Organized by ILOS (University of Oslo), NorLARNet, Norwegian Oxford Committee, and Fritt Ord.

On the 11th of September Chile commemorates the 40th anniversary of the coup d’état led by General Augusto Pinochet against democratically elected President Salvador Allende. The coup marked the start of a 17 year long brutal dictatorship in Chile, but also the start of a movement in support for Latin American democracy and development across the world. Today, Chile is considered among the most consolidated democracies in Latin America and it will celebrate the 6th presidential elections after the return of democracy this fall. Nevertheless, the coup and its aftermath continue to affect politics and democratic development in various ways, and cast its shadows over the current elections. In this seminar on the day of the 40th anniversary of the coup, internationally renowned specialists will discuss achievements and current challenges for the Chilean democracy as well as international implications of the coup and its aftermath.

PROGRAM:

8:45 Opening: Leiv Marsteintredet and Benedicte Bull

SECTION I: The democracy in Chile 40 years after the coup
09:00 Democracy to the extent possible: achievements and shortcomings in overcoming the Pinochet-legacy: Patricio Navia, New York University/Universidad Diego Portales

09:45 Rise, Reform & Agony – The case of Pinochet’s socio-economic model: Eugenio Tironi, Tironi Associates.

10:30 Coffee

10:45 The coup, its aftermath and its victims – processes of truth and justice and implications for Chile’s democracy: Elin Skaar, Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI)

11:15 Roundtable on the legacy of the coup and the democratic achievements and challenges: Eugenio Tironi, Patricio Navia, Elin Skaar, Jorge Lanzaro

12:00 Lunch

SECTION II: The international implications of the coup in Chile
13:00 The impact of the coup in Chile in the rest of South-America: Jorge Lánzaro, Universidad de la República (Montevideo)

13:45 The impact of the coup in Chile on the international solidarity and student movement: James Godbolt, University College of Vestfold

14:30 The Oxford lecture 2013: 40 years after the coup in Chile – The future of democracy in Latin America: Laurence Whitehead, University of Oxford

15:30 Concluding remarks/final debate

16:00 End