Study Guide‌

DISEC
 Lahore Grammar School Defence
483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

A Note from the DAIS:

Honourable Delegates,
We warmly welcome you to join us at LGSMUN XVII for the
Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC). At a
time when information is moving at an unprecedented pace,
misinformation has emerged as one of the biggest threats to democracy
and world stability. From foreign-funded election meddling to
orchestrated online disinformation, disinformation operations now
erode national security with a ferocity and scope never seen before.

This year, DISEC will confront the challenge of framing ways to detect,
manage, and counter such campaigns before destabilizing institutions
and undermining public trust. As we set out on this discussion, we await
the imagination, diplomacy, and vision you will bring in discussing an
issue that hits at the very root of security in the digital age.

Introduction to the Committee:

The Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)
stands as the First Committee in the General Assembly, dealing with
discourse surrounding the international security web, threats, challenges
to peace worldwide, and disarmament [Link] committee sets its
direction towards negotiating ways to reduce or eliminate weapons of
mass destruction, working on measures to prevent the spread of nuclear
weapons and other forms of military technology to states or non state
actors and advocating for treaties and regulations.
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

Mandate of the committee:

Under its mandate, DISEC deals with all global security and
disarmament discourse, including that which concerns any other
branch of the United Nations; DISEC stands to regulate armament
infrastructure worldwide while cooperating with international
stakeholders to strengthen the
existing armament structure.

Unlike the Security Council, DISEC’s resolutions are not legally

binding and the committee’s mandate does not include action
implementation. However, DISEC’s work is integral in drawing
global attention toward the use of weaponry within conflict and non-
conflict zones. It stands to be the nucleus of the discourse
surrounding asymmetrical warfare and technologically advanced
weapon systems.

Introduction to the Topic:

Today, conflicts are no longer restricted to physical warfare as there
are new types of fronts to consider. The spreading of misinformation
“false or misrepresented” information that misleads or distorts is
misleading and deceptive. These targeted efforts are eroding social
solidarity and trust in democratic governments. These attacks are
primarily designed to manipulate democratic processes, foster social
division, or diminish trust in those in power.

Misinformation campaigns, and “false narratives” on news media,

are primarily calculated and strategic in nature, sometimes even
sanctioned by external states and non-state actors.
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

The recent proliferation of Social media networks has increased the

issue as exaggerated content spreads globally within minutes. The
recent activities regarding the elections in the United States, Brazil,
and even some parts of the European territories showcased how
politicisation could undermine the global order.

Peace and stability in the international community are now under threat.
Campaigns of misinformation are no longer a political issue; they pose a
risk to democracy and world security. In order to address this, states
have to act together, protect the integrity of elections, and restore faith
among nations. Stronger international cooperation can only be built
once this is achieved.

Key Definitions:

Misinformation: False or inaccurate information, especially that which is

deliberately intended to deceive.

Disinformation: False information which is intended to mislead,

especially propaganda issued by a government organization to a rival
power or the media.

Fake news: False or misleading information claiming the aesthetics and

legitimacy of news.

Electoral Integrity: Fairness of the entire voting process and how well the
process protects against election subversion, voter suppression, and
other threats to free and fair elections.
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Information Warfare: The battle space use and management of

information and communication technology in pursuit of a competitive
advantage over an opponent.

Cybersecurity: The state of being protected against the criminal or

unauthorized use of electronic data, or the measures taken to achieve
this.

Media literacy: The ability to critically analyse stories presented in the

mass media and to determine their accuracy or credibility.

Hybrid Warfare: The emerging simultaneous use of multiple types of

warfare by flexible and sophisticated adversaries.

Articles:
Article 10: Authorizes the General Assembly, including DISEC, to
make recommendations to Member States or to the Security Council.

Article 11: The General Assembly can discuss issues related to

international peace and security, including disarmament, and can also
bring dangerous situations to the attention of the Security Council.

Article 14: Empowers the General Assembly to recommend measures

for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes
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Case Studies:

[Link] Interference in the U.S. Election 2016

In 2016, Russian agents carried out numerous interference operations
against the United States. They were able to successfully weaken the
government, increase polarization amongst numerous communities and
drastically alter public perception through the use of disinformation
tactics on social media. The Internet Research Agency (IRA) served as
the mastermind behind these operations as they curated controversial
posts, artificial profiles, and misleading information to deceive voters in
multiple states. Additionally, Russian intelligence officers also posed as
Americans online organizing opposing protests which American citizens
often participated in.

