Miami Herald: En Chile, el patriotismo sirvió bien a todos

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In Chile, patriotism served everyone well

The entire world owes a debt to Chile. The small South American country gave a weary planet a much-needed break from seemingly endless wars, natural disasters, man-made calamities, moral dilemmas and a pessimism that have been taking root in many parts of the globe.

Chileans, with good reason, are bursting with patriotic pride. They have dazzled us with the historic rescue of 33 miners trapped deep inside the Earth.

The drama in the Atacama Desert gave us all a chance to root for the same team. What everyone, everywhere, wanted was an old-fashioned happy ending. And Chile provided it in high-tech, nail-biting, heart-warming living color — all that, in an irony-free production reminiscent of a different era.

Does anyone remember before cynicism took over? Back then, technology could conquer any challenge, politicians seemed capable of putting ideals above self-interest. Back then, the big, powerful countries sent rockets into space, men to the moon. It looked as if they could achieve anything their vast wealth and know-how chose to conquer. Smaller nations captured global attention only with messy wars, tin-pot dictatorships and assorted disasters.

The world, to state the obvious, has changed.

The old superpowers now look tired and, frankly, incompetent. Sure, the Chilean rescue benefited from the skills and equipment of key players from the U.S. and from pivotal technology from Europe. The Chileans wisely welcomed international help without giving up control of the operation.

Hope-filled patriotism played a powerful role in this gripping drama long before a happy ending seemed the likely outcome. Soon after we heard that the miners had survived, on Aug. 26, the government released the first grainy video from inside the mine. The bearded, grungy, shirtless miners pronounced themselves absolutely certain they would come out. Then they shouted a chant that would later resonate from Pittsburgh to Pyongyang — Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le! — and solemnly sang their national anthem.

It’s hard to conceive of American or European miners spontaneously bursting into patriotic anthems under similar circumstances. It’s even more difficult to imagine countries coming together with this kind of unalloyed, cynicism-free, idealistic fervor anywhere in the developed world.

National pride will return to the U.S. and other big countries not from speeches or stirring political commercials, but from a return to competence and meaningful, life-enhancing achievements.

Eventually, we will hear the less heart-warming details of this saga. It won’t take long before Chile’s media-savvy billionaire president will face recrimination for exploiting the mine incident for political gain. After all, the Harvard-educated Sebastian Pinera made his fortune running a number of businesses, including a television network.

The government made sure that Chile’s name and flag were visible in every shot. But there was little resistance to the patriotic appeal from the rest of a nation that already had much to be proud of. For many reasons, Chile is one of Latin America’s best success stories.

Patriotism served everyone well. The miners’ appeal to national pride helped turn the project of saving their lives into a national imperative. It raised the profile of their plight, and it made success a yardstick by which the government and its top officials would be measured. In the end, this paid off for everyone.

The government quickly took charge and made it clear it would spare no expense to save the 33 lives. Notice this: A country that values every single life is a mature country that deserves respect.

Today, President Pinera’s approval ratings, which got off to a tepid start in his young administration, have received a huge boost. But no one in Chile is more popular than Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, previously just another government official. Their popularity is well deserved.

The miners’ inspiring story will bring not only movies and books; it will trigger a flurry of lessons-learned studies, teaching government and managers how to handle disasters. If the result is better management, more determination to succeed and less cynicism, then the world will owe the Chilean people an even more lasting debt.

Frida Ghitis ( fjghitis@gmail.com) writes about global affairs for The Miami Herald.

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