José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a
ChileanChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
politician and statesman. He is currently (since May 26 2005) the
Secretary GeneralAccording to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...
of the
Organization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas with two countries suspended...
. He is nicknamed
El PanzerA Panzer is a German tank. Attributively, the term also refers to armoured military forces, as in panzer divisions or panzer battles.- Etymology :Panzer is a loanword from the German , meaning "armour"...
, for his tank-like drive and reputation due to his ability to take political heat with little apparent damage. He is married to Mexican Georgina Núñez Reyes and has three children.
While studying law at the University of Chile he was vice president of the students' federation.
José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a
ChileanChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
politician and statesman. He is currently (since May 26 2005) the
Secretary GeneralAccording to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...
of the
Organization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas with two countries suspended...
. He is nicknamed
El PanzerA Panzer is a German tank. Attributively, the term also refers to armoured military forces, as in panzer divisions or panzer battles.- Etymology :Panzer is a loanword from the German , meaning "armour"...
, for his tank-like drive and reputation due to his ability to take political heat with little apparent damage. He is married to Mexican Georgina Núñez Reyes and has three children.
Early life
While studying law at the University of Chile he was vice president of the students' federation. After graduating from law school, he obtained a graduate degree from the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty (FLACSO) and a
Master of ArtsA Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic master degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in English, Fine Arts, History, Nursing, Humanities, Geography, Philosophy, Social Sciences or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a...
in
Political SciencePolitical science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. It is often described as the pragmatic application of the art and science of politics defined as "who gets what, when and how",...
from the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was professor of Political Theory at the University of Chile and of
Political SciencePolitical science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. It is often described as the pragmatic application of the art and science of politics defined as "who gets what, when and how",...
at the Catholic University in Chile until 1973. He was also Political Advisor to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Chile until 1973.
Exile in Mexico
Insulza lived in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in exile from 1981 to 1988, doing research and then working as the Director of the United States Studies Institute in the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE). He was a professor at Mexico's
Universidad Nacional AutónomaThe National Autonomous University of Mexico is a public university based primarily in Mexico City and generally considered to be the largest one-campus university in the Americas in terms of student population...
, the
Universidad IberoamericanaThe Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus and founded by Sam Sklover...
, and the Diplomatic Studies Institute. He has penned numerous publications in his field.
Return to Chile
Insulza was appointed Chilean Ambassador for International Cooperation in 1990. He became Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vice President of the International Cooperation Agency (AGCI). He was a member of the Chilean Association of Political Science, the Bar Association, and the Chilean Council of International Relations.
On March 11, 1994 Insulza became Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs. On September 20 of that year he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. On June 22, 1999 he was appointed Minister Secretary General of the Office of the President. On March 11, 2000 he took office as Minister of the Interior of Chile and also became Vice President of the Republic).
OAS chief
Insulza was elected
Secretary GeneralAccording to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...
of the
Organization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas with two countries suspended...
on May 2 2005 following the withdrawal from the race of Mexico's Foreign Minister
Luis Ernesto DerbezLuis Ernesto Derbez Bautista is a Mexican politician and current rector of the Universidad de Las Américas.Upon assuming power in December 2000, President Vicente Fox chose him to serve as his Secretary of Economy...
. (
See Organization of American States Secretary General election, 2005.)
On January 5 2007 Insulza criticized Venezuelan president
Hugo ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chávez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation...
's decision not to renew television channel
RCTVRadio Caracas Televisión Internacional is a Venezuelan cable television network headquartered in the Caracas, Venezuela neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It is sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión on 15...
's broadcast license (Chávez had accused the station of being a
golpista—a
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
instigator.) Three days later Chávez responded to Insulza by calling for his resignation and referring to him as a
pendejo—a Spanish
profanityThe original meaning of the adjective profane referred to items not belonging to the church, e.g...
meaning dumbass. Insulza later received the support of almost all the OAS members, including the US, and Chávez conceded he had gone too far with his words. On April 2008 Chávez congratulated Insulza for stating in a presentation before the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere that there was no evidence linking Venezuela to terrorist groups.
Insulza was criticized by some Chilean politicians of using his post as OAS Secretary General as a launching pad for his failed pre-candidacy as
President of ChileThe President of Chile is both the chief of state and the head of government. Under the current constitution , the President is elected by popular vote to serve for a period of four years, with immediate re-election being prohibited. The shorter period allows for parliamentary and presidential...
. They claimed his frequent trips to Chile and continuing commentary on Chilean politics were a way to remain visible in the local political scene. Insulza openly stated his intention to run for President of Chile, but on January 5, 2009, he stepped out of the race and vowed to continue as OAS chief until the end of his mandate. He gave his support to
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-TagleEduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who was President of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He is currently Senator for Los Ríos and was President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008...
as the
Concertación candidate for president.
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