Throughout the election citizens felt that “amount of made-up news

and information is a very big problem in how the public stays informed,
proving how fabricated information can mold an individual’s opinion to
a great extent. These operation heightened worries amongst Americans
regarding the susceptibility of democratic processes to foreign
influences.

[Link] and Misinformation 2016

During the 2016 Brexit referendum held in the United Kingdom both
sides of the campaign used misinformation to alter public opinion. Dr
Marco Bastos found how a network of social media ‘bots’ – automated
accounts – were used on Twitter to artificially amplify electoral messages
during the referendum campaign.
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Misleading information regarding the UK’s funding to the European

Union resulted in the “Vote Leave” campaign. The Canadian company
Aggregate IQ, crafted data-driven advertisements which focused on
specific problems, such as immigration or animal rights, that were likely
to correspond with individuals based on their personal data collected
from social media and other sources. This strategy of exposing people to
targeted content increased concerns about the role of digital advertising
in modern political campaigns.

US Elections 2024
In the 2024 US election there was an immense amount of deceptive
content online with a study portraying how 52% of Americans
experienced difficulty in distinguishing true information from fake news.
One of the main factors that increased the threat during these elections
was the irresponsible use of Artificial intelligence, as multiple people
used online resources to generate false images. Additionally, the
amplification of toxic partisan content on social media platforms like
TikTok further exacerbated the problem. Multiple false allegations came
to light ranging from economic issues to election fraud.

There are multiple proven examples of this as well, including a video

created In Russia portraying a Haitian man who claimed to vote in
Georgia as well as a fabricated image of Kamala Harris in a
McDonald’s uniform which went viral.

Brazilian Elections 2022

In 2022 amid the Brazilian presidential election several issues arose with
respect to disinformation campaigns. Three main applications,
WhatsApp, Telegram, and Twitter were used to target both
candidates, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro
spreading misleading information. The majority of this
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

information was politically motivated with fabrications regarding the

electoral system, candidates and the voting processes.

One of the biggest disinformation campaigns was when false warnings

were sent out suggesting civil unrest if Bolsonaro lost. Despite measures
taken to reduce the effect of these campaigns, unrest continued after
elections with Bolsonaro and his supporters continuing to spread fraud
claims, fueling protests and road blockades.

Past Actions
UNESCO’s "Internet for Trust" Initiative (2018)
During November 2018 the United Nations Educational Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s member states adopted the
“Internet for Trust” initiative to aid people in thoroughly assessing data
on the internet. It was also created to promote media and information
literacy. In the 21st century fake news spreads rapidly, thus, to counter
this the Internet for trust initiative sought out to improve digital literacy
and spread awareness regarding distinguishing fact from fiction. Their
main action consists of partnering with local government and social
media companies to develop and sustain educational programs and
media campaigns.

[Link] Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (2019)

In today’s world the concept of the rapid spread of misinformation is
often woven together with the evident issue of hate speech. Thus, in
2019 the UN proposed a thorough course of action to counter this
growing problem. Their solution emphasized on the phrase “Freedom
of Speech” and aimed to protect vulnerable groups and individuals
within society.
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Additionally, their strategy urged countries to establish effective legal

frameworks through collaborations amongst states and global
organisations to address these issues and reduce their harmful effects.

UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/74/17 (2019)

This resolution was proposed by the UN General Assembly in 2019 and
directly addressed the global community to actively find solutions for the
rising concern of disinformation. They urged international collaboration,
to counter the growing threat of false information particularly within
elections and political processes emphasizing on the need to safeguard
democracy and human rights. The result of this was increased
partnership amongst UN member states and social media applications to
reduce posts generated by bots during elections.

Key Members:
United States: The US, having gone through numerous disinformation
campaigns as well as foreign interference during elections is actively
looking to find an effective course of action to counter such issues.
Through government actions including Foreign Influence
Accountability Act as well as the use of intelligence agencies they are
strongly involved in counteracting misinformation operations. However,
with the introduction of AI it is becoming difficult to distinguish what is
real and what is not.

United Kingdom: After the Brexit election where fabricated information

played a key role in public view the UK has taken multiple actions to
reduce the spread of false news such as the creation of the National
Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which works to protect the country’s
critical infrastructure, including election security.
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
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Russia: It is alleged that Russia has had a leading role in carrying out
disinformation operations not just in its domestic affairs but also in
foreign countries like the US, as an attempt to weaken their democracy
and increase tensions within the government.

