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Chavez often says what other leaders are thinking but won't say. In this case, I think that Argentina and Brazil are probably considering intervention, because their interests are most directly involved. They are Bolivia's chief gas customers--and the white separatists that our Bushwhacks have been funding and supporting in Bolivia are blowing up their pipelines, for godssakes!
These leaders are all friends, and have no doubt been on the telephone these last few days. They've probably discussed calling a meeting of the OAS or the Rio Group, to take some action--possibly an international peacekeeping force. This Bush-fomented disorder in Bolivia cannot be permitted to continue. Naturally, the Bolivian military feels resentful--the implication being that they can't keep order in their country. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. But, from their point of view, they feel dissed.
So this is likely why they address the communique to "Sr. Chavez and the international community." They know what's being talked of. It's not just Chavez. He's just the only one who said it publicly.
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On a related topic, explain this to me: Morales nationalised Bolivia's gas resource, and re-negotiated the contracts, DOUBLING Bolivia's gas revenues from $1 billion to $2 billion/yr! Most of the gas is in the white separatists' provinces. Although Morales took about $50 million of the gas revenues to create a national pension ($35/mo!) for the elderly poor, there is still PLENTY OF GAS CASH to go around. They could all be rich. Instead, the white separatists are causing serious disorder. Why? Also, none of the proposals in the new constitution--which was created by public assemblies (which the white separatists boycotted!)--is all that bad, from the white separatists' point of view. In fact, the new constitution permits semi-autonomy. So, WHY are they ripping the country to pieces? Is it mainly the Bushwhack funding and encouragement? Is it mainly racism? Are they like Exxon Mobil--they want ALL the profits, and are not willing to play by the rules and take any social responsibility?
It just seems so--what is the word? Suicidal? Self-defeating?
The white separatists are really not in a very good position--for all the trouble they are causing. Bolivia is land-locked, with leftist democracies (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile) on four sides of it. These governments support Morales, and have been cooperating with him. For instance, Chile just settled a 130 year old conflict with Bolivia over Bolivia's access to the sea. Brazil and Argentina both announced that they would not trade with any secessionist provinces of Bolivia. Paraguay (adjacent to the eastern provinces) just elected a leftist, thus cutting off the likeliest possible staging area for U.S.-Bush military support for the white separatists. And about a month ago, Brazil and Venezuela announced that they are funding a huge new project to build a road from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through Bolivia. They simply wouldn't be doing this for the white separatists. They are doing it for Evo Morales. The same with the sea access from Chile.
So, the white separatists, who are trying to secede and take the gas/oil resources with them, will lose the biggest gas customers, have no route to get the gas to other customers, have no friendly governments in the neighborhood, have no easy way to obtain military support from the U.S. (or Colombia--the other malefactor). (Peru--also on Bolivia's border--might cooperate with the Bushwhacks, but their corrupt government has a 20% approval rating, and problems of its own. I don't think they want trouble with the leftist majority of the continent.) And the white separatists' insurrection is making them 'persona non grata's' throughout their region. Who will trade with them? Who will recognize them? On top of all this, Morales just won 67% of the vote in a national referendum on his presidency--winning 40% to 50% of the vote in the troubled provinces--so they do NOT have unanimity in their provinces. I read one analysis of that election that showed that the entire secessionist movement is largely confined to one city, Santa Cruz.
It looks to me as if the Bushwhacks--playing on these peoples' greed, racism and lust for power--have provoked them into something of a suicide mission, on behalf of global corporate predators. They are dupes, patsies, puppets. I know there is some genuine local feeling about having more autonomy (and there is a history to this east-west conflict in Bolivia), and it isn't all racist. But they can have autonomy without destroying the country. They won't talk. The OAS has tried. The Catholic bishops have tried. Morales has tried. Everybody has tried to talk to them, to reach a compromise. And instead they go around rioting, killing poor peasants and blowing up pipelines. They seem insane. Bushwhacky insane--is my guess. Delusions of grandeur and bully power.
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