It's Getting Hot Out Here: The Spice Wars, maluku islands, 1600 CE

 
 

Based on the Spice Islands, or the Moluccas, of modern-day Indonesia, this committee will be faced with intense disagreement and even spicier aggression. The conflict originated from the same root as every other dispute–well-flavored food…and perhaps money a little bit too. The sides are clear, the Dutch and the Portuguese, who will fight until the bitter end for control of the highly lucrative spice trade. Stemming from a large pursuit of exploration and colonization, this small archipelago was discovered to be the first region with such spices as nutmeg, cloves, and mace. The Dutch East India Company was sent in haste to commandeer this land and sell the goods upon it. The earlier inhabitants of the East Indies–the Portuguese–clearly had similar intentions. The intense corporate disagreement led to catastrophic violence and distress to the region. The goal of this committee is to solve the problem of the island territory claims, discuss the international culinary enrichment caused by these newfound flavors, and stop this war before it gets any spicier.

 

Good Day Delegates,

Allow me to be one of the first to welcome you to Harvard Model United Nations 2025, and–even more importantly–to the Spice Wars Committee!

My name is Victor Bowker, and I am a Sophomore at Harvard College. I am pursuing a concentration in Government as well as a Language Citation in Mandarin. 

Born and raised 45 minutes south of Cambridge, in Scituate, Mass, I grew up on the water. Spending my summer days tanning and teaching sailing was the ultimate gig, and it will forever be the best job I’ve ever had. If you ever have the opportunity to learn the art of sailing, I highly recommend it.

At Harvard, I compete with the Intercollegiate Model United Nations where I almost exclusively compete in crisis committees–other than that horrific GA in NYC last spring…don’t ask.I staffed both HMUN and HNMUN (for college kids) last year as an Assistant Director and I am so excited to be directing my own committee this year! I am eager to bring tips and tricks from the college circuit to ensure this committee runs as smoothly as possible. I consider myself a very exciting person, and you should expect committee to follow in that direction. 

Outside of MUN, I serve as the Co-President of Model Security Council, which serves as the recruiting group of Harvard’s International Relations Council. There, I work to recruit incoming Harvard College students into our Model UN and international relations programs! 

This will be a long weekend, and at times you will be tired and want to quit, but in the words of the ICMUN team, I behoove you to not go down. There will be many twists and turns to this committee, and I encourage you to learn and get as much out of this weekend as you can!

My final thought: ask questions. Then ask some more. And once you think you have run out of questions, ask another. I would love to discuss anything from college to Fortnite to sailing. We are going to have an outstanding conference.

See you soon,

Victor Bowker

Director, It's Getting Hot Out Here: The Spice Wars, Maluku Islands, 1600 CE

spicewars@harvardmun.org

Harvard Model United Nations 2025

 
 

Dear Delegates,

I am incredibly excited to welcome you to the Spice Wars, and by extension, Harvard Model United Nations 2025!

My name is Will Smith, a junior at the college studying East Asian History, and I have the honor of being your Crisis Director for this committee. I am a director of both of the Harvard International Relations Council’s constituent conferences, HMUN and HNMUN. I was born and raised in and around the Greater Boston Area. Outside of Model UN I am a proud member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association. I spend most of my free time reading fantasy novels or playing games like Elden Ring or Hades.

The Spice Wars are an incredibly interesting topic that I am excited to explore with you over the conference. I hope that you find the following background guide both fascinating and helpful as you begin to explore your assigned character and the situation as a whole. This document is an amazing resource for all any questions you might have about both MUN in general and what to expect from the committee, so I suggest you read it carefully!

See you in the spice,

Will Smith

Crisis Director, It's Getting Hot Out Here: The Spice Wars, Maluku Islands, 1600 CE

spicewars@harvardmun.org

Harvard Model United Nations 2025