John Londregan is a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, specializing in political economy and Latin American politics. He contributed to The Weekly Standard over roughly a decade, writing frequently about Chilean politics and leaders such as Pinochet and Sebastián Piñera, as well as pieces on legal and constitutional issues.
Chilean voters on Sunday stepped back from a precipice. In a runoff election pitting former president Sebastian Piñera against Senator Alejandro Guiller, sanity prevailed, albeit by a slightly anorectic margin of 54 to 46. Piñera election to a non-consecutive second term was a roller coaster ride.…
In Caracas on Sunday Venezuelan “Assassin in Chief” Nicolas Maduro abandoned his last pretense of legitimacy and commenced open warfare on democracy. Ignoring the heavy losses of his legislative allies in the December 2015 legislative elections (which transpired despite corrupt rulings by the…
As long-suffering Venezuelans take to the streets and the government itself executes its most audacious seizure of a private business, a General Motors plant, it's worth looking at precisely how we got here.
On November 18, the Supreme Court of Chile issued a protective order on behalf of Leopoldo Lopez and Daniel Ceballos, two opposition mayors imprisoned without just cause in Venezuela. These brave individuals had the temerity to oppose the regime of Nicolas Maduro, and earlier this year they went…
Santiago, Chile
In the words of Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, Nicolas Maduro's government is increasingly a “dictatorship whose economic policies and generalized corruption have terribly impoverished” Venezuela. A founding member of OPEC with extensive petroleum reserves, the once prosperous nation is plagued…
Santiago, Chile
Late Thursday afternoon, guards at Venezuela’s infamous Ramo Verde military prison attempted to abduct opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez from the cramped dungeon cell in which he has been held incommunicado. Lopez refused to leave unless he was in the presence of his lawyers and a representative of…
The Council of the Princeton University Community voted on Monday to gut due process for students accused of sexual misconduct. The week before last it was the turn of the faculty to genuflect as the hearse bearing the remains of due process rolled past. This unsavory episode highlights two parlous…
The World Court resolution of Peru’s petition to change its border with Chile didn’t catch much attention beyond the Pacific coast of South America, but it matters, a lot. A century and a half ago la Guerra del Pacifico, in which Chile opposed both Bolivia and Peru, left Chile holding several…
Sebastián Piñera’s victory last week marks the first time in over half a century that Chileans have elected a conservative as their president. It also marks the successful conclusion of Chile’s transition to democracy.
Santiago, Chile
The death of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte marks the definitive end of his efforts to associate himself with conservatism. It also marks the ultimate success of his efforts to avoid accountability for his murderous behavior as a leader of the Chilean military junta that took power in 1973.