Chile is facing one of its worst social crises since the end of General Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship in 1990. A rise in public transport fares ignited a series of street protests and unrest—paralyzing the country, killing 15, and forcing President Sebastián Piñera to declare a state of emergency. On Tuesday night, Mr. Piñera addressed the nation, asking Chileans to forgive him—and his predecessors—for failing to appease creeping anger in the nation caused by increasing levels of inequality.
Brazilians know this script all too well.
In 2013, the country saw a hike in bus fares in São Paulo evolve into...
