Heating Up in Chile
The Global Citizen
While the latest focus on most world events tend to be centered around Hong Kong, the Middle East, or even the ongoing mess that is Brexit, it is important to realize that there are issues still going on in other countries as well. One particular instance would be the situation in Chile. Chile is a South American country that lines the western coast of the South American continent. The country, though small and narrow, has many natural resources, particularly copper, coal, and nitrate. These are what they export to the rest of the world and what provides 28.7% (2017) of the GDP of Chile.
Statistics currently show that wealth inequality in Chile is one of the worst in the world, and it is the the worst country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development group of nations. A reported 1% of the country’s population receives over 33% of the country’s wealth. This top one percent happens to be those in government and the related professions while the remainder of the country is usually struggling. The spark that started the nationwide protests was a 3% hike in subway fares. What started out as students going viral for jumping over the turnstiles turned into retaliation and outright protests because of the growing costs of living throughout the country.
Chile is now in a state of emergency which is saying a lot because they are the only Latin American country that still has the same constitution they had under a dictatorship. More than a million people have taken to the streets, workplaces have ground to a halt, people have been detained and tortured, and there have been more than 20 reported deaths. The government has released the army back into the streets for the first time to try and keep order since the 2010 earthquake that shook the country. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month was canceled by President Sebastian Pinera, who has his hands full trying to appease the protestors. He’s already fired his whole cabinet in order to prove that there will be change, but there still are plenty of people marching, banging pots and pans, and setting fire to public property.
In order to end the unrest, Chile will need some serious changes. Protesters are demanding a change in the constitution to reflect the change in government from a dictatorship to democracy.. The citizens don’t appreciate the powers the government exercises over the people. They’ll want more representation and accountability for the decisions made on their behalf. More urgently, the Chileans will want their standard of living to improve and see a close in the wealth gap. This will most likely look like higher taxes on the rich among other kinds of reforms that would hurt the 1%.
People all around the world are hoping for change to improve their lives. You don't always hear about it because of the way that we may be intertwined with those respective countries. But just because the US doesn't have the same relationship with Chile that we do in Hong Kong, doesn't make their struggles any less valid or real. These are still people looking for a better standard of living not just for them, but for future generations as well.
Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a senior studying international relations.