_The Envoys Summit

ISSUE 2 SEPTEMBER 2020 ALETHEIA The Official Newsletter of The Envoys Summit AN INITIATIVE OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS Picture Credits: Via Domestika Coral @coralize

From the Desk of the Executive Board International Press During the progression of The Envoys Summit, all the members of the International Press have remarkably exhibited the ethics that an individual from the fraternity of Press and Journalism must-have. Not only that but the team consisting of a very young team also produced impeccable articles and editorials with absolute finesse. It was a privilege and an honour to work at The Envoys Summit Conference September 2020 organized by Krishna Agarwal, Shaan Chadha, Akash Degal and followed by a few more. With a team of eight members, it was a learning experience for both the team and Executive Board. Even though the entire crew were first-timers, their work spoke of their calibre, commitment and interest towards the Press. Our work as the Executive Board was made easy with a cooperating team. Memories are made, bonds were shared and learning took place; thus, The Envoys Summit hovered in September 2020 stands out as another successful conference. The Press conferences in all the committees paved the way for a different perception in the committee and helped the committees’ progress with more content and debate. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Organizing Committee (OC) for this opportunity. Lastly, this conference gave us one of the best Press Teams and OC teams we have ever seen or worked with. Regards Preetam Kaligotla Srinivas - Editor-in-Chief Raghav Panjiray - Chief of International Press Disclaimer: All the images do not indent any copyright infringements or theft of intellectual property. The committee called the 'Indian Armed Forces Meet' is a hypothetical committee with the agenda being communicated via the articles. The 'crisis updates' (included but not limited to) in no way are real and do not intend to hurt or undermine any individuals or group of individuals' beliefs, ideals or feelings. Any or all resemblance is purely coincidental. All of the aforementioned were used under the pretext of a Model UN simulation.

A Beginner’s Venture Hamza Hyder, reporter of the European Union, discussing the committee proceedings on the agenda. The committee of the European Union (EU) had convened to discuss the rise of illiberal democracy in the EU. With the beginning of the session pertaining to the explanation of the rules and the General Speakers’ List (GSL), unexpectedly led to an unmoderated caucus discussing how to go about with the agendas for the day. The Delegates delivered their stances, prioritising the effects of the illiberal democracies particularly revolving around the Visegrad Group (V4). Following this various motions were relayed on to the aspects of the agenda mainly centred at the legitimacy of the illiberal democracies as well as the beneficial stances involving the liberal democracies. Few comments were by a few delegates expressing their concerns over the lack of humanitarian and media rights of the individuals in the illiberal democracy. The reporter conducted a poll to view the committee’s opinion on the V4 country’s decisions. The committee had ended its proceedings of the day with the chair regarding the functioning of the committee. The committee reconvened the next day with the press conference. The reporter’s questioned a few of the delegates on their speeches and their foreign policies. Then the delegate continued with their GSL’s, correcting them in regards to the questions pointed out by the International Press (IP) as well as criticising the countries as well. This led to a rise of heated arguments in the form of motions. The committee ended with the submission of the press release, after an unmoderated caucus discussing their solutions.

