The Role of Political Leadership in the Orientation of Chilean Foreign Policy toward the South American Space (2000-2010)

Abstract

This paper explains the variations of the Chilean foreign policy in its regional area between 2000 and 2010 from the theoretical approach of political leadership. Based on the typology of leadership in foreign policy, proposed by Margaret Hermann, this research concludes that the style of directive leadership exercised by Lagos favored the decoupling of Chile from regional processes, being expressed mainly by the triple crisis of 2004. On her behalf, the type of accommodative leadership exercised by Bachelet led to the recoupling of Chile to the regional processes, with its best performance during the Bolivian crisis in 2008, while she was officiating as President Pro-Tempore of the newly created UNASUR.