Letter to the Editor: Chile's Economic Example

The Washington PostJon Jeter, reporting on Argentines picking through trash to survive [front page, June 7], quoted economist Richard Freeman and others blaming free trade policies and globalization for the Argentine demise.

How then do these experts explain the extraordinary accomplishment of social and economic progress made by Chile? More than two decades ago, Chile embraced free trade, privatization and deregulation and showed extraordinary results.

Argentina's downfall has been of its own making. It engineered a messy and suspicious currency devaluation and broke its banking system. Instead of looking at Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez or Cuba's Fidel Castro, the new Argentine leaders would be wise to look at Chile.

VALERIANO F. GARCIA

Washington