The Concept of International Crisis in the National Defense Books of Chile

Abstract

This paper seeks to carry out an analysis of the concept of crisis from the perspective of the Chilean national defense books published in 1997, 2002 and 2010. It aims to establish a theoretical ap- proach to the problem of international crisis, from the international relations view, later to link them to the concept of international conflict. Then it presents how the subject has been incorporated in national politics, understood as a situation of tension that may occur in the internal or external environment of a state, compromising essential interests of the actors involved. At the same time, and according to the defense books, a classification is exposed that has enhanced the levels of understanding of the matter. Finally, the theory presented is applied to two cases of international crisis: the conflict between Argentina and Chile in 1978, and the conflict in Syria in 2015.