The Southern Tiger: Chile's Fight for a Democratic and Prosperous Future

Ricardo Lagos · Blake Hounshell · Elizabeth Dickinson

Jan 2012 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

Former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos provides a fascinating glimpse inside his country's meteoric rise on the world stage. A leader in the underground resistance movement against Augusto Pinochet and his Dirty War, Ricardo Lagos burst onto the national stage in 1988 when he gave a speech denouncing the dictator, the first of its kind. Revolution soon followed, as Chileans took to the streets to oust a criminal despot and pave the way for democracy. In The Southern Tiger, Lagos chronicles Chile's journey from terror and repression to a thriving open society, and from crushing poverty to one of the wealthiest nations in Latin America. His thrilling stories of surviving Chile's political prisons, standing up to President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq, and rebuilding Chile's education system demonstrate why President Obama recently called Chile 'a model for the region and the world.' As citizens across the globe rise up to demand more from their governments, The Southern Tiger is an inspiring story of political and economic rebirth in the wake of fear.

Ratings and reviews

After reading Bolano for years, this is the first time I’ve read an in-depth review of the violence and strife in Chile that he and many others escaped. It’s harrowing to see how the author, Richard Lago, escaped after the September 11, 1973 coup that overthrew President Allende for General Pinochet. He does escape, but he goes back to face the evil and through his efforts, he and his allies convince the country to vote out a dictator. It’s an amazing feat and I have never heard of the overthrow of a dictator through a free election. Lagos should have been killed ten times over, but he persevered to free Chile from tyranny. <br /><br />Great detail on how Lagos fought Pinochet, probably 2/3 of the book. He highlights the horrors of living under Pinochet, the disappearances and what people did to survive. It’s only when support from the U.S. fades does the dictatorship begin to falter, allowing Lagos and his allies to gain a foothold leading to unprecedented protests against the regime. This all leads to a critical moment in Chilean history that Lagos refers to as “The Finger”. He goes on a live television show debate and challenges Pinochet to a new Plebiscite reminding everyone of his promise not to run after 1989. This becomes the catalyst that leads to the election and the “No” vote against Pinochet. <br /><br />The rest of the book is denouement. I think the major points are Lagos attempts to highlight Chile as a country transformation away from dictatorship and embracing a free market economy. His brushes with President Bush seem to highlight how far Chile has come from being a puppet regime to a country in its own right. Lagos also highlights Pinochet’s arrest in the U.K. and how that led to stripping away the last of his power from Chile, a country now looking forward instead of backward. <br /><br />The book ends in a hopeful tone, highlighting all Chile has gone through, but still struggling towards prosperity. It was like a country dreaming a nightmare and now they are beginning to wake up to a brighter future, a truly inspiring story.<br />

About the author

Ricardo Lagos was president of Chile from 2000 to 2006, and the former UN special envoy for climate change. He has been profiled in media worldwide, including the BBC and The New York Times, and he has lectured at Harvard University, Yale University, Berkeley University (honored with Medal), Vanderbilt University, the London School of Economics, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. He is the former cochair of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington and an editorial board member of Americas Quarterly. Currently a professor at large at Brown University, he lives in Santiago, Chile where he is Chairman of Fundación Democracia y Desarrollo.

Blake Hounshell and Elizabeth Dickinsonare the managing editors of Foreign Policy magazine. They live in New York City.