Chilean President Pinera holding up the note stating that all 33 Miners were alive and well 
Chilean President Pinera and Bolivian President Morales showing unity during the crisisPublic diplomacy: Write about a recent event or development which illustrates the importance or otherwise of public diplomacy in contemporary world politics. Provide links to relevant websites and news stories.
When the ramp leading into the San Jose mine, located near Copiapó in Chile, collapsed, leaving 33 miners, 32 Chilean and 1 Bolivian, trapped in a small shelter within the mine, no one could have anticipated the impact the accident would prove to have on politics, diplomatic relations and a nation’s image both nationally and internationally.
The whole world, common populations as well as political and religious leaders, followed closely as a whole variety of states and organisations worked together to reach, and finally after 69 long days, free the miners (www.cnn.com.)
The euphoria which came with the extraordinary rescue effort, leaving all the miners unharmed, promised a new beginning for Chile, as stated by President Sebastian Pinera:
”…The country is not the same after this.”
(www.bbc.co.uk.)
Prior to the San Jose mining accident, one may argue that Chile had quite a tarnished and one-sided reputation, that of President Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, which the country had found difficulty escaping (www.nytimes.com.)
President Pinochet oppressed Chile throughout his presidency, which lasted nearly two decades and finally ended in 1990. He was accused of numerous human right offenses, including murdering and torturing his opponents, and arguably destroyed Chile’s image throughout the world (www.nytimes.com.)
Chile slowly but surely moved away from the legacy of the repressive regime, but one may put forth the argument that the two months the miners were trapped and the eyes of the whole world were on Chile, positively changed the image of the country more than the efforts of the past twenty years had managed to do. Through very effective public diplomacy and the immense press coverage of the miraculous rescue, both the President, the First Lady and 1500 journalists were indeed present as the miners re-emerged one by one; President Pinera managed to completely transform the way in which the world may previously have perceived his nation. Instead of human right abuses, Chile now became known and renowned for valuing the lives of its population higher than anything. The country proved to the international community that it is now a modern, technologically advanced and all-embracing nation. Chile was unified and successfully portrayed itself as a state worthy of the recognition and respect it had worked towards obtaining for two decades (http://efesevin.wordpress.com.)
In this way, New York Times wrote:
“The rescue of the miners this week shows how much Chile has evolved since Pinochet’s rule ended in 1990.”
(http://efesevin.wordpress.com.)
Besides Chile’s image improving, the country’s international relations were also transformed.
Chile and Bolivia had poor diplomatic relations for more than a century following the War of the Pacific, fought between 1879 and 1883, which resulted in Bolivia losing its coastline to Chile (www.mcentellas.com.)
The relationship between the two nations had been slowly improving throughout the years, but with one of the miners trapped inside the San Jose Mine being Bolivian, the world suddenly saw the two states working effectively together and viewing each other as equals, as neighbours and most importantly as fellow mining nations. This was evident as the Bolivian President Evo Morales travelled to Chile to join President Pinera in greeting the miners, both Chilean and Bolivian, as they were rescued (http://www.msentellas.com/.)
When the ramp leading into the San Jose mine, located near Copiapó in Chile, collapsed, leaving 33 miners, 32 Chilean and 1 Bolivian, trapped in a small shelter within the mine, no one could have anticipated the impact the accident would prove to have on politics, diplomatic relations and a nation’s image both nationally and internationally.
The whole world, common populations as well as political and religious leaders, followed closely as a whole variety of states and organisations worked together to reach, and finally after 69 long days, free the miners (www.cnn.com.)
The euphoria which came with the extraordinary rescue effort, leaving all the miners unharmed, promised a new beginning for Chile, as stated by President Sebastian Pinera:
”…The country is not the same after this.”
(www.bbc.co.uk.)
Prior to the San Jose mining accident, one may argue that Chile had quite a tarnished and one-sided reputation, that of President Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, which the country had found difficulty escaping (www.nytimes.com.)
