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#69 The International Relations of the Chilean Military Government: Elements for a Systematic Analysis

By Heraldo Muñoz

This paper analyzes the foreign relations of the Chilean military government from its accession to power in September 1973 until early 1980. Specifically, it focuses on the widespread assertion that, owing to its negative image, the Chilean military regime is isolated from the international community. The central thesis of the paper is that the Chilean military government is indeed in a situation of political isolation, but by no means in a position of economic isolation since the military regime and the local economic groups have considerably strengthened their ties with international capitalism.

The paper assumes that the external image of an underdeveloped country is essentially shaped by the existing dominant domestic project, the style of diplomacy, the world context, and the dependency condition of the country involved. From this perspective, it is argued that Chile's political isolation is a direct result of the establishment, since September 1973, of: (a) an authoritarian domestic scheme, (b) a praetorian-ideological style of diplomacy, and (c) the pursuit of a belligerent anticommunist foreign policy in a world context of detente.

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About the Author

Heraldo Muñoz

Heraldo Muñoz

Former President, Party of Democracy, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile
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