STUDY | Third Survey of Perceptions on Foreign Policy and Security AthenaLab-IPSOS
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In its third iteration, the survey shows that, despite living in a changing environment, Chileans seem to have clarity regarding the foreign policy objectives considered priorities, the main national interests of the country, and the threats they face.
Since we launched this survey three years ago, a pandemic has swept across the world, a new political cycle has begun in Chile following a social uprising, and Russia has initiated a war against Ukraine, the global repercussions of which are still unfolding.
All of the above speaks to disruptions occurring in a very short period that test the response capacity of states, but also of societies that, suddenly, see their security, well-being, and development affected.
In its third iteration, the AthenaLab and Ipsos survey shows that, despite living in a changing environment, Chileans seem to have clarity regarding the foreign policy objectives considered priorities, the main national interests of the country, and the threats they face. It is important that there are continuities in this regard, as ultimately it allows for the formulation of state policies based on broad consensus.
Without revealing the results, we could affirm that there is indeed a widespread concern about the deterioration of security that Chile is experiencing due to transnational phenomena that cross borders and directly impact the country, but also due to armed violence that originates internally.
The positive aspect is that these perceptions regarding the challenges looming over Chile’s territorial integrity do not seem to translate into nationalist stances that promote closing off the country. Rather, there is a search for proactivity in managing relations with the world, and partners are clearly identified, some of whom even have a long history of friendship and cooperation that goes beyond commercial exchanges, such as Japan and the United Kingdom.
We hope that the information contained in this survey will be useful for the authorities taking charge of foreign and defense policy and for those building the institutions of a tri-continental country like Chile, which has managed to transcend its size and distance from centers of power, thanks to a diplomatic and commercial insertion that can, so far, be considered successful. However, the aforementioned events and many more teach us that disruptions are just around the corner, and opportunities cannot be lost due to ideological approaches that obscure the necessary pragmatism.
In a world of limited resources, it is imperative to integrate state power instruments to maximize the possibilities of promoting our interests and values by identifying opportunities, and to prevent the risks faced today from becoming threats tomorrow.
