16-17 July 2004 Introduction SIMULATION EXERCISE: PART 1 TARGETED SANCTIONS AND THE RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE IN ARCADIA January, 2006: Beginning two months ago, there has been an alarming increase in the number of civilian and combatant casualties resulting from fighting between government and rebel forces in the small South East Asian country of Arcadia. Recent media reports indicate that the Revolutionary Brotherhood of Liberation (RBL), under rebel leader Andries van Dam, has advanced a violent offensive against government forces and suspected government sympathizers. In response, crack government troops, under the leadership of Rajiv Vohra (son-in-law of long time Arcadian President, Rutherford Simmons) have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis by pursuing a “zero tolerance” policy towards the rebels. In doing so, many innocent Arcadians have been killed, and many more displaced. Atrocities resulting from recent fighting have included the slaughter of over 5,000 villagers in a three day period and the violent deaths of 25 observers from the UN Mission in Arcadia (UNMIA) stationed nearby (UNMIA was first deployed in 2002 in support of a now-defunct ceasefire agreement). While neither side has claimed responsibility for these fatalities, troops from both sides are known to have been active in the village in question. As these incidents attest, conflict has been particularly fierce in regions contiguous to the thickly forested rural areas of Arcadia, which have been plundered by both sides to capitalize on the lucrative trade in Arcadian timber. These events mark the final collapse of “Seekonk Ceasefire Accords” (SCA). Signed in 2002, the SCA were designed as a prelude to a more comprehensive peace settlement. The Security Council commissioned UNMIA to monitor the implementation of the SCA. But war soon returned to Arcadia as the RBL used the brief period of peace to regroup and rearm. These developments contributed to the radicalization of opinion among government circles in the Arcadian capital, Woonsocket, with Vohra and Defense Minister Karen Newman gaining the ascendancy over domestic political rivals. Sporadic fire fights between government troops and the RBL soon escalated. Noting the return to violence, and faced with a regional refugee crisis as rural Arcadians fled their homes, the Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the territory of Arcadia (resolution 1648 (2004), reprinted in full below). With continued fighting, the comprehensive peace settlement has failed to materialize. The Member States of the Security Council are unanimous that a strong and effective response to these flagrant violations of human rights and the neutrality of UN observers is required. Political History of Arcadia Arcadia is a small country of just over 3 million people, on the Cumberland Peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand in South East Asia (see map below). Arcadia has few religious, cultural, and social divisions. Approximately 90% of the country is Christian, while most of the remainder practice indigenous beliefs. The Arcadians all speak the national language, a local dialect of English. Arcadia is a Member State of the United Nations, as are neighboring states. 19
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UN Sanctions Reform - The Watson Institute for International Studies

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