V for Vendetta Visegrad Saara Lunawat, reporting from the European Union writes about the harsh truths and allegations revealed An during a heated debate. Known as the Visegrad Group, or V4, an Unknown alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Struggle Poland and Slovakia formed in the year 1993.  In the recent score years, these four countries Hamza Hyder, a struggle between a have become an area of increasing political man and a well. concern and analysis. The V4 countries, in particular Poland and Hungary, have largely I fear not why this unrest has shifted towards ideals of “illiberal become upon me, democracies” that stain a turn away from true political liberalism, with some nations Like two sides of a pulley united consolidating extraordinary government but forsaken. entitlements and limiting constitutional provisions that once nurtured a community One solidifies my strength while promoting the rule of law and a free and open one opposes me, society.  The Delegate of Germany wasn't hesitant to Countless nights I’ve spent point out similar brutal allegations towards persuading it to sway, Hungary in the first General Speaker’s List on the same, also elaborating further on the fact Like draining the water which lies that asylum seekers in Hungary were not obstinate. given food and basic necessities in the refugee crisis affecting millions. The Delegate My position though lies much emphasised upon the fact that the greater than the two government did not \"do enough' for the same.  The Delegated stated, and I quote. Lies formidable while reaching \"Where at one hand, democracy symbolises for the depth of the well. growth and peace on the other illiberal democracies represent famines and lack of I know not what I will achieve, human rights.\" The Delegate of Croatia furthermore talked Except the fact that I might lose about the fact how global issues such as the one and become obsolete. Syrian crisis or the famines worldwide proliferate the populous illiberal leaders making it harder for democratic leaders to manage the 'situations', clearly pointing a finger towards all illiberal nations in Europe as well. The Delegate of Poland replied in the following speech antagonising Croatia's statements stating the fact that the V4 is not and will not be the reason for any downfall or blame. The Delegate of Germany fired back that the V4 continues to use unethical ideas to grow, causing the growth of illiberal and violent ideals in the West, \"This affects not just Germany but France and other bordering states as well.\"

To Be Free! Saara Lunawat writes a creative peace on the rise of illiberal democracies and the history of the continuous xenophobia, now rising in Europe. You may look at me, Shall you blatantly hang me up on a tree, until I can no longer scream, But why do you all stare? And then proceed to move onto blaming my Have I grown two heads, people for your immoralities? Does this cause you uneasy despair?   Oh! but what can I do? Do I look to be crazy, like I'm going to hurt you? I'm not as wicked as you see.  Is my skin”Too pink”, like one of the Native Why do you judge me, by looking at my American? skin? Shall you plunder my village, take my wife, Just know that there's more to me, more steal my children from beneath me? than what’s prejudicially discovered. And then throw me in one of your For I am just a human being, undeserved reservations cells?   Just like all of you, Is my skin too yellow for you to tolerate, No destruction shall ever come to you or Shall you place me in your internment anyone or even me, concentration camps,   If you'd treat me like you wish to be, treated. Suspecting me for causing a great scandal? My skin is not a bulletproof vest Is my skin “too white”, does it initiate anger and spite? Cannot take this pain, without any time for me to rest. Will I-be the next victim of your Shoah genocide? What shall it take? Is my skin “too dark”, similar to a night sky For me to be happy and free, or a black hole? Must I pledge my soul, my life or my Do you fear that I may swallow you and allegiance to thee!? your family’s soul? Will you then stop these violations against humanity?

Illiberally Liberal: The first Circus Unmoderated Caucus Saara Lunawat elaborates upon the mayhem and confusion of the mysterious proposals in the European Union during the first unmoderated caucus. Initiated by the Delegate of Latvia, the motion raised for discussing further matters under the agenda of the discussion of illiberal democracies in Europe was definitely one which seemingly should not have been needed (according to the EB). Still, with seventeen votes in favor of the twenty-minute unmoderated caucus and four against this motion, this motion passed with a vast majority. What followed can be summed up with two words, utter confusion. This unmoderated caucus, raised for the sole purpose of discussing moderated caucus topics moved into a heated discussion on the fact about how many blocks is there? The French Republic emphasized on the point that it wasn’t the floor’s concern as of now, yet the ideal went unheard. The deafening silence broke when delegates finally came back on track with the Delegate of Latvia revisited the proposal for a moderated caucus on, “domination of the V4 nations”. Surprisingly a civil war-like situation erupted between the delegates with a baffling query, who proposed this idea in the first place? The reporter was dumbfounded to hear that a motion was passed to be discussed in the main committee session but not only are delegates now looking into the topics finalized days before, but the delegates remain confused about the fact that who even proposed the case in the first place. No one: Absolutely no one: The whole European Union: wHeN DiD tHaT HapPeN?! The first session ended with wild allegations, a moderate unmoderated caucus and a mystery which to this day remains unsolved. “I’m confused; can someone tell me what’s going on?” - The Delegate of Belgium

