Background Guide:
Cabinet of USA Background Guide H-MUN III 2020 | |
File Size: | 6277 kb |
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About the Committee:
In the 2014 fiscal year, the United States government provided $274.3 million USD in humanitarian assistance to the Sahel region, in order to support agricultural development, the strengthening of democratic institutions, and the assurance of security within the territory. The aid primarily targeted Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, three countries that are of significant concern to the United States, due to the prevalence of extremist organizations, such as Boko Haram, ISIL, and ISIS. In fact, in direct response to the tension within the region, former U.S. Defense Secretary, General Jim Mattis, in 2017, asserted that the responsibility of the United States in the Sahel region was to “advise, assist, and train African militaries,” in an attempt to promote self-reliance and limit U.S. armed forces from being actively engaged in combat. Despite these efforts, the region has continued to experience a steady rise in civilian and military casualties. Nigeria, for example, accounted for 13% of global terrorist-related deaths in 2018 - which translated to about 2,040 deaths and 772 injuries from 562 terrorist incidents - according to the Global Terrorism Index, from the Institute for Economics and Peace. As the largest economy and population within Africa, Nigeria is of particular importance to the United States, as a means of ensuring stability and tranquility within the region. Regardless of the rising tension, however, the policies of incumbent President Donald Trump indicate that in 2020 the United States is considering a withdrawal of U.S. troops and support in the Sahel Region, in hopes of re-centering American interests in China and Russia.
Therefore, President Trump’s cabinet will be forced to decide the extent of aid, if any, that the Sahel Region, including Nigeria, will receive from the United States. In conjunction, due to the nature of a Joint Crisis Committee, President Buhari’s cabinet of Nigeria, will be responding to the same crises as the U.S. cabinet. The decisions of each administration will directly impact the other. Responses must be three-pronged not only to address the on-going terrorism, but also the underlying environmental and humanitarian issues that characterize the Sahel Region.
Therefore, President Trump’s cabinet will be forced to decide the extent of aid, if any, that the Sahel Region, including Nigeria, will receive from the United States. In conjunction, due to the nature of a Joint Crisis Committee, President Buhari’s cabinet of Nigeria, will be responding to the same crises as the U.S. cabinet. The decisions of each administration will directly impact the other. Responses must be three-pronged not only to address the on-going terrorism, but also the underlying environmental and humanitarian issues that characterize the Sahel Region.