On September 22, President Jose Antonio Kast announced in New York City that the country was joining this mechanism, which was created to fight drug trafficking, transnational crime, terrorism, and other offenses.

However, far from being merely a voluntary agreement between nations, as Kast attempted to frame it, it is a tool for military intervention and subordination to the United States.

President Donald Trump himself revealed it when he outlined the key issues that, beyond targeting organized crime, the initiative includes controlling critical points, such as ports and other facilities, and managing the flow of strategic minerals, including copper and lithium.

The latter aims to sever the commercial ties between countries in the region and China.

Although Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna affirmed that no formal agreement was signed, the details of this “shield” initiative sparked deep concern in Chile, not only among the political opposition but also among representatives of centrist and traditional right-wing parties.

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