The Other Pacific War: La Guerra del Pacífico, 1878 - Chilean Cabinet of Aníbal Pinto

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

Chile is still reeling from a major economic crisis in the 1870s. The country's wheat, copper, and silver exports are all being outcompeted by foreign competition. Nitrate, and the continued ability of Chilean companies to mine and export the mineral, is thus vital to the economic health and revitalization of Chile, as well as to the country’s regional influence. Chile’s current economic struggles make supporting major military operations financially difficult. Furthermore, Chile has few regional allies. Peru and Bolivia have allied against it, and Argentina’s position is at best questionable. The United States, the nearest major power, seems more aligned with Peru than any other country in the region. It is therefore critical for Chile to garner the support of other nations in a potential conflict with Bolivia and its allies. Delegates may look to Argentina, or perhaps to Brazil, which has been discussed in recent years as a potential ally. Chile also faces substantially numerically superior foes, both on the ground and at sea. That being said, the Chilean armed forces have superior training, tactics, and equipment that this committee must leverage to overcome their otherwise greater opponents. Chile’s possession of two ironclad frigates, for example, will be critical to this committee's successful securing of the Atacama region, and to the future of Chile at large.

CHAIR: Kiera Shinoda Foley

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Protecting the Ability of Chilean Companies to Extract Nitrate

Leveraging Chile’s Naval Superiority to Secure Nitrate Exports

Recruiting Foreign Powers to Join Chile in a Rival Coalition

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand the role of national governments in resource extraction and exportation;

• Discover the role of maritime power in securing international trade; and

• Develop diplomatic skills in navigating relations between multiple allies and adversaries.

About the Chair

Kiera Shinoda Foley (she/her) is a member of Georgetown College’s Class of 2027, intending to major in International Business, Language, & Culture: Spanish. Though the majority of her relatives reside in Japan and the UK, Kiera has lived in Sammamish, Washington her whole life and has yet to visit either. An undercover ex-DECA kid, Kiera was successfully converted to Model UN after coming to Georgetown, serving as the Secretary-General for NAIMUN China VI and as Director of Business Development at NCSC LII. Outside of MUN, she works with international nonprofit clients in developing nations as a consultant at Georgetown Global Consulting and is a part of the Hager Scholars Program, a program for language majors. When she’s not advising her friends on bolstering their LinkedIns or skin care best practices, you can find her listening to Bollywood hits and Bad Bunny at ungodly volumes, trying to refrain from buying pink items, hitting the pool for some laps,, or attempting to expand beyond her Romance language horizons (most recently with Basque, after a riveting related committee at NAIMUN LXI). Funnily enough, her NAIMUN LXI delegates all agreed she was from Chile(?)…so she is excited to return to her (not at all real) roots as your Chair!

About the Crisis manager

Jorge Domingo Garcia is a member of the Class of 2025, majoring in International Politics with a concentration in International Security Studies, a minor in French, and a certificate in African Studies. He was born and raised in Madrid, Spain before moving to Washington DC for college. Having no prior experience, he discovered Model UN during his sophomore year at Georgetown when he first staffed NAIMUN’s sister conference for college students, NCSC. Having worked for the past two years in NAIMUN’s bilingual committees, he is looking forward to a new challenge this edition. On campus, Jorge is part of the board of Georgetown’s International Student Association (ISA), where he serves as Secretary and Global Expo chair, organizing the university’s largest cultural event that brings together over 25 clubs on campus to celebrate international diversity with food and performances from all around the world. Outside Model United Nations, Jorge enjoys learning new languages, traveling, drinking coffee, and eating pasta. He’s so excited to be your Crisis Manager and cannot wait to welcome everyone in it!