ISR Issue 52, March–April 2007

CRITICAL THINKING

The day the jackal died

Chile celebrates the death of Augusto Pinochet

By LANCE SELFA

As the ISR went to press, news that Chile’s ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet died at age ninety-one reached us.

Word of the dictator’s death spread around Chile—indeed, around the rest of the world as well—in short order. Within a few minutes, crowds gathered in town squares and street corners across Chile. Bottles of champagne saved for the occasion were popped and spontaneous celebrations began. In Santiago, crowds poured into the streets and made their way to La Moneda Palace, the presidential palace where, on September 11, 1973, elected reformist President Salvador Allende perished in the Pinochet-led military coup.