Chile’s Protests Aren’t Like Other Latin American Protests

It’s tempting to conclude after a week of rampage that Chile is following its Latin American neighbors into the grip of public rage and political anomie. You should resist that temptation.

No doubt the mayhem that beset the Andean nation over the weekend following a modest rise in metro fares — 15 dead, hundreds arrested and the capital city occupied by soldiers — looks all too familiar. The specific troubles vary across the Americas, but the wave of protests, vandalism and looting shows that fury is an equal opportunity affliction. Harsh fiscal measures and feckless management helped to trigger mass protests in Argentina, Ecuador and Honduras this year. Last year, Brazilian truckers nearly paralyzed the country over a markup in fuel prices. Cries of “fraud” rang out in the Bolivian streets early this week as the supreme electoral court inexplicably suspended the ballot count from Sunday’s presidential election, in which both incumbent Evo Morales and his opponents are warning of foul play.

Yet the choler in Santiago, Concepcion, Rancagua, Punta Arenas and other major cities was qualitatively different. In many ways, these cities were victims of Chile’s successes: sophisticated metropolises, home to its best universities, decent transportation systems and highest quality of living. Their state of siege testifies to the complacency of national leaders, who loll on Chile’s continental laurels. Chileans want more than to be the most fortunate of a rum lot or a venue for global compacts, such as the imminent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. President Sebastian Pinera’s failure to grasp those aspirations has turned him and much of the political establishment into easy targets and marred Chile’s standout reputation.