Hello everyone and welcome to UCMUN XXII !! My name is Justin Rastinejad and I am currently a junior studying chemical engineering. You may be wondering, what is this engineer doing in a political science environment? I believe it is important to be well-rounded and open to new perspectives. I participated in Model UN during my 4 years in high school, and 3 years in college. I attended the NHSMUN conference 3 of those high school years and have served as an assistant director for JCC and director for UNDP at UCMUN. I also participate in an outreach club called Engineering Ambassadors where we perform engineering demonstrations and presentations in front of K-12 students to inspire future engineers, specifically in demographics that are underrepresented, such as people of color and women. Additionally, I am in ChemE Car Club, in which we create a shoebox-sized car that runs and stops based on a chemical reaction we design and test in a lab. I also work in an undergraduate research laboratory where we are turning cooking waste (free fatty acids and triglycerides) into biofuels. I will be your director for JCC1, where we will be deciding the correct course of action to ensure a Carthaginian Victory in the 2nd Punic War, in 214 BCE. For those that do not know, Rome was not always the strongest empire in the Mediteranean. Before Rome gained its dominance, they fought three major wars, spanning over 100 years with a city named Carthage who resided on the northern shore of Africa. Back in high school, I did not hear anything about these wars until senior year, when my Latin teacher mentioned a story of elephants, snowy mountains, and military genius. These wars are unique to any modern war because neither side possessed a significant technological advantage; battles were only won through superior military tactics. The ingenuity and attention to detail of these military generals is truly fascinating and I’m excited to see what course of action this committee decides to take. This conference, much like the rest of 2020, will be very different to years past. Sadly, our conference will be entirely virtual in order to secure the safety of our delegates, staff, and their contacts. Please be accommodating as this whole transition is new to our staff as well. Introduction The year is 214 BCE. The Great Carthaginian Empire, led by the mighty Hannibal, is at war with the vile Roman Republic yet again. Carthage had always been the dominant naval threat in the vast Mediteranean, leading an era of economic prosperity. Carthage focused its efforts on emphasizing trade, while sacrificing its own local military. This had never been an issue, as Carthage was always wealthy enough to pay mercenaries to do their bidding and Carthage had their own dominant navy. However, this was all upended when the treacherous Romans violated past traditions of peace and mutual respect by invading the Carthaginian island of Sicily. This sudden invasion caught the Carthaginians off guard and the mercenaries could not be adequately assembled and trained for the battle. Despite having the upper hand, Rome did not easily take the island and this led to a long and taxing war. Rome forced Carthage to pay reparations, economically crippling Carthage. Carthage also had to pay the mercenaries, who had a small revolt before it was squelched soon after. An angered Carthage, led by Hannibal went on a suicide mission through the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain) and crossed the Alps during winter to surprise the Romans and are continuing to wreak havoc on the state. Figure 1.1 shows the Mediteranean Sea before the Punic wars. Carthage has a dominant control of the sea, and the oceans of the area. Rome has total control of the Italian Peninsula. The rebellious city of Syracuse in Sicily is not controlled by either Carthage or Rome, and its existence causes the first Punic War. Image taken from : http://explorethemed.com/Punic1.asp?c=1 This would be a great place to include a map History of the Issue Carthage was a port city on the northern shore of Africa located in what is modern day Tunisia. It was originally founded as a Phonecian colony governed by Tyre (Punic Carthage). The Carthaginians took a hostile approach to the natives and either enslaved them or drove them away from their native lands in quick fashion (Carthage). However, they made agreements and traded with the native Namibians and some Namibidians even joined the Carthaginian cavalry (Carthage). After Tyre fell in 332 BC, Carthage quickly expanded to miles across and attracted and created some of the richest aristocrats in that era (Carthage). Thus, the main focus of Carthage was to create and maintain that wealth. Figure 1.2 shows a common depiction of Carthage before the Punic wars. This drawing shows one of the two great ports of the city, which was a trade center