ABSTRACT
Chile' s motto - par la razon a la juerza (by reason or by force) - has stood since independence as the leitmotif of the country's development. Derided by its detractors but lauded by its supporters as the Britain of Latin America, Chile has a long established history of gradualism, consensus and constitutionality.2 However, numerous examples of domestic unrest and frequent wars with its neighbours aptly demonstrate Chilean's capacity to resort to force when reason is seen to be inadequate or exhausted.
