Vamos a ver

Since I have a little extra time on my hands than originally expected, I did a little reading up on Bolivia’s history and current government today and thought I would share what I learned. I guess Greg’s love for learning about history these days is rubbing off on me. He loves reading historical fiction books and watching historical theatre and films, so I have decided to dedicate this post to him. Oh how I miss him so much already!

Most people associate Bolivia with its current president, Evo Morales. That’s him there in the picture to the right. Morales, who was elected in 2005, is Bolivia’s first indigenous president and part of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS). A former coca grower, Morales, aims to empower the local indigenous population, redistribute land to the poor, and give the local people a voice after centuries of being controlled by Spanish descendants.

However since his election, he has implemented several governmental changes that have resulted in internal unrest as well as the loss of former international allies. In some cases, parts of Bolivia have even threatened to secede from the country. What has caused this? Generally speaking, the problem stems around two main issues: gas and coca.

Bolivia is known for having the second largest reserve of natural gas in South America and the indigenous people see their natural gas reserves as a way out of poverty and a source for internal economic development.However, in the late 1990's and early 2000's, several local natural gas labor groups in Bolivia were quite dissatisfied with their profits being lost to foreign exploitation of this prized resource. The indigenous people conducted several protests, demanding full ownership of the resource and in 2006, with the election of Morales, the country’s gas resources were nationalized to protect against further foreign exploitation. While the decision to nationalize gas resources was primarily meant as a means to renegotiate contracts rather than confiscate assets, it continues to cause ongoing problems internally and has caused a sharp division between the poorer indigenous people and the more wealthy European descendants who both call Bolivia their home.

In addition to his views on natural gas, Morales also supports legalizing coca farming in Bolivia for use in its unprocessed form (for spiritual uses and in tea and other coca-based products). He does not support the production of the chemical derivative, cocaine. Not surprisingly, this too has created internal division within the country as well as tarnished Bolivia's international relations with former allies who favor a “coca zero” versus “cocaine zero” policy.

So, what will become of Bolivia? Will Morales’ policies bring true economic power for the bolivianos or will it further divide the country? Well, as they say in Spanish, vamos a ver (we will see)…