Paving the Path Forward Saara Lunawat interviews the Delegate of Netherland on the agenda of illiberal democracies in the European Union. Q3. What can the global community look forward to from the Netherlands in the Q1. What is Netherland planning to do to future? Feel free to elaborate on future plans reduce illiberal democracies in the EU as and policies nationally and internationally. well as globally? A3. The Netherlands is a hyper-globalised A1. The delegation of the Netherlands thinks country. We are looking forward to mitigating illiberal democracies cause anarchy, break the unequal distribution of benefits and diplomatic communication chains, cause burdens of globalisation, we are also looking independent parties to destabilise the system forward to reinventing Atlanticism. The etc. The Delegate of Netherlands believes that delegate of the Netherlands believes that we by working on advancing institutions like the are currently living through a phase in global World Trade Organisation, the Federal and European politics which puts a critical Reserve System, and a check on power in the importance on the intangible aspects of form of the judiciary to promote democracy power. This is a considerable opportunity to and also by limiting the power of people seize it. which can be destructive are key steps in the right direction. Q4. Does the Netherlands believe in multilateralism to subdue illiberal Q2. Does the Netherlands believe that the democracies? If not what global policies does blame for illiberal democracies and the it propose for member states of the EU? proliferation for the same is mostly targeted A4. The Netherlands does believe in towards the Visegrad group or the V4 multilateralism. In fact, it has deposited its nations? Please justify. multilateral instrument ratification on 29 A2. Netherlands believes that the Visegrad March 2019. Netherlands also considers that group or the V4 nations are not being targeted the EU should limit itself to areas in which it at least by the Netherlands. A few other adds value, such as security and environment. nations as well including the Netherlands are Matters like pensions, taxes, education and not ultimately pointing out or blaming health care should be the domain of the Visegrad group but looking out for the better member states themselves. And in a nutshell future for fellow countries, but they do EU enlargement programs should be continue to be a threat for proliferation. established.

LGBT Community Relates With Religion Sanya Thakur reports from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the goings of the committee. Recognize us! The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) As gathered to discuss the violence and suppression faced we fight by the LGBTQ+ community. The committee started For with the General Speakers List (GSL) and continued our right. with Mod Caucus’. They discussed the connection of The LGBTQ+ communities with religious groups and their world shall do, rights which are stated legally, i.e., by legal What means.               it feels is right Delegates had stated the problems faced by LGBT   people and also the steps the country had taken or had In planned to take to stand for LGBTQ people’s rights. this vain, Following, there was also a controversy in the Where committee. While some delegates felt that LGBT no one understands our pain. community is not at all related to religious groups, on We the other hand some delegates felt that there was a are in a depression, strong connection between the two groups. The And delegate of Australia had also stated in their speech people make decisions. that religious groups have the rights to judge the LGBT   community. They The second day of the committee had started with a don’t want us on this Earth. press conference with several clarifications based on They their speeches. It continued with an unmoderated say we are not its worth. caucus and then the General Speakers List. It had   started with the delegate of Germany. All in all, the Please committee strongly recommends a legal framework don’t make a fuss, for official and legal sexual recognition. The And committee also believes for countries to have a proper recognize us. database report on the violation of rights of LGBTQ+ members. - By Maanya

