A long and dark cycle of the convulsed Chilean political life appears to have ended. With the triumph of Gabriel Boric in the recent Presidential Election, a new cycle begins.
Boric, candidate of the Leftist coalition “Apruebo Dignidad” (“I Approve Dignity”) earned an absolutely clear and overwhelming victory. In March, he’ll become one of the youngest persons elected President in recent world history.
The popular euphoria and the street celebrations of 2021 are very similar to what was lived in 1970, after the election of Salvador Allende. It seems as if the hopes planted in 1970 have made a comeback.
It is important to compare the different elections. History teaches that only by educating ourselves we will not repeat our errors. It is vital to remember that Allende was overthrown by a military coup sponsored by the United States, barely three years after his election.
In 1970, the world was gripped by a “cold war” between the now disappeared Soviet Union and the U.S., with their respective allies in Europe and Latin America. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the U.S. claimed victory in that cold war.
When Allende was elected, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger ruled in the U.S. Their government sponsored the harshest and most brutal intervention in Chilean political history, resulting in that military coup—on Sept. 11, 1973—that installed Augusto Pinochet as the main executor of those dirty policies. Salvador Allende and thousands of Chilean citizens died in that awful process and thousands went into exile, a situation which lasted over 20 years.
The Chilean right-wing politicians benefited from the destructive public policies of Pinochet.
The economy was manipulated by “The Chicago Boys,” a group of Chilean and U.S. economists, under the guidance of the father of Liberal Economy, Milton Friedman (1976 Nobel Prize winner in Economics). Friedman’s theories advocate the implementation of free market policies, restricting (or eliminating) governmental influence. When Pinochet was installed as the barbaric new president, he helped “the Chicago Boys.” He restricted political participation and virtually eliminated all working class organizations.
All vestiges of social benefits were eliminated and Chile entered into an unprecedented social and cultural obscurantism. Powerful private capitalists were awarded the administration of most State business and organizations, privatizing the exploitation of the ocean and even the distribution of water resources. The Public coffers were decimated.
The Chilean “experiment” served as a model for Neo-Liberal policies that were then used in the U.S., Mexico and other capital-controlled countries. They have been causing havoc all over the world for over 40 years.
Can another coup happen today in Chile, following the election of Gabriel Boric? It is unlikely: the situation is quite different. Inside and outside of Chile.
Since the amazingly brave, militant and popular “Estallido Social” (Social Explosion) of 2019, the Chilean right-wing has been politically damaged, perhaps terminally.
A new powerful, progressive and young popular movement has emerged. There is no doubt that the popular revolt of 2019 with the huge and militant participation of new generations, is the main reason behind the election of the new Chilean President.
A key aspiration of that popular revolt was the creation of a new Constitution, one that should reflect the thoughts of all Chileans and replace the one imposed by Pinochet in 1989. This process is ongoing and enters its second semester, guided by 155 popularly elected members of what was named the Constitutional Convention.
Interestingly (and most importantly) women form the majority of that deliberating body.
Poignantly, the first six months were Presided by Elisa Loncon, a Mapuche indigenous leader, an honor unheard of before in Chilean history. It bodes well for a much needed new era of respect for Chile’s “Pueblos Originarios” (Chile’s Original Indigenous Peoples).
This very week, after Loncon’s six months of excellent service, the Constitutional Convention elected a new president. She is MarĂa Elisa Quinteros, a 39 years-old odontologist and Public Health advocate, with Advanced Degrees from the University of Chile and other prestigious foreign schools.
New international politics also seem to impede a repeat of the 1970 US intrusion over Chilean —or Latin-American—politics. At least for the time being.
Around the world, the correlation of strength between traditional international forces has changed.
China is playing a huge new role, with a level of importance never seen before in its history. With its large population and its amazing development capacity, China is in a process of continuous growth. Interestingly, Chile provides China with copper, a metal considered Chile’s national treasure. So, Chile and China are economic partners. The U.S. has to respect that relationship.
On the other hand, the U.S. is undergoing a crisis of national and international legitimacy, caused by the behavior of the past Trump administration.
A weak Joe Biden presidency is forced to establish a difficult semblance of internal unity in the U.S., while Trump and his allies still contend that the Biden election was a fraud and the Congress is almost fatally divided.
If we add a weak economy and a bad administration and the COVID-19 pandemic to the mix, the U.S. is not in condition to intervene in Chile like it did in 1973. That, of course, is good news for all in Latin America.
Uncle Sam is wounded and needs time to lick off his wounds and rethink strategies.
During his campaign, Gabriel Boric announced (or promised) the following: “Chile was the cradle of Liberal Economics. It will now be its tomb!”
Let’s see if those phrases become a reality.