Who is behind the right-wing Bolivian botnet?

[Judi Lynn]

After a violent coup in Bolivia, Twitter bots tried to nudge Americans to the side of the Bolivian far-right

KEITH A. SPENCER • NICOLE KARLIS
NOVEMBER 20, 2019 12:52AM (UTC)

After Bolivian left-populist leader Evo Morales won what would have been a fourth-term, trumped-up accusations of manipulation trumpeted by the right-wing opposition led to violent protests in the streets of Bolivia. Shortly thereafter, Morales’s right-wing opposition and their paramilitary bands began setting fire to the homes of members of Morales’ party, Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), which eventually led to Morales resigning in fear, hoping it would stop the violence. President Donald Trump called the resignation “a significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere”; many in Latin America called it, more accurately, a right-wing coup.

. . .

Many of the right-wing rioters directed their fury at the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, and the police mutinized against the counter-protesters. Despite having all the clear signs of a right-wing coup, much of the Western press has been avoiding using that term.

Morales was, by all accounts, a good president. Poverty was halved in Bolivia during his reign; health care spending went up, as did literacy; and the minimum wage more than doubled. Sadly, what happened to Morales was not a surprise. Historically, effective, democratically-elected leftist presidents in Latin American countries have been undermined and forced out by American-led coups organized by the CIA, including previously in Bolivia in the 1960s.

The American hand in this coup is quite clear. Earlier in November, the Bolivian media outlet Erbol published leaked audio that showed Bolivian opposition leaders discussing “a plan for social unrest, before and after the general elections, with the aim of preventing President Evo Morales from remaining.” In the audio, one opposition leader mentioned being in contact with US senators Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Ted Cruz, R-Tex.

. . .

American intelligence agencies have a history of working to build American consent for supporting dictatorships. Likewise, social media bots have been known to meddle in elections around the world and spread disinformation — but of course, there is always a human behind bots.

More:
https://www.salon.com/2019/11/19/who-is-behind-the-right-wing-bolivian-botnet/

[alwaysinasnit]

1. K&R Thanks for posting.

[ArizonaLib]

2. Thanks for devoting so much to bringing/keeping light on these events

The world is getting smaller and I hope my daughters experience or help experience liberal change in all of the Americas.