The Other Pacific War: La Guerra del Pacífico, 1878 - Peruvian Cabinet of Mariano Ignacio Prado

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 DELEGATES

Peru’s stance in the conflict over the nitrate-rich Atacama Desert is deeply influenced by its historical experiences and geopolitical dynamics. Peru has previously been allied with Bolivia against Chile (and Argentina), but lost, which has caused a more cautious approach to the current crisis. Additionally, the country faces multiple domestic challenges, such as political instability and general economic decline since the end of the Guano Era of economic prosperity in the 1860s. While Peru is currently bound by its not-so-secret alliance with Bolivia, a major reason for that is simply to prevent an alliance of Bolivia and Chile against Peru. Nearly every international relationship in the region could change at a moment’s notice, including Peru’s. Despite concerns about perceived Chilean expansionism and historical grievances, Peru remains hesitant to engage in a conflict where the risks outweigh the potential gains, mindful of the strain this may have on its resources and stability. While, unlike Bolivia, Peru has a navy, it only has one ironclad to Chile’s two, and has fewer ships overall. Peru’s strategic priorities are centered on preserving its security and economic stability, mainly the continued access to nitrate mining and exportation. Limited financial resources make military expansion difficult, but enhancing strategic capabilities, particularly at sea, will be essential to winning a war against any opponent. Diplomatically, Peru enjoys the most favorable relations of any regional power with the United States. However, it must choose whether to keep its regional alliances or forge new ones to pursue stability and economic prosperity.

CHAIR: Anthony Wassink

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Growing the Peruvian Nitrate Company’s Share of the Global Market

Expanding and Modernizing the Peruvian Navy and Army

Considering the Alliance with Bolivia

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand how to use state-owned corporations to finance government operations;

• Discover how to prioritize essential military developments and achieve success with limited resources; and

• Evaluate international alliances and their utility to each country.

About the Chair

Anthony Wassink is a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Government and double minoring in Philosophy and Music. He is from Redondo Beach, California, but you’ll just hear him refer to it as Los Angeles. At Georgetown, he is also a captain of the Georgetown University Moot Court team, staffs the collegiate Model UN conference, and plays the piano and drums. In his free time, Anthony likes to learn new songs on piano, go on aimless nature walks around campus, and play video games (he is a seven-time Cy Young winner for the Yankees on MLB The Show, so if you bring a baseball to committee he’ll be happy to sign it). Anthony is looking forward to his first experience chairing a committee since high school and hopes to make it the best experience for delegates yet!

About the Crisis manager

Andy Xu Sofia is a member of the Walsh School of Foreign Service class of 2026, majoring in International Political Economy with a minor in Global Development. He was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, and then moved to Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. Andy is proud to have competed on Georgetown’s MUN travel team. He started as a crisis analyst at NCSC, Georgetown’s collegiate Model UN conference, where he also served as Under-Secretary General of Regionals. On campus, Andy can be found studying outside the HFSC looking at the Potomac. He is the president of the GU European Club, inviting exciting speakers to come on campus and organizing embassy trips. In his free time, you can find Andy going on runs, listening to German new wave, and finding tasty food. Andy is beyond excited to be part of NAIMUN LXII, and looks forward to seeing everyone!