Two months after José Antonio Kast took office in Santiago, Chile’s political turn is no longer a matter of speculation. The contrast with the outgoing administration of Gabriel Boric has begun to translate into concrete diplomatic signals, offering a revealing window into how Latin America may position itself amid geopolitical tensions. Chile is no minor actor: it remains one of Latin America’s most stable economies and a country with significant regional influence.

Under Boric, Chile framed the war and the wider Middle Eastern crisis largely through a human rights and international law lens, while adopting increasingly confrontational positions toward Israel. Kast, by contrast, has placed his emphasis on alignment with democratic partners, security cooperation and a more strategic reading of global instability. That shift does not erase Chile’s complex domestic landscape, but it does change the diplomatic tone.

The clearest signal came in May, when Kast met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the presidential transition in Costa Rica and told him that Chile intended to return its ambassador to Israel after more than two years. He also expressed an interest in expanding cooperation with Israel in areas such as agriculture, health, artificial intelligence, technology and security. What had seemed in March like a possible recalibration has now begun to acquire institutional form.

This matters beyond bilateral symbolism. Israel’s global diplomatic environment remains under pressure, and reliable partners in regions often considered peripheral to Middle Eastern affairs are becoming increasingly valuable. In that context, Chile —a country with........

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