 Even though now the U.S. influence over Latin America is starting to wane, back in 1973 when Chile elected a socialist government and elected socialist president Salvador Allende, we backed a coup and overthrew that government. And that led to one of the most harshest, brutal authoritarian regimes ever. And even though Augusto Pinochet is no longer in control in Chile, his legacy remains. And his legacy wasn't just of authoritarianism, it was also a legacy of neoliberalism that was ruthless as well. So as Kenny Stansel of Common Dreams explains, after a U.S.-backed coup toppled Chile's democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende on September 11th of 1973, Pinochet's regime implemented a wave of pro-market policies under anti-democratic circumstances at the behest of economists trained at the University of Chicago. This led to vast inequalities and rendered egalitarian reform exceedingly difficult even in the post-dictatorship period that began in 1990. There have been numerous attempts over the past 30 years to rein in market fundamentalism in Chile. But because neoliberalism was so deeply embedded in the country's 1980 constitution, the reign of Pinochet's policies outlived the military dictator. And to give you a sense of how terrible it is in Chile, it's often referred to as a laboratory for neoliberalism. All of the policies that we want implemented here in the United States, the neoliberal policies that we want here, that conservatives want here to be clear, they've been implemented in Chile. For example, the Wall Street executives and big business interests have been trying to privatize social security in the United States, but they've never been successful at doing that. However, in Chile, that actually did happen. And conservatives always point to Chile as the model for how we should run our social security system. And they continue to do this even as the system in Chile is literally falling apart to the point where hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Santiago to demand reform. But the good news is that things are starting to change. We are on the cusp of a new dawn in Chile because the policies of Augusto Pinochet may soon come to an end because of what is taking place currently in the country. So Common Dreams continues during a historic referendum last October, which represented the culmination of a decades-long revolt against the neoliberal model. Chileans voted in a 4-to-1 landslide to rewrite the dictatorship-era constitution. Notably, voters chose for the new constitution to be written by a popularly elected assembly of constituents rather than a mixed assembly of politicians and citizens. At the time, political theorist Melanie Cruz called the overwhelmingly popular support for a new constitution a chance to bury Pinochet's legacy and rebuild the country on a truly democratic basis. Still, the question remained, who would be in charge of the process? Which of the more than 1,300 candidates would be selected for this monumental task? During this past weekend's election, originally scheduled for April would push back due to an increase in coronavirus infections. Chileans were finally given a chance to answer that question definitively. Of the 155 citizens elected to the constituent assembly, only 38, which is less than a quarter, came from the right-wing coalition known as Vamos Porchile. By delivering a knockout blow to the country's right-wing, voters ensured that a large majority of the 155 delegates responsible for establishing a new political framework at the constituent assembly will be bringing progressive perspectives rather than neoliberal orthodoxy to the table, increasing the likelihood that a genuinely emancipatory constitution gets created. Greg Grandin, a world-renowned historian of Latin America, tweeted, Allende is smiling, alluding to neoliberalism. Grandin added that it started in Chile, it will end in Chile. So finally, after multiple decades, only now, Chile is finally starting to undo the damage that we caused by supporting a coup d'etat that ousted their democratically elected socialist president back in the 1970s. And it's not just that neoliberalism will be going the way of the Dota, hopefully. We'll have to wait and see what constitution they craft. But it's also the case that currently in Chile, they have some of the most restrictive laws related to abortion in the world. So social equality is also going to be a thing that gets promoted, most likely, at this constitutional convention. And in an article for The Guardian, Cherise McGowan argues that this could actually be a game-changing moment for gender equality in Chile. And she writes in Chile, feminist constitutional candidates stress that parity in the new constitution does not only benefit women, but any minority group that has been excluded from political spaces, including the country's indigenous communities, LGBT groups, and gender non-conforming people. So that sounds incredible, and it gets better. There will be 17 seats allocated to indigenous people. So this truly is a chance for Chile to lead the world now, not in neoliberal policies, not for them to be a laboratory of neoliberalism to export the policies that they produce after testing it there to the United States and other countries. Now is their chance to actually right the wrongs of the Pinochet era and actually form a constitution that benefits the people of Chile. And it's truly, it's honestly remarkable to see the shift in Latin American politics where they're no longer just accepting U.S. influence, no longer accepting what the United States says. Now they're charting their own path, and it really is just so inspiring to see. And one more thing I want to share is this tweet from Professor Richard Wolff, who writes, Salute to Chile, rising from the long night since Allende's murder, Pinochet's dictatorship, Milton Friedman's economic policies for the rich, a special bravo to Chile's women pioneering a new constitution. Yeah, and we'll leave that there. So, Chile was one of the first Latin American countries that I learned about specifically as it pertains to U.S. intervention and how we backed the coup that ousted the socialist leader that led to a brutal dictatorship. And now to see it all finally change and to see the people of Chile have a chance to have a future, to have a new opportunity. It really is phenomenal to see. So I stand in solidarity with the people of Chile, and I'm excited to see the constitution that they craft. They elected the right people. So now we'll see what they come up with. But hopefully this will be a new standard for constitutions throughout the world because, you know, if they prove that they can actually chart a new path and respect the rights of indigenous people, marginalized groups and workers, then perhaps now Chile could become a laboratory for democracy and socialism and not neoliberalism. And I can't wait to see what they do.