President Pinochet oppressed Chile throughout his presidency, which lasted nearly two decades and finally ended in 1990. He was accused of numerous human right offenses, including murdering and torturing his opponents, and arguably destroyed Chile’s image throughout the world (www.nytimes.com.)
Chile slowly but surely moved away from the legacy of the repressive regime, but one may put forth the argument that the two months the miners were trapped and the eyes of the whole world were on Chile, positively changed the image of the country more than the efforts of the past twenty years had managed to do. Through very effective public diplomacy and the immense press coverage of the miraculous rescue, both the President, the First Lady and 1500 journalists were indeed present as the miners re-emerged one by one; President Pinera managed to completely transform the way in which the world may previously have perceived his nation. Instead of human right abuses, Chile now became known and renowned for valuing the lives of its population higher than anything. The country proved to the international community that it is now a modern, technologically advanced and all-embracing nation. Chile was unified and successfully portrayed itself as a state worthy of the recognition and respect it had worked towards obtaining for two decades (http://efesevin.wordpress.com.)
In this way, New York Times wrote:
“The rescue of the miners this week shows how much Chile has evolved since Pinochet’s rule ended in 1990.”
(http://efesevin.wordpress.com.)
Besides Chile’s image improving, the country’s international relations were also transformed.
Chile and Bolivia had poor diplomatic relations for more than a century following the War of the Pacific, fought between 1879 and 1883, which resulted in Bolivia losing its coastline to Chile (www.mcentellas.com.)
The relationship between the two nations had been slowly improving throughout the years, but with one of the miners trapped inside the San Jose Mine being Bolivian, the world suddenly saw the two states working effectively together and viewing each other as equals, as neighbours and most importantly as fellow mining nations. This was evident as the Bolivian President Evo Morales travelled to Chile to join President Pinera in greeting the miners, both Chilean and Bolivian, as they were rescued (http://www.msentellas.com/.)
It is truly amazing how a mining accident and the courage of 33 miners have changed the way in which we as common populations, state leaders and an entire international community see one nation.
The efforts of President Pinera can arguably be seen as the very definition of efficient and timely public diplomacy.
Chilean Miners Rescued: Viva Chile (and Chilean Image) (2010), Reaching the Public
http://efesevin.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/chilean-miners-rescued-viva-chile-and-chilean-image/
Bolivia: The Chilean Mining Rescue & A Political Thaw (2010), Pronto
http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/10/bolivia-the-chilean-mining-rescue-a-political-thaw.html
Days 1 through 69: How Best of Man, Machine Saved Chile's Miners (2010), CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/15/chile.mine.rescue.recap/index.html
Celebrations as Last Trapped Chile Miner is Rescued (2010), BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11518015
Augusto Pinochet, Dictator Who Ruled by Terror in Chile, Dies at 91 (2006), N.Y. Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/world/americas/11pinochet.html
That's a very interesting case study of the impact of a domestic crisis on a nation's image and on its diplomacy. You make your points effectively. However, is it really public diplomacy if there is no conscious effort to promote an image? Something to think about.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the crisis was not premeditated, I imagine the Chilean government were quick to reallise that the country was in the world media spotlight, for good or ill. The unerring support the government gave, compared to say, the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, is the telling point. Public diplomacy is most effective when giving a window onto true motivations and actions rather than window dressing for bad or corrupt policies.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very interesting case study. What I find most interesting is the role of the media in highlighting Chile's efforts in rescuing the miners. There was truly a media circus, focusing on the positive aspects of the crisis (such as the friendship between Bolivia and Chile and top politicians committed to the rescue work) in times of despair. I was thinking about other media circus around the Olympic Games is Beijing 2008 - an event which attracted many journalists to Beijing, writing about everything around the Olympic Games - such as politics, diplomacy, human right issues etc. Even if this was not the case of the Chilean traped miners, it is interesting to see how the world respons when excessive international media watches over one particular event.
ReplyDelete