Summary
Bolivia is in turmoil this week after President Carlos Mesa's offer to resign failed to end the violent protests that have rocked the capital in recent weeks. Roads are shut off, food shortages have been reported and crowds of tens of thousands, mostly Indians and miners, are clashing with riot police. At the root of the crisis is a push to turn Bolivia into a high Andean clone of Venezuela, which would be disastrous for Bolivia and a deep concern for the United States. Mr. Mesa warned Wednesday that his country is "on the verge of civil war."
The anti-government ringleader is Evo Morales, a Marxist politician who wants Bolivia to nationalize the country's gas reserves, the second-largest in South America. Mr. Morales, an Aymara Indian, has risen on a wave of anger over the economic policies of Mr. Mesa and his predecessor, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who, like Mr. Mesa this week, resigned after street protests in late 2003.See the full content of this document
Extract
The Andean Crisis
Just a few years ago, Bolivia was looking like a quiet Andean success story. By the late 1990s, coca eradication...
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