Is there hope left for scope for Improvement? Maanya talks about if there is hope for change in the way our community thinks about Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and ransgenders. The Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and transgender Few delegates stated that they owe an apology to (LGBT) community must be treated just like the LGBT’s. The executive board members had us. They are not born as LGBTQ by their wish. given to the delegates a clear idea about the It is not their culpability to be born like that, agenda for a successful committee. The then why do the other genders treat them delegates spoke about the discrimination of unequal? The people of this community are LGBT community.They are discriminated humiliated, injured, tortured and killed. This against in almost all sections of the society like: situation has occurred in almost every country Education- They are abused and bullied during till date, but most of the developed and their school years, Politics-They are not allowed developing countries are changing their to be a part of politics, Social- They are not methods and are protesting for rights. provided with proper security from the other However though developed, few middle east sections of the society who bully them. So, many religious countries are not willing to change countries have tried and have been trying to their methods. These mostly include the remove the inappropriate thoughts from the Islamic countries. The Muslims follow the people’s mind. Quran and the Quran says that same-gender sex is a sin and that men who have a sex with the other men should be severely punished. That is the major reason why the Islamic countries developed hatred for the LGBTQ community. This way most of the religious countries based on its religious beliefs do not see the LGBT community as a part of its society. Nevertheless, the Delegates of Islamic countries stated that they are doing everything in power in order to seek improvement.

Hostile Neighbours The mayhem of  the highly prestigious Indian Armed Forces Covert Meet might have started on a tranquil note, but it was pretty quick to collapse into a state of absolute hullabaloo. The commencement of the committee session was marked with a General Speakers’ List(GSLs) on the Chinese infiltration in Eastern Ladakh. It was made pretty clear that troops on the Line of Actual Control(LAC) border have to be mobilised and the defence force strengthened and alert against our hostile neighbours. The crisis began when India annexed 30 kilometers of territory of Ladakh and five peaks of Lao Tso post of China were also claimed as integral Indian territory. It was a unanimous decision that it was a great opportunity to take control of what was ours in the first place and control in the Aksai Chin region had to be established. To everyone’s dismay though, Indian territory was under heavy air surveillance by the Chinese. Avoidance of any kind of war was crucial, therefore, passive-offensive measures were unanimously decided upon. With the concentration of the defence orces on the Leh region, the Chinese didn’t miss a beat in taking over the Tawang Air Base, and subsequently taking 56 members of the base as Prisoners of War(PoWs). This highly upsetting news was taken as a direct threat to national security and several retaliatory measures were debated upon. The fact that China threatened to slaughter these PoWs in case of action on India’s behalf didn’t help the situation. Though the possibility of the Chinese upholding the Geneva convention, as suggested by the Eastern Naval Command, was still considered. Moving forward, owing to the high amount of tensions, and as an act of revenge, China started the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The Chinese navy had also destroyed INS Rajput Class Rann Vijay and taken Indian Naval Ship Captain Vice Admiral Ayaan Vohra as a captive. He was later taken to the Afghan border. Although most delegates were in favour of prioritising Mr Vohra’s safety, the National Security Advisor still had his doubts. The situation escalated when Ayaan Vohra was found to formally join ISIS. Furthermore, a massive bomb blast in Janakpur, U.P. was found to have killed 125 people. A proxy war with Pakistan was confirmed when Pakistan took over the hill at Mendhar and started firing at the Indian military base at Poonch. There were many predicaments to be debated upon, quagmires to be stuck in, and crisis’s to be avoided, but the committee didn’t lose its zeal till the end.

