Born in Santiago , Chile , on July 22, 1948, he is married to Pamela Quick and has one daughter.

Education and Academic Awards

He holds a Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver, Colorado (1978), a Diploma in International Relations from the Catholic University of Chile (1975, graduated with honors), and also took courses at Harvard University. He received a B.A. with a major in Political Science at the State University of New York, Oswego . Recipient of the "Distinguished Alumnus Award" from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver (1991), he was bestowed with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the State University of New York (1996). He has received fellowships from: Resources for the Future, the Ford Foundation, the Tinker Foundation, the Twentieth Century Fund, and the MacArthur Foundation. He was a Ph.D. fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington , D.C. (1977).

Academic and Professional Posts

He was president of The Economist Conferences, Chile (1998-1999), and president of Latinanalyst Consultores. He is a professor at the Institute of International Studies of the University of Chile . He founded and was Director of the foreign policy institute, "Programa de Seguimiento de las Políticas Exteriores Latinoamericanas" (PROSPEL), Santiago, Chile, 1983-1990. He has been a visiting professor or lecturer at several universities and diplomatic academies in the United States , Europe, and Latin America .

Publications

He has published more than 20 books and dozens of essays in academic journals such as Foreign Policy, The Journal of Democracy, The Journal of Interamerican and World Affairs, and Latin American Research Review. Among his books in English : Latin American Nations in World Politics, 2nd Edition (Boulder and London: Westview Press, 1998), co-edited with J. Tulchin. In Spanish, his most recent book is Globalización XXI ( Santiago : Aguilar, 2000). He has written numerous op-ed pieces in newspapers, such as El Mercurio, Folha de Sao Paulo, The Los Angeles Times, and The Miami Herald, and Página 12. He has been often interviewed on CNN, NBC, and other TV networks in the United States , Chile , and Brazil , and by written media, such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Time.

Political Activities

In 1973, under the Salvador Allende government, he served as National Supervisor of the People's Stores (Almacenes del Pueblo) until the coup d'etat of September 11, 1973. He is a co-founder of the Party for Democracy (PPD) and was a member of the Political Commission and Chairman of the Metropolitan Santiago Region of the PPD (1988 to 1990), elected with the highest majority in the country. He also served as Secretary of International Relations of the Socialist Party of Chile (1983-1985); was the joint representative of the Socialist Party and of the PPD in the Executive Committee of the "NO Campaign" for the plebiscite held in Chile in 1988 that defeated General Pinochet. He also was the Vice Chairman of the International Commission that prepared the foreign policy program of what later became the government of President Patricio Aylwin. In 1989 he was Campaign Chief of Ricardo Lagos' senatorial race. In 1999 he was the International Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign of Ricardo Lagos, and headed the International and Defense Commission that drafted the foreign policy platform of President Lagos.

Government Posts

He was Ambassador of Chile to Brazil (1994-1998) and Ambassador to the Organization of American States (1990-1994).

At the OAS he presided the Environment Commission (1991-1992) and the Permanent Council (1993). He was the chief negotiator of the "Santiago Commitment to Democracy," an instrument that, beginning in 1991, allowed the OAS member states to act multilaterally to defend democratic governments in the Americas . He also headed the OAS de-bureaucratization process that came to a close with the fusion of two specialized councils: and was responsible for introducing the struggle against corruption issue in the OAS agenda.

In Brazil he participated actively in the negotiations between Ecuador and Peru that led to a peace agreement between the two countries, and dedicated special efforts to expanding economic ties between Brazil and Chile .

He was Deputy Foreign Minister of the government of President Ricardo Lagos between March 2000 and January 2002. While at the Foreign Ministry he was chief negotiator of the trade agreement between Chile and the European Union (EU); he also negotiated the agreement that put an end to Chile's dispute with the EU over swordfish, and was one of the six "negotiators-facilitators" of the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO), presiding the group, "Trade and Environment," in the successful launching of the Doha Round which brought together Ministers Representatives from over 150 countries.

He was Minister Secretary General of Government between January 2002 and March 2003 in the cabinet of President Ricardo Lagos. In that post, he led the campaign that ended in the successful approval by Congress of the film rating law that eliminated censorship in Chile ; headed the process for Congressional approval of the bill on professional sports corporations and promoted campaigns against violence in stadiums. As official government spokesman, he contributed to organizing the public message regarding government priorities.

In May 2003, President Lagos named him Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations.