Chile Conditions, Issues and U.S. Relations

Located in the Southern Cone of South America, Chile is a politically stable, upper-middle-income, developing nation of 17.5 million people. Chile has maintained friendly relations with the United States since its transition back to civilian democratic rule in 1990. The Obama Administration has sought to build on these traditionally close ties and encourage Chile's leadership in the Western Hemisphere. Bilateral commercial relations are particularly strong; total trade in goods and services has more than tripled since the implementation of a free trade agreement in 2004. Additional areas of co-operation include supporting regional stability and promoting clean energy development. This book discusses the political and economic conditions of Chile, as well as their relations with the United States. It also discusses Chile's public pension system, which consists of three tiers that include a poverty prevention tier, an individual account tier, and a voluntary savings tier. The book concludes with the Chile 2013 human right report, the 2012 international religious freedom report, and the 2013 invest climate statement.