José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an politician, lawyer, and academic serving as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the Arica y Parinacota Region since 2018. He previously served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 1994 to 1999 and Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1999 to 2000 under president

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz–Tagle (; born 24 June 1942) is a Chilean politician and civil engineering, civil engineer who served as president of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He was also a Senate of Chile, Senator, fulfilling the role of ...

, as

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

from 2000 to 2005 under president Ricardo Lagos, and as

Secretary General of the Organization of American States The Secretary General of the Organization of American States is the highest position within the Organization of American States. Duties According to the Charter of the Organization of American States: Secretaries General of the OAS ...

from 2005 to 2015. Insulza is nicknamed ''El

Panzer {{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no Words and phrases Germanic words and phrases Words and phrases by language la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...

'' in Chile, for his tank-like drive and reputation due to his ability to take political heat with little apparent damage. He is married to Georgina Núñez Reyes (Mexican) and has three children.

Early life and education

Insulza completed his primary and secondary education at St. George's College, an elite American English-language school in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. He demonstrated an early interest in civil service while studying law at the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, serving as president of the Law Students Center, vice president of the University of Chile Student Federation (FECH), and President of the National Association of Student Unions (UFUCH). After graduating from law school, he obtained a graduate degree from the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty (FLACSO) and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He was professor of

Political Theory Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...

at the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

and of

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

at the Catholic University in Chile until 1973.

Career

Early beginnings

Insulza was a member of the Popular Unitary Action Movement (MAPU) from 1969 to 1973. He ran for deputy for the Third District of Santiago, Puente Alto, in the 1973 parliamentary election but was unsuccessful. He served as Political Advisor to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Chile in 1973.

Exile in Mexico

Following the

1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état () was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president of Chile Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition government. Allende, who has been described as the first Marxist ...

, Insulza was prohibited from re-entering Chile (he had been at an international conference in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

at the time). He spent the next 15 years in exile, living first in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

from 1974 to 1981 and then in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

from 1981 to 1988. There, he worked as a researcher, eventually becoming the Director of the United States Studies Institute at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE). He also taught at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

, the

Universidad Iberoamericana The Ibero-American University (), also referred to by its acronym ''UIA'' but commonly known as ''Ibero'' or ''La Ibero'', is a private, Catholic, Mexican higher education institution, sponsored by the Mexican province of the Society of Jesus ( ...

, and the Diplomatic Studies Institute. He has written numerous publications in his field. He joined the Socialist Party of Chile in 1985.

Return to Chile

Insulza returned to Chile in early 1988 and joined the '' Concertación'' coalition of left-leaning political parties as a member of the Socialist Party. Following the end of military rule, Insulza was appointed Chilean Ambassador for International Cooperation in 1990. He became Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and Vice President of the International Cooperation Agency (AGCI) some time later. He became 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 Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs under president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. On September 20, 1994, he rose to the position of

. Insulza quickly accepted the unfavorable and disputed ruling regarding the Laguna del Desierto dispute, which awarded the vast majority of the territory to Argentina. He was a promoter of the controversial 1998 agreement regarding the Southern Patagonian Ice Field dispute which sought to redraw the boundary already defined 100 years ago by the surveyors of both countries, together with María Teresa Infante Caffi, then director of the DIFROL. On June 22, 1999, he became Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency. On March 11, 2000, he took office as

under president Ricardo Lagos.

Secretary General of the Organization of American States

Insulza was elected

on May 2, 2005, following Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez's withdrawal from the race. (''See'' 2005 Organization of American States Secretary General election.) On January 5, 2007, Insulza criticized Venezuelan president

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

's decision not to renew television channel RCTV's broadcast license (Chávez had accused the station of being a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

instigator.) Three days later, Chávez responded to Insulza by calling for his resignation and referring to him as a '' pendejo''—a Spanish

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

equivalent to "dumbass". Insulza later received the support of several OAS members, including the US, and Chávez conceded he had gone too far with his words. In April 2008, Chávez congratulated Insulza for stating in a presentation before the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere that there was no evidence linking Venezuela to terrorist groups. Insulza openly stated his intention to run for

President of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...

, but withdrew from the race on January 5, 2009 and vowed to continue as Secretary General of the OAS until the end of his mandate. He gave his support to

as the '' Concertación'' candidate for president. On March 24, 2010, Insulza—the sole candidate—was reelected (with the abstention of Bolivia) as OAS chief for another five-year term. Insulza won th
Washington Office on Latin America's
prestigious Human Rights Award in 2008. In 2014 Insulza was awarded the prestigious Kalman H. Silvert Award presented by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.

Criticism

As Secretary General, Insulza was criticized for not taking enough action against human rights abuses in the Americas. In 2008, the Human Rights Foundation started the "Inter-American Democratic Charter and Mr. Insulza" program, to inform Insulza every month of human rights abuses taking place in the Americas.

Later career

In 2019, Insulza joined the inaugural meeting of the so-called Puebla Group in Buenos Aires, a conference of left-leaning political leaders.Nicolás Misculin (November 9, 2019)
Argentina's Fernandez joins leftist leaders for 'Puebla Group' summit
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''.

References

Links

Biography at OAS siteInsulza CV
(OAS.org)
"Perfil de Insulza, futuro Secretario General de la OEA"
(El Mercurio Online, Santiago)

(grassrootsonline.org)

External links

"Checkmate by Default: Insulza Wins OAS Race because he is the Sole Candidate that Remains"
(The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, May 2, 2005)
Biography by CIDOB
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Insulza, Jose Miguel 1943 births Living people Diplomats for Chile Chilean exiles Chilean agnostics Ministers of the interior of Chile Foreign ministers of Chile Chilean Ministers Secretary General of the Presidency Saint George's College, Santiago alumni Academic staff of Universidad Iberoamericana Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico Politicians from Santiago, Chile University of Chile alumni University of Michigan alumni Popular Unitary Action Movement politicians Socialist Party of Chile politicians Candidates for President of Chile Secretaries general of the Organization of American States Recipients of the Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Senators of the LV Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Senators of the LVI Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile