Bolivia's Booting of USAID 'No Surprise'

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Thursday, May 2, 2013 by Common Dreams

Bolivia's Booting of USAID 'No Surprise'

President Evo Morales expels USAID from country following years of fomenting opposition

- Andrea Germanos, staff writer

Following President Evo Morales' expulsion of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from Bolivia on Wednesday, some analysts are saying the only surprising thing about the news is in how long it took.

~snip~
But USAID's involvement in Bolivia has been questionable for years.

Writing in The Americas Blog, Center for Economic and Policy Research's Jake Johnston points out that

The role of USAID in Bolivia has been a primary point of contention between the U.S. and Bolivia dating back to at least 2006. State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell characterized Morales’ statement as “baseless allegations.” While State Department spokespeople and many commentators will characterize USAID's work with oppositional groups as appropriate, a look at the agency's work over the past decade paints a very different picture.

Documents obtained by investigative journalist Jeremy Bigwood show that as early as 2002, USAID funded a “Political Party Reform Project,” which sought to “serve as a counterweight to the radical MAS [Morales’ political party] or its successors.” Later USAID began a program “to provide support to fledgling regional governments,” some of which were pushing for regional autonomy and were involved in the September 2008 destabilization campaign that left some 20 indigenous Bolivians dead. Meanwhile, the U.S. has continually refused to disclose the recipients of aid funds. As a recent CEPR report on USAID activities in Haiti concluded, U.S. aid often goes into a “black box” where it becomes impossible to determine who the ultimate recipients actually are.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/02-7

[idwiyo]

1. K&R

[Judi Lynn]

2. Related article from link in O.P.: Bolivia: US worked to divide social movements, WikiLeaks shows

Bolivia: US worked to divide social movements, WikiLeaks shows

Sunday, September 18, 2011
By Federico Fuentes

WikiLeaks' release of cables from the United States embassy in La Paz has shed light on its attempts to create divisions in the social and indigenous movements that make up the support base of the country’s first indigenous-led government. The cables prove the embassy sought to use the US government aid agency, USAID, to promote US interests.

A March 6, 2006, cable titled “Dissent in Evo’s ranks” reports on a meeting only months after Morales' inauguration as president in December 2005 with “a social sectors leader” from the altiplano (highlands) region in the west. The social leader was said to have links with the radical federation of neighbourhood councils in El Alto (Fejuve), the coca growers union in Los Yungas and a peasant organisation in La Paz.

Many of these organisations, in particular Fejuve, spearheaded the wave of revolt that overthrew two pro-US neoliberal presidents in 2003 and 2005. It was also crucial to the election of Morales.

Despite viewing these sectors as “traditionally confrontational organisations”, then-ambassador David Greenlee believed that: “Regardless of [US] policy direction in Bolivia, working more closely with these social sector representatives” who were expressing dissent towards Morales “seems to be most beneficial to (US government) interests”.

More:
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/48865

[bemildred]

3. The US does not accept that the US does not decide what it can do in other countries. nt

[MinM]

4. Bolivia Expels USAID: Not Why, but Why Not Sooner

Bolivia Expels USAID: Not Why, but Why Not Sooner

Written by Jake Johnston
Wednesday, 01 May 2013 15:27

...The AP spoke with Kathryn Ledebur of the Andean Information Network, reporting that she “was not surprised by the expulsion itself but by the fact that Morales took so long to do it after repeated threats.” Given the amount of evidence in declassified documents that point to U.S. aid funds going to opposition groups and being used to bolster opposition to the Morales government, the expulsion indeed comes as little surprise. Further, as evidence continues to mount of the role of USAID in undermining governments, governments from across the region have become more openly critical of the U.S. aid agency.

As Brazilian investigative journalist Natalia Viana recently detailed in The Nation, USAID was funding groups in Paraguay that would eventually be involved in the ouster of President Lugo. Viana writes that through USAID’s largest program in Paraguay, they would end up supporting “some of the very institutions that would play a central role in impeaching Lugo six years later, including not just the police force but the Public Ministry and the Supreme Court.”

Additionally, the role of USAID in funding opposition groups in Venezuela has been well documented. A recently released Wikileaks cable reveals the U.S. government’s five point strategy for Venezuela, which the cable makes clear USAID worked to implement. The goals were; “1) Strengthening Democratic Institutions, 2) Penetrating Chavez' Political Base, 3) Dividing Chavismo, 4) Protecting Vital US business, and 5) Isolating Chavez internationally.”

Last June, immediately following the Paraguay coup, the ALBA group of countries (of which Bolivia is a member) signed a declaration requesting that “the heads of state and the government of the states who are members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, immediately expel USAID and its delegates or representatives from their countries, due to the fact that we consider their presence and actions to constitute an interference which threatens the sovereignty and stability of our nations.” ...

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/bolivia-expels-usaid-not-why-but-why-not-sooner

[Judi Lynn]

5. Horrendous, isn't it? Can you imagine what the US corporate media

would do with the news a country other than the US had been doing these things inside another country? They would NEVER stop shrieking about it. When it's the U.S., the U.S. citizens don't hear a peep from them, as if it just never happened.

Astonishing hypocrisy and deceit, and malice.

[ocpagu]

6. Really no surprise.

USAID had it coming, knew about it and simply didn't care. And also the best answer Bolivia could give to Kerry's arrogant remark about "our backyard". I said right after reading Kerry's statement that if he starts pushing, he would get. There it is.