By Daniel Nardini
The Argentinian government has expressed deep concern to the Bolivian government about its recent defense treaty with Iran. The Argentinian government has sent an official inquiry to the Bolivian embassy trying to figure out why Bolivia would need such a military pact with a country known for backing terrorist groups and selling military hardware to rogue countries like Russia. Bolivia is not being threatened by any of its neighbors, and the details about this military pact are quite murky to put it mildly. What exactly will Iran give to Bolivia in terms of weaponry? What kind of training will the Iranian military give to the Bolivian military, and can such training be used by the Bolivian military to threaten its neighbors?
These questions are making Argentina wonder why such a military defense pact with Iran was signed in the first place. Under current leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia has more than anything become a threat to its neighbors. Bolvia has a land dispute with Chile about a land corridor to the Pacific Ocean. Before 1879, Bolivia had a land corridor through part of the Atacoma Desert to the Pacific Ocean. Chile on the one hand and Bolivia and Peru on the other fought for control of this land corridor in the War of the Pacific where Chile, with the support of Argentina, won and forced Bolivia to give up this land corridor to Chile. Bolivia never really accepted this loss of territory, and recently Evo Morales has made it a cornerstone of his policy in dealing with Chile.
This military treaty between Chile and Iran should also be raising alarm bells in the United States. Any military agreement with a rogue state like Iran in the Americas is troubling. What exactly are Bolivia’s intentions in working with Iran? What does Iran want in South America? Just as alarming is that the Bolivian government has identified the United States as “the greatest danger to our sovereignty.” How is this possible? The United States has no armed forces in the region, and at this point has not armed any of the South American countries neighboring Bolivia. What has Bolivia to fear from the United States? All of this should raise suspicions in the United States as it is doing among Bolivia’s neighbors about what the Bolivian government is up to. With Iran actively helping the Russian government in its war against Ukraine, the whole of the Americas should be concerned about what Iran’s plans are in South America, and what Bolivia’s plans are against its neighbors.
Bolivia’s Defense Pact With Iran
By Daniel Nardini
These questions are making Argentina wonder why such a military defense pact with Iran was signed in the first place. Under current leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia has more than anything become a threat to its neighbors. Bolvia has a land dispute with Chile about a land corridor to the Pacific Ocean. Before 1879, Bolivia had a land corridor through part of the Atacoma Desert to the Pacific Ocean. Chile on the one hand and Bolivia and Peru on the other fought for control of this land corridor in the War of the Pacific where Chile, with the support of Argentina, won and forced Bolivia to give up this land corridor to Chile. Bolivia never really accepted this loss of territory, and recently Evo Morales has made it a cornerstone of his policy in dealing with Chile.
This military treaty between Chile and Iran should also be raising alarm bells in the United States. Any military agreement with a rogue state like Iran in the Americas is troubling. What exactly are Bolivia’s intentions in working with Iran? What does Iran want in South America? Just as alarming is that the Bolivian government has identified the United States as “the greatest danger to our sovereignty.” How is this possible? The United States has no armed forces in the region, and at this point has not armed any of the South American countries neighboring Bolivia. What has Bolivia to fear from the United States? All of this should raise suspicions in the United States as it is doing among Bolivia’s neighbors about what the Bolivian government is up to. With Iran actively helping the Russian government in its war against Ukraine, the whole of the Americas should be concerned about what Iran’s plans are in South America, and what Bolivia’s plans are against its neighbors.