Moving Forward With Globalization

In recent years, Chile has become one of S. America’s most stable countries. This stability has made way for their economic growth and rise in foreign investments. Currently, Chile has free trade agreements with approximately 50 countries which has allowed for businessmen to invest more than 40 billion dollars creating over 200,000 jobs for Chilean inhabitants.

Since the end of the 17 years Pinochet regime, Chile has been moving forward in the world embracing the beneficial aspects of globalization. Opening up their economy to free trade was just the beginning.

The U.S. Chile Equal Opportunities Scholarship Program was established to sponsor English and academic studies for Chilean PhD students who come from disadvantaged and rural areas that have not traditionally had access to English language schools or study abroad opportunities. The program has been quite successful, becoming a model for other international scholarships programs with Chile. In 2008 President Bachelet announced plans to increase funds to support sending students to study abroad, with hopes of sending up to 1,000 students that year. At least one- third of those prospective students reported hopes of going the United States.

As discussed in our class, globalization generally travels “from the west to the rest” and the United States and Chile most definitely highly interactive. More than 10,000 U.S. citizens reside in Chile and there are about 170,000 U.S. citizens that visit Chile annually. Beyond that over 66,000 visitor visas are issued to Chilean citizens that plan to travel to the U.S. At the U.S. embassy, the Public Affairs Section cooperates with universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on a variety of programs of bilateral interest. The Public Affairs Section works daily with Chilean media focusing on bilateral and regional relations while also assisting with visiting foreign media, such as U.S. journalists. They work through the Information Resource Center, to spread information about U.S. policies, society, and culture.

Having all these interactions through free trade policies, foreign investors, international scholarship programs, and just travel I would assume has played a large role in Chile’s movement to a more globalized nation, while voluntarily adopting many of the United States cultural norms. Every time someone travels or interacts with someone from another country a transference culture has taken place.

This is also happening through Chilean media. Chile ranked 33rd out of 178 countries in media rights group Reporters Without Borders' 2010 world press freedom index.

Chile's national and local terrestrial TV channels operate alongside extensive cable TV networks, which carry many US and international stations.

Their constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the media, and this is generally respected by the authorities. The media maintain their independence, criticize the government and cover sensitive issues. Approximately, 8.4 million Chilean’s are internet users.