Chile, Peru: A Persistent Maritime Territorial Dispute

Peru and Chile have engaged in heightened rhetoric and a flurry of meetings in recent weeks, with irritations on both sides over issues ranging from military and naval relations to an ongoing maritime border dispute. While the latest spats do not mean the two will come to blows anytime soon, they do reflect the rivalry embedded in these states' geographical proximity, which has been fueled most recently by uneasiness over increasing arms purchases and diverging security perceptions.