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Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Cabinet Hello delegates! Your chairs for the MPHMUN 2014 conference are Hank Sheehan and Liam Meisner. They will be chairing over the Cabinet of President Jimmy Carter (January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981). Hank is currently a senior at MPH in his third year of MUN and Liam is currently a sophomore at MPH in his second year of MUN. They are looking forward to a productive and lively committee session. If you have any questions, feel free to email them to [email protected] or [email protected]. Introduction to the Committee: The Cabinet of the United States is an advisory body composed of the Vice President (Walter Mondale) and the 12 heads of the executive departments. The following is a list of these heads, in order of succession: Secretaries of State: Jan. 23, 1977-Apr. 20, 1980 - Cyrus R. Vance May 8, 1980-Jan. 20, 1981 - Edmund S. Muskie Secretaries of the Treasury: Jan. 23, 1977-Jul. 19, 1979 - W. Michael Blumenthal Aug. 6, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - G. William Miller Secretary of Defense: Jan. 21, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Harold Brown Secretaries of Justice: The Secretary of Justice is the Attorney General Jan. 26, 1977-Jul. 19, 1979 - Griffin B. Bell Aug. 16, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - Benjamin R. Civiletti Secretary of the Interior: Jan. 23, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Cecil D. Andrus Secretary of Agriculture: Jan. 23, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Bob S. Bergland Secretary of Commerce: Jan. 23, 1977-Oct. 4, 1979 - Juanita Morris Kreps Jan. 9, 1980-Jan. 20, 1981 - Philip M. Klutznick Secretary of Labor: Jan. 27, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Ray Marshall Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare*: Jan. 25, 1977-Jul 19, 1979 Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Secretary of Health and Human Services: Aug. 3, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - Patricia Roberts Harris Secretary of Education: Dec. 6, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - Shirley Mount Hufstedle Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Jan. 23, 1977-Aug. 3, 1979 Patricia Roberts Harris Secretary of Transportation: Jan. 23, 1977-Jul. 20, 1979 - Brock Adams Sep. 24, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - Neil Goldschmidt Secretary of Energy: Aug. 5, 1977-Jul. 20, 1979 - James R. Schlesinger Aug. 24, 1979-Jan. 20, 1981 - Charles W. Duncan, Jr. In addition to the heads of these departments, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations (Jan. 30, 1977-Aug. 15, 1979 - Andrew J. Young, Sep. 23, 1979Jan. 20, 1981 - Donald F. McHenry), the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Jan. 23, 1977-Sep 21, 1977 - Thomas Bertram ("Bert") Lance, Mar. 24, 1978-Jan.20, 1981 - James T. McIntyre, Jr.), the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors (Jan. 23, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Charles L. Schultze), the Advisor to the President on National Security Affairs (Jan. 23, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981 - Zbigniew Brzezinski), the White House Chief of Staff (August 6, 1979 – June 12, 1980 – Hamilton Jordan, June 11, 1980 – January 20, 1981 – Jack Watson), the Administrator of the EPA (January 21, 1977 – March 6, 1977 – John Quarles, Jr., March 7, 1977 – January 20, 1981 – Douglas M. Costle), and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (February 1976 – March 1977 – Mitchell P. Kobelinski, April 1977 – January 1981 – A. Vernon Weaver) all participate. The Cabinet counsels the President in times of need, with each member keeping the interests of their respective department in mind. All delegates should be prepared to debate other major events within this timeperiod, including SALT II, the Energy Crisis, and the conflict in Afghanistan. At the 2014 MPHMUN conference, the committee will be run Harvard-style. Delegates should be prepared to hand in hard copies of their position papers on the day of the conference if they wish to be considered for an award. If a delegate comes in to committee with any form of a prewritten resolution prepared, they will be disqualified in the conference. *In 1979, President Carter divided the Department of Health, Education and Welfare into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. Egypt/Israeli Conflict Introduction Ever since the state of Israel was created in 1948, their relations with the surrounding Arab countries have been strained at best, and outright violent at worst. Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, angered at the creation of a Jewish state, attacked Israel not long after, in what is known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Israel managed to repel it’s attackers, however, and secured it’s place in the Middle East. More war would come however, as Israel faced hostility from inside and outside. In addition to it’s Arab neighbors, Israel fought against the Palestinian Liberation organization, or PLO, a group founded in 1964 dedicated to the creation of a sovereign, Palestinian state. Egypt, in particular, has had a unique relationship with Israel. They fought several wars with each other, and yet Egypt eventually became the Arab nation most willing to open talks with the Jewish state. Several UN ceasefires were put into place between the two countries, and in 1978, the two agreed to diplomatic talks at Camp David, in the United States, as a result of diplomatic efforts by the American government, including the President and Secretary of State. The US was seen as a somewhat neutral territory for the two countries, as it had previously been involved in Middle East affairs, but hadn’t taken a direct stance either way. History of the Topic Despite the initial victory for Israel in 1948, more conflict would come. In July of 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, the waterway between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Before that, Britain and France had largely controlled the Canal, and used it as an inexpensive method of shipping oil from the Middle East to the Mediterranean. Nasser wanted other countries using the canal, to pay a tax that would fund the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River. In response to Nasser’s actions, Israel, France, and Britain launched a joint attack on Egypt. The conflict lasted several months, until the United States, frustrated with it’s allies, threatened economic sanctions if they didn't cease their invasion. The three complied, ending Israel’s second conflict with Egypt. The third war between the two countries occurred in 1967, an event called the Six-Day War. At the beginning of June, that year, Egypt and several other Arab countries had built up their forces along their borders, facing Israel, possibly getting ready to invade their enemy. Fearing attack, Israel launched a preemptive strike on Egypt and Syria, and in only six days, had taken control of the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, and parts of the West Bank, previously owned or controlled by Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, respectively. A