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Caribbean-Latin America
Bolivia at brink of revolution. Again.
2005-06-03
Not WoT related, but something we should keep our eyes on just the same.
Bolivia's embattled government was teetering yesterday as the capital ground to a halt after two weeks of protests about an issue that has already toppled one president - the ownership of energy resources. Roadblocks shut down 60% of the country's main arteries, isolating several cities including La Paz and the main international airport. Fuel shortages were being reported in the capital, which has been rocked by sporadic violence for three days.

Tens of thousands of mainly indigenous protesters have descended on La Paz calling for the gas industry, the chief source of wealth, to be nationalised. They also want the constitution to be rewritten. The protesters, comprising miners, farmers, teachers and students, have tried to storm the heavily fortified plaza outside the national parliament, but have been repelled by teargas and rubber bullets. Some miners have thrown dynamite at the police ranks. Others have fanned out to wealthier neighbourhoods, smashing the windows of shops and parked cars.
Yeah, that'll make things better.
It was the worst breakdown of order since similar protests two years ago toppled the then president, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. His replacement, Carlos Mesa, has struggled to assert his authority, and has ordered congress to resolve the standoff, though he has promised not to use violence.

"We want to nationalise the gas because it is ours and it should be utilised first and foremost for the benefit of Bolivians and not the transnationals," said Nestor Guarachi, a 33-year-old teacher from El Alto, the poverty-stricken, 800,000-strong city overlooking La Paz which has been the hub of disaffection for two years. The vast majority of the protesters are also from El Alto, where more than three-fourths of the population are Indians, jobless, and survive on less than $2 (£1.10) a day.

Coup rumours are in the air. Last week two army colonels called for the Bolivian president to resign and some police officers were said to be considering mutiny.

The threat of separatism also looms large. The big gas region of Santa Cruz has long grown exasperated with the chaos in the country and local news reports have highlighted a plan by business and civic leaders to secede, including attempts to negotiate "protection agreements" with Brazil and Argentina.
It's almost as if they've heard about the Republic of Eastern Arabia.
An August referendum on greater autonomy for Santa Cruz is stoking heated debate in parliament.

But the cause has also been picked up by a broad cross section of society, particularly after congress refused two weeks ago to reassert full state control over the gas sector. It opted for a half-measure, raising taxes on multinationals. This alienated foreign investors without going far enough to satisfy the protesters.

Despite formidable gas reserves, Bolivia is South America's poorest country. Protesters argue that they, and not multinational corporations, should benefit from the country's natural resources. Alvaro Garcia, a sociologist in La Paz, said Bolivia's free market economic policies were only adding to the social exclusion the indigenous majority have had to live with for centuries.

"Neoliberalism has caused extreme poverty for the indigenous and given them justification for their efforts to recover the natural gas, which they consider to be a societal inheritance that must not be wasted," he said.
It's also been exploited by the Reds, who've been stirring the pot for decades.
But since privatisation nine years ago, the annual state take from the gas industry has fallen considerably, even though known reserves have grown ninefold. "Bolivians have the knowledge and expertise to do the job as good as foreign companies," said Enrique Mariaca, a former president of the state gas company and the founder of the Committee for the Defence of National Patrimony, one of the protest groups.
Posted by:Steve White

#6  "Not WoT related, but something we should keep our eyes on just the same."

The terrorists have linked up with both the human and drug traffickers of Latin America and Al Qaeda even said to have entered through Mexico courtesy of MS13, the Salvadoran street gang. A Hezbollah member crossed via Mexico and is in custody in Detroit. They are funded by drugs and no nation is untouched by terrorism. I think the problem is few recognize the connections and generally ignore our own backyard, which is rife with corrupt governments and unstable economies. This could be WoT related if we don't get a handle on illegal immigration as terrorists have a sixth sense for finding weaknesses to exploit. They should rewrite their constitution, hopefully patterned after the US.
Posted by: Danielle   2005-06-03 14:15  

#5  I used to have this girlfriend who was from Bolivia. One day a bunch of my friends and I were sitting around the kitchen table arguing politics when she came in, snorted at us, and said something like:

"Capitalism. Marxism. Fascism. Socialism. We Bolivians have tried all of them and nothing works!"
Posted by: Secret Master   2005-06-03 11:22  

#4  I guess I'm gonna fade into Bolivian.
Posted by: Mike Tyson   2005-06-03 11:17  

#3  No blood for coke! ;)

Seriously, Bolivia's always either having a revolution, just wrapping one up, or getting one started. I think they've had 130 governments by now. I may be underestimating the number.

It reminds me of one thing my mama told me about Bolivia when I was a tiny tot. She said they call off the revolution down there when it rains. They hate it when their bullets get wet.
Posted by: Desert Blondie   2005-06-03 10:38  

#2  Wait a minute! The price of cocaine could skyrocket!
Quick, send in the marines to stabilize the area!
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2005-06-03 08:18  

#1  Yeah, if Bolivia goes under were all screwed.


NOT
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2005-06-03 08:16  

00:00