Escape to Santiago

The idea that the whole world is going to hell in a handcart is pretty much universal right now. Brown has lost the plot, Obama is going to copy him and hose the economy down with stolen cash, the protectionist barriers are going up around the world.

There's no escape.

Or perhaps there is. According to the Wall Street Journal, things are looking up in South America, where much of the continent is quietly being transformed from banana republic to stable democracy. The media here may drool over the student-revolutionary-friendly antics of Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega, but these are the exceptions rather than the rule.

Most of Latin America is [...] undergoing a period of unprecedented political and economic transformation. In Chile, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic and, yes, Mexico -- which is most decidedly not a failing state -- there has been a quiet but substantial movement toward the creation of societies that are characterized by increased economic opportunity, social mobility and political democracy.

Chile sounds pretty good to me. And they have wine and beaches too. What's not to like?

Image of a woman being wheeled to hell in a handcart by Sacred Destinations.

Comments

[James P]

Don't the Bushes own a ranch in Paraguay? Maybe they're not as daft as they look...

[Hakko]

A mate of mine who manages Latin American funds in the City calls Chile "the Switzerland of Latin America." The bathrooms are clean, everything works, the trains run on time, but there's apparently no nightlife, the women have no fashion sense, and the food is mediocre. Still a good place to invest though. And you're right about the wine.

[Bishop Hill]

Lack of nightlife and women who are uninterested in fashion are everyday benefits of living in the countryside, as I do.