Events in Bolivia

MAS peasants arrive in La Paz after 190km march in 2005Picture: Indymedia Bolivia


Bolivia at the nexus of current Latin American political trends. The President, Evo Morales (Wikipedia article for background) is considered the country's first fully indigenous head of state in the 470 years since the Spanish conquest.


From Undermining Bolivia by Benjamin Dangl:

Declassified documents and interviews on the ground in Bolivia prove that the Bush Administration is using U.S. taxpayers’ money to undermine the Morales government and coopt the country’s dynamic social movements—just as it has tried to do recently in Venezuela and traditionally throughout Latin America.Much of that money is going through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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... “USAID is in Santa Cruz and other departments to help fund and strengthen the infrastructure of the rightwing governors.”

In February 2008 President Morales declared US embassy security officer Vincent Cooper an "undersirable person" for trying to recruit Fulbright scholars and Peace Corps volunteers to spy and report on activities where they were located in Bolivia, partly due to a complaint from one of the scholars.

The US appears to be encouraging the province of Santa Cruz, resource rich and whiter, to break away from the rest of Bolivia. There have been a number of stories about this.


Bolivia's Morales calls for talks on autonomy

Fri May 9, 2008 12:53am
By Carlos Alberto Quiroga
LA PAZ, May 8 (Reuters) - Bolivian President
Evo Morales called on Thursday for urgent talks with regional leaders to ease divisions over mounting demands for autonomy, but some said they were not yet ready for negotiations.
Bolivia's richest region of Santa Cruz voted heavily in favor of autonomy from central government in a referendum on Sunday and the leaders of at least three other regions said they will not meet with Morales until holding similar votes over the next two months.
The eastern lowland regions of Tarija, Beni and Pando plan referendums before the end of June.
The votes could strengthen the autonomy movement and increase conflict with the western highlands where Morales, a leftist and Bolivia's first indigenous president, has his support base ...

One Bolivia, white and wealthy By Jorge Majfud, Ph.D.

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Military colonialism has given way to political colonialism and the latter has passed the baton to cultural colonialism. This is why a government composed of ethnic groups historically repudiated at home and abroad not only must contend with the practical difficulties of a world dominated by and made to order for the capitalist system, whose only flag is the interest and benefit of financial classes ...

Bolivia takes control of oil and nationalizes telephone company

LA PAZ, May 1.—In the context of events celebrating May Day, President Evo Morales of Bolivia announced that, as of this Thursday, the state is to recover by decree the majority shares of three oil companies de-nationalized 10 years ago, AFP reports.

The companies are Chaco (British Petroleum), Transredes (Ashmore) and the Bolivian Hydrocarbons Logistic (CLHD), with Peruvian and German capital.

Commentary: Bolivia’s Internal Power Struggles
Samuel Logan
07 May 2008

The selfish interests of a small group of upper class Bolivian families could determine the future of their country’s geopolitical position in South America.

These families stand at the center of Bolivia’s secessionist movement in the state of Santa Cruz, where a referendum for the state’s autonomy was held on 4 May. Voters favored autonomy at 84%. It was a political gut shot for President Evo Morales’ administration. But the outcome reaches beyond Morales and could have prolonged consequences for both Brazil and Argentina.

Bolivia supplies Brazil and Argentina with the natural gas that moves industry in Brazil and warms homes in Argentina. Disruption of the flow of gas is not an option for either country. Two years ago, when Morales nationalized his country’s natural resources, he began a long battle to redistribute the wealth of his country from the hands of the few – represented by Santa Cruz – to the hands of the many, mostly his poor constituents. Yet in Santa Cruz stands the most concentrated group of interests that has the most to lose from Morales’ vision ...

And Next for Bolivia, Elections Once More The Democracy Center

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So, what does all this mean?
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Why is Evo putting his hard-won historic Presidency on the table? Well, there is the 'let's let the people decide," argument echoed by almost all of the threatened politicians. But no one plays this kind of poker without some confidence in his or her hand. My bet is that Evo and his allies see the situation like this. The opposition has battled his government to a near standstill. The autonomy vote in Santa Cruz has galvanized his political base in way it hasn’t been since his election win – witness the massive march in Cochabamba last Sunday. And he has cornered his opponents into playing at a table tipped distinctly to his mathematic advantage.
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There are several other scenarios possible.


Latin leftists line up behind politically troubled Bolivia

AFP - Apr 23, 2008CARACAS (AFP) — A chorus of anti-US leftist Latin American leaders issued a strong show of support Wednesday for Bolivia where the government believes it is ...

Bolivia Government Supported at Caracas Summit Periódico 26Leftist Latin American Leaders Sign Deal on Food Security Voice of AmericaChavez warns that "Bolivia is on the verge of exploding" Venezuelanalysis.com