For Chile, earthquakes are nothing new. (In schools, children learn to seek shelter from the tremors before they learn to read.)
The earthquake has exposed fault lines of a different kind.
For one, US intervention—whether militaristic or monetary—is not always welcomed in Chile, especially since the Pinochet revolution in 1973. The recently declassified “Pinochet Papers” show how the Pentagon was extremely influential in overthrowing Chilean leader Allende and was guilty of atrocities in human rights. Chile, as well as much of Latin America, has not forgotten—or forgiven—the U.S. for meddling in their political affairs.
Secondly, the quake exposed Chile’s great economic divide between the rich and poor. It was the poor communities, living in the margins of society, which were hardest hit by the disaster. They do not have the financial resources to rebuild.
So what has the US done to help? Not nearly as much as what they did for Haiti.
President Obama pledged “help if they ask for it” and USAID has sent approximately $11 million in relief.
Some U.S. companies have even sent money for the relief efforts:
Even so, it appears economic aid from the U.S. to Chile in this crisis has not—and will not—cover over years of unwanted involvement.
