November 20, 2019 | Written By - Maeve Cassidy '22
Within the last few weeks, demonstrations have erupted in the capital city, Santiago, alongside the rest of the nation of Chile. What began as a response to an increase in subway fares has ignited to represent an accumulation of economic and political failures by the Chilean government; people are specifically protesting the high prices of consumer goods, low working wages, poor pensions, poverty, debt, and political corruption. Mob-like violence primarily involving the raiding of shops, destruction of property, and arson, has resulted in eighteen deaths and an investigation by the United Nations Human Right Council. President Sebastián Piñera’s response to the demonstrations has been to implement a state of emergency, a new cabinet, and a curfew, but otherwise he has presented no true outline other than militarization. The use of military force has not been utilized since Chile became a democracy in 1990. Prior to this, Chile had been governed by Pinochet’s military dictatorship, a brutal period that has troubling similarities to the current protests. Established during communist rule, and remaining through the current democracy and Pinochet’s rule, is Chile's enforcement of strict free market principles. Several political leaders reassured Chillians that “free markets would lead to prosperity, and prosperity would take care of other problems.” These principles, however, have resulted in a huge disparity of wealth, with some in economic prosperity while many other citizens live in poverty. CNN authors, Helen Regan and Bethlehem Feleke, write, “Chile is one of Latin America's wealthiest countries, but it also has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world,” a statistic which many protesters question in their demonstrations. Economically, Chile has been under stress by global trade tensions, rising oil prices, and a lowering of the price of primary exports. Many protests have echoed the rhetoric that debt and inequality make stability difficult and, thus, demand Piñera’s resignation, a new constitution, and a generally better life. According to Latin America expert at the United States Naval Academy, John Polga-Hecimovich, “This might just be the wake-up call some of these governments and political parties need to improve their representation and governance.”
Protests in Bolivia began October 20th, on the day of the presidential election. Incumbent President, Evo Morales, in office since 2006, faced Carlos Mesa. Preliminary tallies indicated a need for a runoff election; however, after a twenty-four hour gap in updates, Morales declared himself the winner by 10%, just enough to avoid a runoff. Many citizens and public officials accused Morales of rigged election or fraud, adopting the popular chant “fraud, fraud, fraud!” during protests and strikes. In his recent policy, Morales appears to have been seeking more dictatorial power, such as by abolishing term limits and spending excess money in the midst of economic challenges. Additionally, Morales’ allies have been described as “greedy, corrupt and authoritarian,” further increasing the suspicion. As the protests continue onwards, Morales has the military holding back protestors and blockading cities. Currently, two demonstrators have been killed. However, armed forces have refused to brutally attack protestors, saying their “weapons will only be raised to defend our people, our Constitution and our laws.” Many protesters cite the solution as a shift toward greater democracy, where, as civilian Abel Peredo Guerrero says, “this country needs a change, and that change will only come with a new government.” Morales has now resigned, and the future of Bolivia is not clear.
Elected in January of 2019, the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has already established himself as a far right authoritarian. A member of the immensely conservative Social Liberty Party, Bolsonaro has aligned himself with strict policies opposed to immigrants, Black and Afro-Brazilians, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, communists, socialists, and generally all those who oppose him. Since his first congressional term in 1990, Bolsonaro has supported the growth of international relations, less political corruption, a decrease of crime, and decrease of gun regulations, as well as supporting torture along with police brutality. Author Adam Forrest writes that Bolsonaro “spoke fondly of Brazil’s past military dictatorship, and said socialists would have to go overseas or go to jail if he won.” In addition, he has allied himself with US president Donald Trump, who shares his conservative nature to some extent. Currently, several European nations have threatened to withdraw from trade deals if Bolsonaro continues to ignore the devastating Amazon Forest Fires. Bolsonaro’s new environmental policies in response to these nations’ threats, accompanied by global climate strike protests, have been commended. Despite this success, many nations still fear the authoritative regime of Bolsonaro.
In Ecuador, demonstrations headed by indigenous leaders, labor unions, students, and opposers of the president, have arisen in response to the removal of a fuel subsidy plan. Chaos descended as fires were set, masked protestors attacked news outlets, military force was used to control protestors, and tear gas was detonated along with explosives. To avoid jeopardization, President Lenín Moreno relocated government offices and increased measures against the demonstrations. The subsidy in question had been in effect for over forty years; however, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded its removal under decree 883 in order to improve the recession of the Ecuadorian economy. Ecuador’s downtrending economy was primarily catalyzed by poor policy, lower oil prices, which comprise 50% of exports and 25% of government revenue, along with a strengthening dollar that raised the expense of exports. In order to counteract the economic depression, the IMF program required Moreno to remove the aforementioned fuel subsidy, raise the price of fuel, cut salaries, and accept a 4.2 billion dollar loan. These requirements angered civilians and, thus, ignited the violent protests, resulting in over 700 arrests. The military forces Moreno used to subdue riots allied with him and he continued with his aggressive rule in a statement declaring his refusal to leave office. On October 13, the opposing factions decided to withdraw from the IMF program, with Moreno saying “the Indigenous mobilization will end and Decree 883 will be lifted.”
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