Death toll rises in Bolivia
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Unrest in Bolivia continues, and the death toll in last week’s violence in a remote northern province rose to more than two dozen, Bolivia’s government said Sunday as it held frantic talks with opponents to avert further bloodshed.
Sporadic clashes were reported Sunday on roads outside the city of Santa Cruz, center of opposition to President Evo Morales. Many Bolivians expressed fears that a tense situation could spin out of control if a deal was not reached, reports Patrick J. McDonnell from Santa Cruz.
Both Bolivian President Evo Morales and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled their U.S ambassadors last week in what they claimed was an effort to minimize U.S interference in their respective countries. But a Los Angeles Times editorial says that such moves are just posturing by both nations:
‘Did somebody announce we are at war with Latin America and forget to tell us? The expulsion of the ambassadors came seemingly without provocation, and the notion that President Bush is plotting an invasion is laughable. Yet for Chavez and Morales, provoking the United States serves two purposes: It distracts domestic attention from their disastrous policies and could, they hope, produce an overreaction in kind from Washington that would further their interests. ‘Friction with the U.S. is essential to the political welfare of both leaders; their support is partly built on anti-Americanism. And they’re both facing challenges at home. Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, is aggressively attempting to redistribute the country’s wealth. That policy is popular with the indigenous majority, but wealthy white landowners in five provinces are fighting to secede from the country -- a move Morales says is supported by a racist U.S. government. Chavez remains reasonably popular at home, but a 34% inflation rate has intensified scrutiny of his incompetent domestic policies. It is an opportune moment for saber-rattling. By redirecting attention northward, the two leaders stoke the ever-present resentment toward the U.S. and tempt hard-liners here to respond in kind.’
Read the rest of the editorial on Bolivia and Venezuela here.
Click here for more on Bolivia and here for more on Venezuela.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City