for all of the Mediteranean. Many of the homes were owned by aristocrats who profited off the immense naval trade. Image taken from : http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.com/2012/04/carthage.html Most of the trade was done across the Mediteranean, so Carthage built the strongest navy in the world to protect their trade ships. The lack of rebellious tribes around Carthage allowed them to quickly expand, however it also removed the need for a centralized military. For any mild skirmish that occurred, Carthage always relied on hiring part time mercenaries, which took time to assemble. This was much cheaper than having a full time military, however it was much less safe. Conversely, Rome had been fighting off rival tribes since their founding, slowing down their expansion but accruing military experience and demanding a need for a large army. Additionally, Rome learned from the tribes they conquered, borrowing much of Greek religion and Etruscan trade (Ancient Rome). During Carthage’s dominance and Rome’s upbringing, the two nations were peaceful allies, partaking in much trade. The weaker Rome agreed to not partake in trade in the western Mediteranean as to not disturb Carthaginian influence (Punic Wars History). This amicable alliance was flipped on its head in 264 BCE when the two powers declared war on each other in the 1st Punic War (Punic Wars). Figure 1.3 show's the region of control for both Carthage and Rome. Before the 1st Punic War. Carthage controlled much more land than Rome. Their control of a wider land and many islands is attributed to their strong naval presence in the Mediterranean. Information from: Muir, Ramsay; Treharne R. F.; Fullard, Harold (1969). Muir's Historical Atlas. London: George Philip and Son. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Punic_War ​ Sicily is a large island between Rome and Carthage. The island was primarily under the control of Messina but there were some rebellious groups of Syracuse (Punic Wars). Messina was allies with both Carthage and Rome as the two powers were friendly. Syracuse laid on the southwestern region closer to Carthage while Messina lay on the eastern side closer to Rome. When a Syracuse rebellion broke out and threatened the Messinians, the Messinians asked Carthage for help first (Punic Wars). However, Carthage’s mercenary military takes some time to assemble, so Messina also asked the Romans for help (Punic Wars). This greatly angered the Carthaginians, enough to make the Carthaginians switch sides and support Syracuse (Punic Wars). The military powers of Rome and Carthage differed vastly based on the environment. In order to protect their sea trade, Carthage had the best navy led by one of the smartest captains, Hamilcar Barca; in Punic, Barca means lightning and he was given this surname because he could attack so quickly and precisely (Punic Wars). However, Carthage had a small standing army and relied heavily on mercenaries to fight for them (Carthage). Additionally, Carthage was controlled by aristocrats who only wanted to accrue wealth. Conversely, fighting and conquering were engraved in Rome’s culture. In it’s upbringing, Rome fought rival cities only on land, thus they did not have a single war ship (Punic Wars). However, their army was one of the toughest and smartest, and they planned to use that to their advantage during the war. War was officially declared in 264 BCE (Punic Wars). Rome wasted no time and built an entire fleet of 330 ships equipped with ramps to grab onto enemy vessels and overrun them with land soldiers (Carthage). Additionally, they sent many troops into Sicily to support Messina. Meanwhile Carthage assembled a group of mercenaries and sent them into Sicily to support Syracuse, but did not send an adequate amount because the mercenaries were expensive and the Carthaginian government was arrogant. Luckily, Carthage’s navy, led by Hamilcar Barca, was devastating the western coast of Italy, destroying outposts and cutting supply lines, despite being under equipped with men and never having adequate supplies (Punic Wars). Many mercenaries refused to fight because they had not seen their money (Punic Wars). The Carthaginian government did not view the Romans as a real threat and focused priorities on conquering Spain, who was rich in silver (Punic Wars). Conversely Rome fought with all of their might and legions of volunteer citizens would flock to battle. Everyone in Rome was contributing to the war, by signing up for battle or building ships or farming food for the soldiers. Thus, despite being a much weaker empire, Rome’s focus and determination created a series of victories that ultimately led to a Carthaginian defeat in 241 BCE (Punic Wars). Ultimately, the war lasted 23 years, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, and thousands of ships destroyed (Punic Wars).