Either way, lest foreigners get the wrong idea about the Chilean draft from these unsubstantiated reports, I think it is worth revisiting that policy again. The press often likes to distort Chilean reality since it is a country which bucks so many social leftist tendencies.
In Chile, all eighteen year old male citizens are required to register for military service, unless they have a bona fide excuse for not doing so. Politicians, judges, bureaucrats, religious leaders, disabled people and some others are exempt. For the upper classes (ABC1) not included in those categories, finding an excuse is fairly easy. Common excuses are (1) still in twelfth grade, (2) studying at a university or other higher education and (3) having a doctor's certificate that says one is unfit due to a medical condition.
Technically the excuse is only good for twelve years and the military could call up a person when he is thirty, but the circumstances would have to be pretty extreme. The latter (item 3) are, apparently, a commodity that are bought regularly. If the price is right even the good doctor will help a friend. For these reasons, almost no one in ABC1 has their kids drafted or even registered for the draft.
On the other hand, no one has served in the military involuntarily for decades. There are always enough recruits. Part of the reason is that the military is a cheap way to gain a technical skill, much like it is in the USA. For poorer people, therefore, the military is a reasonable option for how he might get ahead.
Consequently, the draft while technically on the books has in reality zero effect. And newcomers need not worry that their children will ever be drafted since they (a) will not be citizens right away and (b) will be in the ABC1 class most certainly and thus avoid it like everyone else does as soon as their citizen children become eligible.
Sovereign Man is about to launch its resilient community in Chile. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you.
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Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)
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