The Other Pacific War: La Guerra del Pacífico, 1878 - American Cabinet of Rutherford B. Hayes

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

The United States of America is the sole committee not bordering the Atacama Desert. The nearest major US naval base, San Francisco, is over 5000 miles away. Critically, the situation in the United States makes committing to any significant military operation politically difficult. The country is just beginning to emerge from the Long Recession, which started in 1873, and is still licking wounds from the American Civil War just a decade prior. That said, President Rutherford B. Hayes has shown interest in the geopolitics of Latin America, particularly in upholding the Monroe Doctrine and preventing foreign exploitation of crises such as this, and in maintaining peace in the region and economic benefit and opportunity for American companies. Just recently, President Hayes’s government negotiated an end to a dispute between Paraguay and Argentina. The primary interests of the United States are in the continued reliable exportation of nitrate to their country and general regional security. Therefore, this committee must look to resolve the conflict in the Atacama swiftly and decisively. The method of accomplishing that, however, is up for debate. The United States has a respected diplomatic corps and is generally trusted to fairly arbitrate disputes, which may enable a peaceful resolution. However, if all else fails, the superiority on nearly every level of even the limited American forces that could be committed to the region make them a fair match for any of the local militaries.

CHAIR: Tony Li

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Circumventing Geographical Distance, A Lack of Regional Allies, and Negative Public Opinion

US Economic Interests in the Nitrate Industry

Preventing a Disruption of Nitrate Exports

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Evaluate domestic economic interests in foreign political crises and how that dictates involvement;

• Balance isolationist movements with securing the flow of free trade and other government priorities; and

• Understand how geographical distance restricts the possibility of effective military operations.

About the Chair

Tony Li is a member of the Walsh School of Foreign Service’s class of 2025, majoring in International Political Economy. Tony was born in Singapore and has spent most of his life on the sunny island, briefly spending a few years abroad in Beijing. At Georgetown, Tony competes with the school’s Model UN team and has also served as an Under-Secretary-General for JCCs in NCSC 51 and Crisis Manager for NAIMUN 61. Aside from Model UN, Tony spends his time organizing events for Club Singapore, playing Mahjong with friends, and getting his Duolingo streak up. Tony is honored to be serving as the Chair for the American Cabinet of Rutherford B. Hayes, and hopes to give delegates an unforgettable NAIMUN experience!

About the Crisis manager

Markandeya Karthik (though most call him Mark) is a member of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service class of 2026. He is majoring in International Economics, minoring in Chinese, and pursuing an honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy. He was born in Bangalore, India, and grew up in Hong Kong. Mark began doing Model UN at Georgetown his freshman year, participating in BarMUN, UNCMUNC, and ChoMUN, and staffing at NCSC 50, NAIMUN 60 and NAIMUN 61. In addition, he was Director of Business Development at NCSC 51. Outside of MUN, Mark helps lead the Industrials team in the Georgetown Impact Investing Group and is a consultant for DCivitias, a club that provides services for non-profits in the DMV area. In his free time, you can find Markandeya roaming M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in search of a new coffee shop to fuel his caffeine addiction, locked in his dorm room practicing his guitar, or (regrettably?) sprucing up his LinkedIn profile. Markandeya is honored to serve as a Crisis Manager at NAIMUN and can’t wait to see everyone in DC in February!