Michelle Bachelet on “The Charlie Rose Show”

I just finished viewing a re-airing of the interview between Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and U.S. talk show host Charlie Rose and here are some the comments that were made:

On Latin America and Chavez’ speech to the U.N. General Assembly:

Bachelet emphasized the importance of Latin America in the world by noting the problems shared between Latin American countries and other regions of the world. Her role in the region is “how to resolve problems for the Latin American people.” She thought that the “words” in Chavez’ speech detracted from important topics like the need to eradicate poverty and inequality.

On democracy:

“I don’t think anybody could have imagined a women president for Chile” and this is an example of how Chile has developed into a democracy. Still, democracy in Chile “is a process that we have to deal with everyday… (with) the most important challenge…is to guarantee security” for all Chileans.

On Augusto Pinochet and Chile’s past:

Bachelet said that “we have learned from our history…when we unite for a common cause.” She dismissed the perceived political influence of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet (“nobody is thinking of Pinochet today”). Yet she acknowledged that she has learned to channel whatever “rage and anger” from her father’s death at the hands of the Pinochet regime into doing whatever she can to insure that “never again” will Chile go through such a dark period.

On the U.S.:

Bachelet admitted that the bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S. is “positive” for Chile and feels that both counries are working “in the right direction.” Also, she noted that “there is a view of Latin America (in the U.S. media) that does not reflect the reality in Latin America” as a result of “Cold War language” that oversimplifies complex issues into mere black-and-white topics.

On globalization

Bachelet observed the fallacy of neoliberalism (via the Washington Consensus) when economic development takes precedent over social development. However, she did not condemn globalization as a “threat” in that it must be used as “benefit” via economic, social, and political development.

On terrorism:

“Terrorism is something we all have to fight…but we need to fight terrorism with legal means” such as denouncing torture. One of the “better remedies” to combat terrorism would be to have “a truly democratic state” that provides “opportunities and possibilities” for all its citizens.

Links- PBS, The Latin Americanist (blog), Wikipedia

Image- Der Spiegel Online (Germany)

Tags- television, Michelle Bachelet, Chile