, Columnist
Why Are So Many Chileans Protesting?
It’s always difficult to come up with an explanation for widespread civil unrest.
What are they protesting, exactly?
Photographer: MARTIN BERNETTI/AFPThis article is for subscribers only.
The protests in Chile have mostly come as a surprise, which should caution against simple explanations for them. In fact, caution is warranted whenever the question is how to interpret civil unrest.
In the case of Chile, it has the highest real wages in Latin America, income inequality has mostly been falling, and life expectancy is above average for the region. By Latin American standards Chile has a low rate of crime and a high degree of public order. Chile has had open and honest elections, and peaceful transfers of power, since 1990.