By Daniel Nardini
One thing I should state is that the Republic of Bolivia has a new president named Rodrigo Paz. Bolivian President Paz is a political conservative who was elected last year because the majority of Bolivians were tired of the leftwing rule of the country by former President Evo Morales. Morales ruled Bolivia as a dictator from 2006 to 2019. Even though Morales’ autocratic rule ended in 2019, Morales attempted to come back to power in the 2020’s; plunging the country into chaos and instability. Even now, there are still many indigenous Bolivians who support Morales and would like to see him restored to power. This will be hard to do because Paz was democratically elected. However, Paz is walking a very fine line between the followers of Morales, the indigenous peoples who make up the majority of the population, and Paz’s efforts to try and improve relations with the United States. All of this is making for a very explosive mix.
Just last year, there were widespread demonstrations against steep price hikes for fuel and other necessities. After the entire country was engulfed in a dangerous tipping point, Paz backed down and negotiated with the indigenous tribes, the unions and the pro-Morales supporters to prevent the country from plunging into chaos and possibly civil war. Only recently, to calm investor confidence, President Paz has reassured that he will not tear up deals made with Russian and Chinese companies that already have shares in the lithium and oil sectors in the country. Bolivia is rich in lithium deposits and maybe in oil reserves, and under former President Morales the Russians and Chinese greatly benefited from the leftist regime. Current President Paz is a political conservative, and is closer ideologically to U.S. President Donald Trump, but like the United States, Bolivia is a very politically divided country. Paz may have considerable executive power with control of the military and the support of the Bolivian Congress, but he knows he faces the possibility of forces that could tear his country apart as happened before.
Could what is happening in Bolivia have an impact in the rest of South America? Yes, it can. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, and the real danger of instability and war can cause a refugee problem for other countries. At present, most of South America is concerned about the refugee problem in Venezuela. All of the problems that have made Venezuela a terrible place have not changed. It is possible this could happen in Bolivia as well. The country is barely holding together as it is. Does Bolivia have the promise of becoming a prosperous country? Absolutely, but right now the ghosts of Bolivia’s past still haunt the land as the country tries to manage stability in the early 21st Century.
And What About Bolivia?
By Daniel Nardini
Just last year, there were widespread demonstrations against steep price hikes for fuel and other necessities. After the entire country was engulfed in a dangerous tipping point, Paz backed down and negotiated with the indigenous tribes, the unions and the pro-Morales supporters to prevent the country from plunging into chaos and possibly civil war. Only recently, to calm investor confidence, President Paz has reassured that he will not tear up deals made with Russian and Chinese companies that already have shares in the lithium and oil sectors in the country. Bolivia is rich in lithium deposits and maybe in oil reserves, and under former President Morales the Russians and Chinese greatly benefited from the leftist regime. Current President Paz is a political conservative, and is closer ideologically to U.S. President Donald Trump, but like the United States, Bolivia is a very politically divided country. Paz may have considerable executive power with control of the military and the support of the Bolivian Congress, but he knows he faces the possibility of forces that could tear his country apart as happened before.
Could what is happening in Bolivia have an impact in the rest of South America? Yes, it can. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, and the real danger of instability and war can cause a refugee problem for other countries. At present, most of South America is concerned about the refugee problem in Venezuela. All of the problems that have made Venezuela a terrible place have not changed. It is possible this could happen in Bolivia as well. The country is barely holding together as it is. Does Bolivia have the promise of becoming a prosperous country? Absolutely, but right now the ghosts of Bolivia’s past still haunt the land as the country tries to manage stability in the early 21st Century.