Brazil: Brazil has faced its own problems with the spread of false
information especially within their presidential elections. With
WhatsApp having a major role in the civil unrest in the time after
elections.

India: In India the government constantly monitors fake news through

the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and they
promote digital literacy programs, however, they still face the issue of
fabricated information spreading online throughout their elections.

Solutions:
Definitions & International Guidance
Different states continue to apply diverse definitions of
misinformation and disinformation. Hence international
uncertainty arises as to what can or cannot be classified as
misinformation and at what point does it start to threaten
democracy.
As a result, international cooperation is inconsistent and needs to
be addressed by the committee. Decisions need to be taken by all
member states to unanimously decide what can be defined as false
information.

Accountability
Campaigns against disinformation are often denied by rival states as
seen in the 2016 U.S. elections where Russia denied any role in the
operations. This results in disputed remaining unsolved and
fabricated information continuing to spread.
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Transparency & Advertising Rules

Political advertising online is frequently untraceable and poorly
regulated as a lot of times posts and videos simply disappear after
elections have taken place. Additionally, with the use of anonymous
social media accounts it is often difficult to trace back the video to
the specific individual posting the content.
Greater transparency as well as implementing advertising rules could
be explored to limit covert influence and improve accountability
within elections. Moreover, the method of targeted posts to change
certain individuals' perception should also be limited if not entirely
stopped.

Media Literacy & Local Resilience

In many areas, journalists and election officials lack the tools
necessary to thwart deceptive tactics. This results in numerous
citizens falling victim to fabricated content which starts to alter their
opinions and create rifts in the public mindset.
Developing resilience via public education and training is a topic the
committee needs to consider. Member states need to consider
adopting digital literacy campaigns to shape the citizens so they
know how to distinguish real content from fake.

Legal Cooperation and Evidence Sharing

Sharing evidence between countries is inconsistent and legal
cooperation even more so. Multiple states have opposing views on
how to combat these emerging problems and thus are unable to
come to an agreement as to how to reduce the harmful impact of
disinformation campaigns on a global scale.
The disinformation ignores borders, hence, there is a need to
improve international legal cooperation. Instead of dealing with the
issue on a national scale the committee should look to solve it.
from a global point of view as the internet as well as social.
media transcends national borders.
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
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QARMAs (Questions a Resolution Must Answer)

1. To what extent should foreign interference in information

environments be treated as a violation of state sovereignty?

2. What role should DISEC play in setting international conventions

compared to other UN agencies?

3. How can disinformation be addressed as a security threat while still

protecting free speech?

4. To what extent does misinformation in conflict zones contribute to

instability?

5. Are penalties in modern day sufficient to deter electoral interference

through information warfare?

6. How can legitimate public diplomacy be distinguished from harmful

propaganda?

7. How relevant are existing disarmament and cyber-security treaties to

the issue of information integrity?

8. What political consequences could arise from empowering the UN to

intervene in information across multiple nations?

9. How can hostility between rival states be addressed to reduce the

weaponisation of disinformation?

10. What risks are instigated by private actors, such as mercenary cyber
groups, in influencing democratic proceedings?
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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

11. To what extent does technological innovation change the nature of

traditional propaganda and in turn information warfare?

12. How can accountability be ensured when states implement counter

disinformation measures?

Scoring Strategy (in order of precedence):

1. Unmoderated Caucuses: The delegates are expected to actively engage

in discussions and take the lead in guiding the committee towards
effective solutions. Delegates are expected to be approachable and are
expected to engage with a diverse group of delegates
as well as to contribute to drafting the resolution. Main bloc formations
will be created and closely observed during the unmoderated caucuses.

2. Drafting : We expect the delegates to demonstrate leadership and an

active involvement in the writing process. Delegates should be able to
articulate clear, well structured clauses that reflect the key issues
discussed during moderated caucuses and unmoderated
caucuses. The final draft resolution should be comprehensive, covering a
wide range of solutions while staying relevant to the mandate of DISEC.
Drafting includes working papers, draft resolution(s), public and private
directives.

3. Moderated Caucuses: During the moderated caucuses we expect the

delegates to deliver concise, well structured speeches that address the
topic at hand while advancing the debate. Delegates should be able to
deliver their stance and views clearly and persuasively. Delegates are
expected to strike a balance between speaking frequently and
contributing substantive points.
 Lahore Grammar School Defence
483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

Bibliography

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483/4, G Block, Phase V, Education
City, DHA, Lahore

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