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leftist president, Michele Batchelet, at long last settling the 100+ year old dispute between Chile and Bolivia, over Bolivia's access to the sea. She and Evo Morales formed an agreement which gives Bolivia a port on the Pacific in Chile (in that narrow strip of Chile which borders Bolivia's mid-section). Also, one other important preliminary was the agreement of Brazil, Venezuela and others, to fund creation of a new highway, from Brazil's Atlantic coast, across South America, and through Bolivia, to the Pacific. This will make Bolivia a major trade route, for trade along both coasts, and from the "global south" (Africa), as well as Europe, to the Asia-Pacific region (and back the other way).
The rightwing does wars--and everybody suffers except the war profiteers. The leftwing does peace--and everybody gains. It's so obvious, there and here.
One other observation: This disputed area, between Bolivia and Paraguay, is the province of Santa Cruz, seat of the white separatist movement that instigated riots and murder this last September, funded and organized out of the U.S. embassy (and by the DEA). It is quite possible that the Bushwhacks had planned to convey U.S. military support to the white separatists in landlocked Bolivia, via Paraguay, heretofore a fascist stronghold. But meanwhile (summer '08), Paraguay elected its first leftist president, ever--the highly popular Fernando Lugo--overturning 61 years of rightwing rule, including a period of heinous dictatorship. Lugo wants the U.S. military out of his country, and other things occurred--such as Paraguay rescinding its non-extradition law, and its immunity for the U.S. military--over the last year or so--making the likely Bushwhack plan to support the split-off of Santa Cruz (and several other gas/oil rich provinces) into a separate fascist mini-state in control of the resources, untenable. This was a very important event in South American history, on a par with the people of Venezuela defeating the Bushwhack-supported coup against Hugo Chavez in 2002. Morales threw the U.S. ambassador and the DEA out of Bolivia, for their collusion in the fascist riots and civil war plan, and the other leaders of South America called a meeting of UNASUR--the new South American Common Market, formalized only last summer--and gave Morales immediate and unanimous support, and helped broker a peace settlement (which allowed the Constitutional vote to go forward). The Venezuelan event, in 2002, was the first time that a South American people was able to defeat a U.S.-supported fascist coup. And the event in Bolivia, in 2008, was the first time that South America pulled together in defense of the sovereignty of their countries, and against U.S. interference.
This settlement of the boundary dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay further concretizes Bolivia's borders (including Santa Cruz) and its integrity as a nation, under the authority of the Morales government. It is a follow-up to these other events, and brings the weight of third parties (such as Argentina) and the will of the region's leaders to bear upon the inclusion of Santa Cruz (and its gas/oil riches) within Bolivia, and also creates stronger diplomatic ties between Bolivia and Paraguay, to prevent either one from ever being used to harm the other.
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