Chile: Unrest in the Copper Nation

For decades, Chile was heralded as South America’s pillar of stable economic growth. Chile was the world’s largest producer of copper and enjoyed a long period of over 30 years of world demand for its resources. In 2013, the commodity boom ended and was replaced by a slow period of economic activity. By 2019, a culmination of factors had contributed to widespread protests. Major streets in Santiago were shut down due to demonstrations by workers across 20 ports. Mining unions urged the government to lift the state of emergency and end curfews. It was unclear how these stoppages would affect copper production and prices in a country that produced a third of the world’s supply.