Guest Post by Simon Black
If you’re been following the news, you might have seen reports about civil unrest in Chile– the worst in decades.
I lived in Chile for more than seven years before moving to Puerto Rico; I still have business interests there, along with hundreds of employees (both foreign and local), many of whom I’ve been speaking to over the last few days.
First things first, Chile is ordinarily a quiet, stable, peaceful country.
The last time Chile went to war was 140 years ago back in 1879. They even skipped both world wars.
And while there are occasional protests, Chile is quite tame by Latin American standards.
It’s also the most modern and advanced nation in the region– this is not a destitute, impoverished country.
Chile has thriving industries and a large middle class that’s in better shape than just about anywhere else in the region.
But just like every other country in the world, there are countless imperfections.
Inflation has eaten away at the purchasing power of workers’ incomes, and a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet.
The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was a 3% increase in metro fares.
It’s nothing. But it was enough to make thousands of people become completely unglued, resulting in riots, looting, arson, and all-out mayhem.
Let’s talk about some of the key lessons from this:
Continue reading “Four lessons from the biggest riots in decades”
