Una perspectiva crítica de la construcción de la política exterior de Chile

Abstract

In Latin America, at the start of the 90's, a marked trend towards economic convergence and political integration was seen among the countries of the region, encouraged by the end of the military dictatorships and an international context characterized by economic interdependence and political reconciliation. However, this consensus began to be eroded by different factors, including the development of different foreign policy options caused by a disparity in national interests, the impact of domestic factors which have had negative repercussions on the regional convergence processes, and the institutional characteristics and leadership which has affected relations in Latin America. Although these factors have been studied in depth, there are other explanations which have received less attention, explanations associated to subjective and ideational elements that make up the foreign policies of Latin American countries. In this sense, regional divergence could also be explained by the lack of a common ideational framework in Latin America that would allow the articulation of foreign policies. This ideational deficiency is explained by the limited development of ideas in the field of international relations and foreign policy, a phenomenon attributed to the primacy of practical thought, associated to the fact that key figures of intellectual thought related to international relations in the region, abandoned academia to become political players...