United Nations ceasefire ended the conflict on June 11. Israel kept the land it had gained, and as a result, tripled in size. This would be an issue for decades to come. Current Situation That would not be the end of violent relations between the Egypt and Israel, however. On October 6, 1973, the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launched a joint attack on Israel, hoping to catch the Jewish people off guard as they prayed. The plan worked initially, and for the first couple of weeks, Israel was on the defensive. Eventually, Israel began beating the invaders back, but at the cost of many soldiers. On October 25, a UN ceasefire was arranged between Egypt and Israel, paving the way to future negotiations between the two countries. Syria however, did not want to make peace with Israel, and was not part of the ceasefire, and after Egypt ended hostilities, they were quickly forced back out of the Golan Heights by Israel. Angry at Egypt for leaving them without support, and for making temporary peace with Israel, Syria, and the other Arab Nations quickly ended friendly relations with them. After the war, in 1974, Egypt and Israel opened more negotiations, creating a disengagement treaty that provided for Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. The next year, the two countries signed another treaty, called the Sinai Interim Agreement, stating that further conflicts “shall not be resolved by military force but by peaceful means.” It ensured that both countries would abide by the cease-fire, and mandated where Egyptian and Israeli troops would be distributed along the Sinai. On November 9th, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat asked to visit Israel, saying that he is “ready to go to the Israeli parliament itself.” Through the US, Israel officially invited him as a representative of Egypt, and on the 19th of November, Sadat became the first Arab leader to set foot in Israel. During his visit, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and addressed the Israeli parliament with a message of peace. In December of that year, Sadat returned the favor, inviting Israel, the US, and the UN for a peace summit in Cairo. Despite this promising headway, by the summer of 1978, progress had stalled, and both sides were back at each others’ throats due to a decline in negotiations. President Carter felt that the situation was highly unstable, and was anxious for negotiations to resume. He sent Secretary of State Cyrus Vance over to the Middle East to invite Sadat and Begin to participate in negotiations at Camp David, a US presidential retreat in Maryland, in the US, and set a goal of a permanent peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Questions to Consider How can the United States ensure a treaty that encourages permanent peace between Egypt and Israel? What can the United States do to ensure such a treaty also promotes US interests, both foreign and domestic? What actions can the President take to ensure that both parties remain open to negotiations? Further Reading http://www.history.com/topics/yom-kippur-war http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carterpeace/ http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/world/meast/camp-david-accords-fast-facts/ Iranian Hostage Crisis Introduction: The Iranian Hostage Crisis is arguably the most important event throughout Jimmy Carter’s presidency. In 1908, massive oil reserves were discovered in Iran. Because of this, developed nations instantly attempted to become involved socially and politically with the small nation. The United Kingdom held a lot of influence, due to a prior agreement in 1872 regarding resource rights, and extracted a large amount of oil, until the Soviets stationed soldiers in Iran to begin fighting the advancing German army during the Second World War. In 1953, the United States government utilized their CIA to oust Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh, who held close ties with the United Soviet States, and created the more powerful position of the Shah, meaning king or emperor in Persian, granted to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The Shah became closely History: The Shah, Reza Pahlavi, oversaw an age of prosperity and economic growth for his nation, with the help of the widespread oil extraction and the support of American corporations and the American military. Even so, the Iranian public was upset with the uneven spread of wealth, blaming it on the “AntiIslamic” Shah and the capitalist economic structure that was influenced and modeled after the United States. This way of thinking created a communist idealism within the public, which as supported and fuel by the Soviets The blame quickly shifted to the American government and the officials who were affiliated with it. Sensing an uprising, the Shah Reza Pahlavi left Tehran to seek asylum in Egypt, one of the few Middle Eastern country currently cooperating with the United States. About half a year later, he left Egypt and came to the United States for cancer treatments. A week after the Shah had been granted access to the United States, a group of university students who were protesting outside the American embassy in Tehran stormed the building, taking 90 hostages (66 Americans and 24 Iranians) in order to gain leverage in negotiations. This event was exactly what President Carter feared of when discussing whether he should let the Shah into America. This crisis finally destroyed the security of what the President had called "an island of stability" the United States had created in the Middle East seven decades prior. Current situation: Although President Jimmy Carter had sent both Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Senate Intelligence Committee Staff Director William Miller to Tehran for negotiations, the Iranian government refused to meet the US representatives for these talks. The Iranian officials had, however, agreed to release all female and African-American hostages, 13 Americans in total. The President has attempted to force the Iranian government into cooperating by freezing financial assets within Iran, such as the Western banks and businesses that were operating within the nation, as well as placing an embargo on the nation state. So far, none of these tactics appear to be effective and there are no concrete plans in the near future. Questions to Consider: 1. What are some effective short-term plans that can resolve the hostage situation quickly? 2. How can the economic relationship with Iran be restored? 3. What can we do to guarantee the safety of the hostages until they are rescued? 4. How can we stop the USSR from gaining Iran as an ally? 5. How can the public be satisfied without being transparent about the actions being taken? 6. What has the rest of the international community done so far? 7. How has this instability affected surrounding nations (such as Iraq)? Further reading: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/meast/iran-hostage-crisis-fast-facts/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carterhostage-crisis/ https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/iraniancrises http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_9-12-transitionscarter.html