The Other Pacific War: La Guerra del Pacífico, 1878 - Bolivian Cabinet of Hilarión Daza

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

Bolivia has grown increasingly confident and aggressive in recent years in dealing with Chile. Nowhere has this shown more than in the nitrate crisis. While nitrate deposits occur in Bolivia, much of it is mined by Chilean companies, including the Compañía de Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta (CSFA.) Nitrate is an important part of the otherwise weak Bolivian economy, and if they are to compete economically they must begin mining nitrate themselves. Consequently, Bolivia has seized CSFA’s assets, precipitating a crisis. The confidence of Bolivia in this standoff stems primarily from their “secret” alliance with Peru against Chile. The two countries still have scars from the War of the Confederation, which they lost to a coalition of Chile and Argentina. Bolivia now seeks revenge and riches, and many important Bolivians are eager for a war to achieve this. However, Bolivia’s continued alliance with Peru is imperative to its success against Chile, as either country on its own would likely not be a match for the military of Chile. To mitigate this vulnerability, the Bolivian committee must use limited resources to modernize and restructure their armed forces. Perhaps the single biggest problem is that Bolivia lacks any naval forces. It must rely on either Peru or letters of marque instead. Another issue is that the weak Bolivian economy cannot finance a large military or substantial war effort. The Bolivian committee must address these domestic problems and secure a strong military coalition should it hope to confront the Chilean-led coalition.

CHAIR: Jackson Schnabel

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Finding Sources of Income to Finance Bolivian Operations 

Modernizing Bolivia’s Army and Creating a Navy

Ensuring the Loyalty of Peru

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand the challenges of financing military operations with an underdeveloped economy;

• Balance the concerns of naval and land-based assets in integrated military operations; and

• Develop their diplomatic skills in leading a coalition of allies.

About the Chair

Jackson Schnabel (he/him) is a member of the School of Foreign Service’s Class of 2027, majoring in Science, Technology, & International Affairs with a concentration in Science, Technology, and Security and minoring in Physics. He is from Norwalk, Connecticut where he has lived all his life. At Georgetown, he is a member of the Georgetown University Space Initiative, where he leads the Rocketry Team, has directed committees for NAIMUN LXI and NCSC LII, and is an analyst for Hoyalytics. He loves New York sports (Go Knicks!).  Jackson Schnabel is excited for NAIMUN LXII and to chair the Bolivian Cabinet of Hilarión Daza!

About the Crisis manager

Srikanth Thirumalai Kumara, or TK as everyone calls him, is a member of the College of Arts and Sciences class of 2027, majoring in Economics and a potential minor in Business Studies. He hails from Mumbai, India, where he extensively participated in high school model UN and was also the Secretary-General for his high school’s student-run conference. At Georgetown, he has staffed NCSC LI and NAIMUN LXI as a Crisis Analyst (highlights include shooting a mutant lizard/elephant, a product of a failed nuclear test). In his free time, he loves listening to Dire Straits and the Eagles, playing Soccer (Football.), and Table Tennis (fun fact: he is a former international Table Tennis player). TK is honored to be the Crisis Manager for the Bolivian Cabinet of Hilarión Daza and cannot wait to see you all at NAIMUN LXII in February!