John Biehl

John Henry Biehl del Río (/ˌdʒɒn ˈbiːl/; b. Valparaíso, 26 August 1939) is a Chilean lawyer, political scientist, and diplomat who served as the cabinet-level Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency for Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle's administration.

Early life

Biehl is of Danish ancestry. He studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso in his home city, and later national development in the Netherlands, and finally political science at the University of Essex, where he received his Master's degree.

Biehl was the founder and director of the Institute of Political Science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Diplomatic and political career

Although Biehl had never registered for any political party, he is considered more of a Christian Democrat due to his exile after the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and Pinochet's rise to power. He gained diplomatic experience acting as an advisor to various governments. These included that of Óscar Arias in Costa Rica, where he worked as a policymaker and speechwriter; The New York Times referred to him as Arias' "closest confidant" and "alter ego". Biehl also led the successful campaign for Arias' 1987 Nobel Peace Prize. As a United Nations official working for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Biehl also lived in Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. However, Biehl was forced out of the UN in 1987 after demands by the United States government, due to unhappiness in the Reagan administration over his part in Arias' opposition to funding of the Contras.