ARCHIVE: Chile's Fight for a Democratic Future - A Conversation with Ricardo Lagos

At a time when countries around the world are seeing a rise in social movements and divisive party politics, Chile’s transition to democracy serves as a model for political and economic revival. Former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos launched his new book about the transition, The Southern Tiger: Chile’s Fight for a Democratic and Prosperous Future, at an event hosted by the Inter-American Dialogue on January 24.

Lagos stressed that Chilean civil society’s commitment to democratic values was influential in the defeat of former dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1990. In “an evolution of the democratic role of government,” Chilean partisanship and politics were temporarily set aside in order to build consensus. In establishing Chile’s democratic system, Lagos also emphasized the role of citizen participation and highlighted efforts made by his government to mobilize the Chilean people. Lagos cast the 2011 student protests in a positive light as exemplifying its democratic system at work.

According to Lagos, Chile’s transition was unique in that it recognized and addressed past wrongs. He recounted the critical role of the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation in acknowledging prior atrocities and reckoning with human rights violations. Lagos argued that this process was paramount in the transformation that took place in Chile over the next 20 years: “We had to be able to face what we did.”

Chile’s democratic transition has been accompanied by economic prosperity, with its growth-led development often cited as an economic model for Latin America. Lagos discussed his administration’s efforts to open Chile’s economy, implement free trade agreements, and raise the per capita income to more than US$20,000 in a country once known for its 40 percent poverty rate.

During the discussion, participants asked Lagos about the steps his administration took to forge partnerships with the private sector. While acknowledging this was a difficult task, he noted its ongoing importance. “It is a question of dialogue,” he stated, citing efforts to bring together trade unions, the business community and government leaders to define a common agenda for growth.
Cautioning that each country is unique and a universal approach to growth is nonexistent, Lagos highlighted that income distribution is one of the biggest issues facing Latin America, as well as the developed world today. As countries endeavor to become more prosperous, a significant challenge will be “striking the balance between growth and distribution.” Lagos concluded that today’s political leaders must realize – and understand – the democratic citizen-led movements taking place around the world and their implications for changing political culture and institutions.