Abstract

Chile is a country highly exposed to international and regional events because of its trade structure, its dependence on foreign markets and its foreign policy in which the ideas of “open regionalism” (Fermandois 2006) and multilateralism (van Klaveren 2017) are key elements. In this context, two positions can be highlighted when it comes to observing the foreign policy of Chile regarding both current regional and international dynamics. The first one is the will to bring Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance closer. The second one is to save the TPP since its abandonment by the United States. This chapter claims that these two positions are illustrative of the main principles and characteristics of Chilean foreign policy since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship, in 1990, until now. These principles and characteristics can be resumed as follows: (1) Chilean authorities embrace a policy of multilateralism that leads them to seek the country’s presence in a high number of organizations and treaties; (2) the level of participation of Chile in international organizations is defined by rational and strategic considerations, with authorities looking to get access to the benefits of participation but rejecting losing sovereignty; (3) commercial issues dominate post-1990 Chilean foreign policy over political matters. After a broader description and historical explanations of these principles, further explanations from statistical data will be represented, followed by a comparative description of the relations that Chile has with its main trade partners.