▁direct ▁negoti ations ▁attempting ▁to ▁sett le ▁the ▁Be agle ▁conflict , ▁Chile an ▁President ▁August o ▁P ino ch et ▁assured ▁that ▁Chile ▁had ▁no ▁expansion ist ▁intent ions , ▁but ▁that ▁his ▁government ▁would ▁" def end ▁the ▁pat rim ony ▁that ▁belongs ▁to ▁it ▁by ▁right ." ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁and ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁centuries , ▁Chile ▁tempor arily ▁resolved ▁its ▁border ▁disput es ▁with ▁Argentina ▁with ▁the ▁P una ▁de ▁At ac ama ▁Law suit ▁of ▁ 1 8 9 9 ▁and ▁the ▁Cord ill era ▁of ▁the ▁And es ▁B ound ary ▁Case , ▁ 1 9 0 2 . ▁ ▁Chile ' s ▁rise ▁as ▁a ▁major ▁ge opol it ical ▁power ▁in ▁the ▁South ▁Pacific ▁also ▁had ▁the ▁consequence ▁of ▁placing ▁it ▁in ▁direct ▁confront ation ▁with ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁Crit ic ism ▁▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Chile an ▁diplom at ▁Juan ▁Sal azar ▁S par ks , ▁the ▁political ▁theories ▁of ▁And rés ▁B ello ▁and ▁Diego ▁Port ales ▁were ▁neither ▁expansion ist ▁nor ▁inter vention ist ; ▁rather , ▁he ▁arg ues , ▁they ▁believed ▁that ▁Chile ' s ▁status ▁as ▁a ▁mar itime ▁nation ▁and ▁its ▁role ▁as ▁a ▁prom oter ▁of ▁Pan - American ism ▁rest ed ▁on ▁its ▁moral ▁leadership , ▁cultural ▁influence , ▁and ▁success ▁in ▁maintain ing ▁the ▁regional ▁balance ▁of ▁power . ▁Moreover , ▁he ▁cons iders ▁that ▁Chile ▁was ▁forced ▁into ▁wars ▁with ▁Peru ▁and ▁Boliv ia ▁in ▁order