The Pursuit of Humanity “Human rights are not a privilege conferred by the government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity.” Poojal Singhai, reporting from the IAFCM committee, believes she couldn’t have phrased it any better than our very revered Mother Teresa.  Why then, are we so conflicted upon the liberation of the 56 Prisoners of War (PoWs) China detained during its ambush on the Tawang Air Base? It is no secret to the world now how well an advocate China is of basic human rights. It became quite apparent to the world when Xinjiang’s “re-education” camps, or rather “Vocational Education and Training Centres” were thrown more light upon in the recent past, and how immaculate their training regimen actually was. With China being colossally hell-bent on completely stripping these detained Uighur Muslims off their religious identities, in perhaps the most brutal and Flying Corps! tyrannical way fathomable, it comes off as nearly no surprise when China made its intentions clear about having the PoWs “slaughtered like goats” upon any retaliation on India’s part. Although the Eastern Naval Command did hold on to the possibility that China would be obligated to honour International Agreements, the Geneva Convention of 1949 in this case; backing this up with the fact that even a terrorist state like Pakistan released IAF Pilot Abhinandan the previous year due to International Pressure.   The National Security Advisor, on the other hand, had something entirely different to say about this predicament. He is rather firm about his stance on China just giving vacant threats. Although, he does believe that China will, either way, be at loss here My eyes see the infinity considering the risk of tarnishing its international The sky is my possibility image. Well, it’s not like China is even left with an image   reputable enough to further sully it. But does that still The wings of my plane make the sacrifice of 56 of our soldiers worth it? Are ready to attain Any targets Because I have the constraint   Beyond the land, Beyond the horizon I’m ever ready to arise And attain   For motto is to touch The sky with glory  With every flight of Mine, I inspire and Make a story! - Deepshika

Land Against Life! Parina Ramchandani questioning the idea of leveraging human life to acquire land Amidst the ongoing war between China and India for disputed territory, Chinese Air Force attacked the Tawang air base, took it under their control, destroyed the drones and aircrafts that were deployed at the base and took 56 members of the base as Prisoners of War. This happened as India concentrated its military powers towards Ladakh and Leh, owing to China’s heavy air surveillance in the region thus resulting in the other regions being left less attended. Sources revealed that China further threatened to slaughter all the PoW ``like goats” if India took a retaliatory action. However ignoring this threat, the Indian Army got into a fist fight with the Chinese soldiers stationed at Tsomgo Lake and arrested 20 Chinese soldiers taking them as Prisoners of War. Taking undue advantage of India’s leniency on Chinese Prisoners of War and their ruthless threat, the Chinese Army and Air force attacked the Bagdogra Air Base in Siliguri and took control of the entire region in specific. In this scenario, it is seen that human life is negotiated in order to acquire land and power.  Is China’s step of disregarding the Geneva Convention and leveraging human life for land justified? Reports prove the PLA Army entered through the Nepal region. Furthermore, four bombs have been detonated by Al Qaeda in Rajkot, Gujarat causing 78 deaths and many injured civilians. Internal sources suggest that on a larger front China’s plan is to capture Arunachal Pradesh. All these events have taken place in various regions of India. The Indian Army, Navy as well as Air force is involved in this war. Unidentified number of infantry forces from China have also arrived at Tawang. Making a sensible move in response to these events, India has come up with a viable plan of action in order to fight China and bring back their soldiers. Life and land are valued equal in India.

THE FIERY FORTNITE By Parina Ramchandani Behold the morbid plight of soldiers Of every nation, Be it China or India All are Asians.   Towards China they marched Scattered with strategy in parts Out to get their territory; The brave young hearts.   The Chinese sent their aircraft Over the Indian lands, The Indians shot it but missed And lost Tawang to their hands.   The ruthless enemy captured 56 commander’s fate, Threatened to torture and slaughter them If the Indians dared to retaliate.   This did not keep the Indian Army at bay Onwards they marched towards the enemy shed, Beat them black and blue in a fist fight Grabbed 20 of their soldiers and fled. On their part, the Chinese Attacked Siliguri’s Bagdogra air base, And hoisted their flag in Tawang. For the Indians this was quite a chase! A plan is now underway For the soldiers we all pray, Keeping in mind the dignity of our land How to drive the infiltrators away.  

Raghav Panjiray Chief of International Press Designer Preetam Kaligotla Srinivas Editor-in-Chief Reporting Bureau Poojal Singhal | Sanya Thakur | Sree Maanya Kalva | Parina Ramchandani | Saara Lanawat | Hamza Hyder | Kunjal Mistry | Deepshika Reddy ALETHEIA An Initiative of the International Press