Chile: An Overview (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 15, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF10880 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Peter J. Meyer, Joshua Klein |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Revised Sept. 6, 2024 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised July 26, 2023 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised June 15, 2023 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised April 19, 2022 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Oct. 5, 2021 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised June 3, 2020 (85 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Jan. 2, 2020 (85 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised July 16, 2019 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium May 8, 2018 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
Chile, located along the Pacific coast of South America,
traditionally has been one of the United States’ closest
partners in Latin America. During the 118th Congress, the
Senate consented to a tax treaty with Chile and some
Members have assessed options for strengthening
commercial and security ties while addressing emerging
opportunities and challenges in bilateral relations.
Chile’s democratic tradition dates to the 19th century but the
country experienced 17 years of authoritarian rule after
General Augusto Pinochet led a 1973 military coup that
deposed the democratically elected socialist government of
President Salvador Allende (1970-1973). More than 3,200
people were killed or “disappeared,” and some 37,000
people were imprisoned and/or tortured during the Pinochet
dictatorship. Chile restored democratic governance in 1990,
after nearly 56% of Chileans voted against continuing the
Pinochet regime in a 1988 plebiscite.
Center-left and center-right coalitions dominated Chilean
politics for three decades following the transition. Centerleft coalitions held the presidency and majorities in Chile’s
bicameral congress for most of that period, but Sebastián
Piñera led his center-right coalition to power for two
nonconsecutive presidential terms (2010-2014, 2018-2022).
Both coalitions prioritized political stability and economic
growth, eschewing ambitious structural reforms in favor of
consensus-based politics, market-oriented economic
policies, and incremental social change. Living standards
improved significantly between 1990 and 2022, with real
GDP per capita growing by an average of 4.7% per year
and the poverty rate falling from 68.5% to 6.5%.
Nevertheless, most Latinobarómetro polls since the mid1990s have shown a majority of Chileans to be dissatisfied
with how democracy works in Chile. Chile has one of the
highest levels of income inequality in the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development, and some
Chileans express frustration with other disparities in
Chilean society. Over the past 15 years, Chileans repeatedly
have registered their discontent with the status quo through
electoral swings and mass protests.
