Chile—15 years of restored democracy

Byline by Peter DeShazo in The Miami Herald.

Copyright 2005 The Miami Herald All Rights Reserved

The Miami Herald March 11, 2005 Friday FL EDITION SECTION: A; Pg. 23 LENGTH: 772 words HEADLINE: 15 years of restored democracy; CHILE BYLINE: BY PETER DESHAZO; www.csis.org BODY: Today Chile celebrates 15 years of democracy, turning the page on the Pinochet dictatorship. Chile's remarkable achievements in the ensuing decade and a half reveal many lessons. Foremost is the value of democratic consensus. Politics in Chile since 1990 have been dominated by two competing political coalitions, distinctly left and right of center but sharing the same democratic vision of society. The lacerations that tore Chilean society apart during the 1970s and 1980s have been largely healed by consensus-building democratic politics, although deep scars remain from the human rights violations of the Pinochet years. Another key factor in Chile's success has been adherence to sound economic policies. Democratic governments since 1990 maintained the free-market, export-led orientation of the Pinochet regime but with greater emphasis on social investments. The result has been sustained economic growth unmatched in the region. Chile's per capita GDP rose by an average of 4.1 percent from 1990 to 2003 and by some 5.5 percent last year. During that period, poverty levels were drastically reduced, unemployment and inflation cut to single digits, and child malnutrition reduced by half to the lowest level in Latin America. Good governance is central to Chile's progress, another important lesson. International organizations rate Chile as having the lowest corruption in Latin America, as a leader in overall standards of governance and the most competitive in terms of its business environment Broad judicial reforms have reinforced the rule of law, strengthening human rights as well as the investment climate. Chile's evolution from a conflictive society polarized by radically opposed ideologies to a prosperous, consensus-based democracy also reflects one of the most successful transitions to democracy anywhere. There are also important lessons for the United States. While the U.S. relationship with Chile during the Allende years and the consolidation of the military regime is still being debated, scant attention has been paid to the U.S. role in helping end the Pinochet dictatorship.

Pinochet's own constitution called for a plebiscite in 1988 to determine whether he should continue in power for another eight years. Were he to lose, elections for president would take place the following year. But defeat in a plebiscite was not on the dictator's agenda. The economy was strong, and Pinochet counted on a divided opposition. With limitless government resources at his disposal, total control over television -- the key media -- and the state security apparatus firmly behind him, victory seemed assured. From about mid-1985 until the October 1988 plebiscite, the United States systematically promoted an environment in Chile favorable to democracy, abandoning its ineffective policy of quiet diplomacy that had failed to halt humanrights abuses or soften Pinochet's authoritarian hold. The new strategy constituted a sea-change in outlook, based on the premise that Pinochet's continuation in power threatened U.S. national interest. The U.S. effort used a carefully calibrated strategy that included USAID support for voter registration, special funding from Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy to promote a level playing field in the plebiscite and public diplomacy that insisted that the opposition have access to television. In the end, the USAID-assisted ''Civic Crusade'' registered millions of voters, the opposition congealed around an effective campaign aided by the NED, and its pro democracy message reached masses of people nationwide on TV -- a major factor in sealing victory. On the eve of the vote, the State Department warned the Pinochet government against trying to disrupt the proceedings. Pinochet lost the plebiscite by almost 10 points. The door to democracy was open. The experience of Chile's transition to democracy reveals important lessons for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Among the most important is that effective foreign policy requires a clearheaded analysis of key U.S. interests and a goal-oriented strategy to advance them. The promotion of democracy and human rights must be a vital force in our foreign policy. Bipartisan support in Congress and effective public diplomacy greatly enhance the success of policy initiatives. Learning from failure is essential, but success also teaches lessons -- and Chile offers many. Peter DeShazo is director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is a former foreign-service officer who served at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago from 1983 to 1987. LOAD-DATE: March 11, 2005