The need for a new approach to the southern macrozone

El Mostrador, May 7, 2024

It is time for us to finally understand that our adversaries—because that is what they are—have no respect for human life and that the solution to this problem is not military, but rather political and social.

In light of the tragic murder of three police officers in the southern macrozone, several ideas and opinions have been expressed, seeking both answers to such a heinous attack and what various security experts and politicians consider necessary to resolve this issue. Certainly, this event marks a new “red line” that affects the life of the country, depresses it, and, in the process, allows us to understand the terror with which compatriots live day to day.

I say “new line” on purpose, because unfortunately we have become accustomed, since the terrible murder of the Luchsinger-Mackay family, to a series of increasingly violent events. The value of life, which was very high in this country just a couple of years ago, has been plummeting, where killing over differences of opinion, and even over sports differences, is becoming normalized, and it goes without saying that this is dangerous for the rule of law.

Returning to the murders of the three martyrs of Carabineros, I believe there is still something to contribute. Minister Tohá, in recent statements to Radio Bío-Bío, indicated that the “risk of patrolling was higher than expected” and that, had this been known, those police officers should have been accompanied. What she says is entirely logical, at least for those of us who are not directly involved, actively, in the defense and security of that area. From her comments, a sort of criticism, and perhaps even self-criticism, emerges, suggesting that the State should have done more.

Unfortunately, in my view, although commendable, her logic seems flawed. Indeed, terrorism, because that is what is happening in the south, regardless of the euphemisms some use, acts cowardly. The minister is right in saying that if those police officers had been accompanied by military personnel, it is very likely they would not have been attacked; in which case, the response is that every police officer in the area must then be accompanied by some military personnel, which is almost impossible. The terrorist typically acts with assurance, seeking significant media effects with relatively low risk to themselves.

Therefore, if it had not been this patrol, it would have been another. Perhaps these three police officers were victims of the very success that the Government claims to be having in the area. Indeed, it seems that the number of attacks was steadily decreasing, thanks to the security strategy implemented by the respective Defense chiefs, in coordination with local governments and regional authorities.

The problem is that this approach, although effective, is not sustainable over time, because the terrorist adapts. The solution, in my view, lies in a security strategy that definitely includes the State of Chile as a whole, with new capabilities, and not just the current Government.

This comprehensive strategy, which must certainly be at the highest level of the State, must once again place the value of life at the center of the discussion. Those Defense chiefs and the women and men in charge must feel, in a real way, that the full weight of the State is behind them; that same weight must be felt by terrorists and drug traffickers, but upon them, so that taking a life into their own hands carries the most severe social sanction, and hopefully this is prompt and timely. That coordination among the powers of the State is definitely not at the level of the Defense chiefs. We must not be unjust to them, because while it is correct to be outraged by these events, what is never said is that their daily actions have prevented many more attacks.

It is time for us to finally understand that our adversaries—because that is what they are—have no respect for human life and that the solution to this problem is not military, but rather political and social, and that the State must be involved in a comprehensive manner to solve the problem. Hopefully, the discussion in Congress regarding security will reach a good conclusion, and that the latest attack will truly be the last red line.

Ignacio Mardones
head of institutional relations at AthenaLab

Source: El Mostrador