LETTER | Foreign Policy

MR. DIRECTOR:

I appreciate the response to my letter regarding “National Interest and Foreign Policy,” received from former Senator Bitar and Senator Gahona. Foreign policy is an issue that affects all Chileans because we live in a global world, with interconnected logistical chains, where the old international order is undergoing evident transformation and is being rapidly replaced by a different system. We must define how we will approach the new global reality, and I hope this debate contributes to that.

The crux of the disagreement lies in determining whether multilateralism is a goal for fulfilling our national interest or if it is a means, a tool, or an environmental condition for achieving the national interest of the State of Chile.

Confusing ends with means is a serious strategic error with consequences in any activity, and even more so in foreign policy. Whether Chile is or is not a military power, as my detractors initially claim, is irrelevant to this analysis. In the 21st century, states use all instruments of national power in a coordinated manner to achieve their objectives. To think that the use of diplomatic instruments is contrary to, alternative to, or exclusive of the use of military or economic instruments is an anachronism, contradicted by the harsh reality of facts.

I fully understand the interest of former Senator Bitar and the position of President of the Chilean-Palestinian Interparliamentary Committee held by Senator Gahona, in contradicting my stance regarding the reestablishment of strategic relations with several states, including Israel. They themselves provide the answer to that question by requesting to set aside ideology, and I add personal interest, in defining the national interest, determining the risks and threats to national security, and designing the foreign relations of the State of Chile.

Richard J. Kouyoumdjian Inglis
Executive Vice President of AthenaLab