Chile

Chileans Are Frustrated With Politics, Too

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A surprise in Sunday’s first-round presidential election suggests Chile isn’t immune to Latin America’s anti-establishment mood.

Petrobras: De vuelta a la cima

Este artículo está adaptado de la edición impresa de AQ sobre Colombia | Read in English | Ler em português Todos hemos leído los titulares: Petrobras, la empresa estatal de petróleos de Brasil, se ha convertido en los últimos años en un sinónimo de disfunción y corrupción, el epicentro del llamado escándalo de Lava Jato en el que por … Read more

A Radical Change in Chile? Don’t Bet On It

In last week’s presidential primaries, Chilean voters followed the dominant trend in Latin America and signaled that they are ready to hand power back to Sebastián Piñera, a center-right market-friendly former president (2010-2014). If Piñera wins the general election in November, Chile will complete an unprecedented 16- year run under only two democratically elected leaders … Read more

Trailblazing Leaders on How to Make Latin American Politics More Inclusive

What do a Zapotec woman from Mexico, an Afro-descendant advocate from Uruguay, and a gay rights activist from Chile have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out. On March 27, Mexico’s Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza, Uruguay’s Edgardo Ortuño, and Chile’s Jaime Parada Hoyl – three Latin American politicians who have broken glass ceilings in their … Read more

Why Piñera Is the Frontrunner to Return as Chile’s President

Eight months before Chileans go to the polls, former President Sebastián Piñera is the frontrunner among a crowded field of candidates. The center-right businessman who was president from 2010 to 2014 leads public opinion polls, and has clearly benefited from the unpopularity of Michelle Bachelet, who preceded him in power – and replaced him when … Read more

The Coming Fight Over Chile’s Strict Abortion Laws

On October 2, the amplified thump-thump-thump of babies’ heartbeats echoed in front of Chile’s La Moneda Palace. A dozen pregnant women, loudspeakers attached to their protruding bellies, stood with some 100 supporters to protest pending legislation that would liberalize the country’s harshly restrictive abortion laws. Calling their campaign “La Voz del Corazón,” or “The Heart’s … Read more

Book Review: Multiple Choice

The literature of Alejandro Zambra is one of both movement and repose. On one hand, his work — reflected in titles such as Ways of Going Home, Bahía Inútil and Mudanza — brings to mind an expert in packing bags, works of few pages that speak to a traveler who knows in advance that the weight he carries will … Read more

Chile’s Unlikely Energy Success Story

Just five years ago, Chile was in the midst of an energy crisis. Argentina had stopped sending natural gas across the Andes, and the threat of blackouts and energy rationing was real. Energy prices were among the highest in the region, the sector was dominated by a handful of monopolistic utility companies, and the private … Read more

The Chilean Completo

In the acclaimed Chilean web series “Gringolandia,” comedian Koke Santa Ana plays a befuddled visitor to New York who tries a hot dog from one of the city’s ubiquitous sidewalk vendors — only to recoil in disgust. A plain sausage enclosed in a tasteless bun seems underdressed by Chilean standards. The series then follows his … Read more

Attack on America: How Justice Finally Came in Chile

On the misty morning of September 21, 1976, a dust-blue Chevrolet Malibu made its way down Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. At the wheel was Orlando Letelier, who had been ambassador to the United States and minister of foreign relations, interior, and defense under Chile’s Marxist president, Salvador Allende. Following the 1973 coup by Augusto … Read more

AQ Top 5 Latin American Academics: María Teresa Ruiz González

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This stargazer is blazing a trail for a new generation of Chilean scientists.

Bratwurst with Avocado

Exactly 500 years ago, in 1516, Germany passed its Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Law — a stringent recipe known for producing high-quality beer using only water, hops and barley. When a wave of Germans migrated to South America during the 19th and 20th centuries, they brought the Reinheitsgebot technique with them. The region has been enjoying the … Read more

Book Review: Albina and the Dog-Men

Like Alejandro Jodorowsky himself, Albina and the Dog-Men seems to be all imaginable things at once: a fable and a folktale, a Western, a tragedy, a lewd comedy. A love story. The short novel’s titular character is an albino giant with no memory of her past. By moonlight, Albina unwittingly transforms the men of a … Read more