Former Chilean presidents Michelle Bachelet and Gabriel Boric rejected on Thursday the decision by José Antonio Kast’s government to join the so-called Shield of the Americas, promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a published declaration, the former presidents recalled that Chile’s foreign policy has historically been based on the defense of sovereignty and autonomy, respect for international law and human rights, and the protection of its permanent interests.

While they acknowledge that international cooperation is indispensable to face threats such as organized crime, they said such collaboration must always be carried out without subordinating foreign, security or defense policy to priorities defined by a foreign power.

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“We are also concerned that concepts such as continental sovereignty could end up weakening the fundamental principle of national sovereignty that our country has historically defended,” the text warns.

Con @mbachelet hemos escrito esta declaración conjunta ante la adhesión del gobierno de Chile a la iniciativa del Presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, del “Escudo de las Américas”.

Invitamos al Presidente José Antonio Kast a reconsiderar la permanencia de Chile en esta… pic.twitter.com/eC7mVK2u0F

— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) September 24, 2026

For Bachelet and Boric, in the current geopolitical scenario, Chile should not be forced to choose a side, but rather strengthen its alliances and relations with different countries and regions, without exclusions imposed from outside and always preserving its strategic autonomy. The former presidents called on Kast to reconsider remaining in this instance and expressed their willingness to collaborate in building strategies to confront organized crime, while safeguarding the sovereignty and autonomy that have characterized Chilean foreign policy since the return to democracy.

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