The clear US role in Bolivia’s tragic hard-right coup

Evo Morales

With the backing of the US government, a highly sophisticated and well-resourced coup has succeeded in overthrowing Bolivia’s legitimate and democratically elected President Evo Morales.

This article for The Canary – which can be read in full here – argues that the way the coup was organised suggests that Washington’s extensive expertise in regime change in Latin America has been drawn upon to overthrow Evo Morales and his successful socialist government.

The mainstream media has meticulously avoided describing what has happened in Bolivia as a “coup.” The role that the US has played in assaulting Bolivia’s democracy has barely been mentioned at all.

The reality is that the US has been actively intervening in Bolivia with the goal of overthrowing Evo Morales for more than a decade. It previously backed the ‘media luna’ coup attempt in 2008-09 and, as Wikileaks revealed, the US provided funding to opposition groups involved. It also continues to fund a plethora of Bolivian ‘civic’ groups that have been involved in the campaign to destabilise and destroy Bolivia’s democracy in recent weeks.

Days before Evo Morales was forced to step down, audio tapes were published that implicated the US Embassy, US Senators and right wing opposition politicians in a coup plot.

The US has cultivated extensive links with Bolivia’s right wing opposition – including within the army and police force as well as fascistic groups. This has been done in order to overthrow Evo Morales, install a right wing puppet regime with the ultimate goal of making Bolivia the US’ ‘backyard’ again.

During almost 14 years as President Evo Morales dramatically reduced poverty and delivered an economic transformation of the country. He also moved Bolivia out of the US orbit of domination by developing trade links with China on the basis of ‘win-win’ development and creating a multipolar world.

This was intolerable to the US. The relationship that the US wants with Bolivia is the one of total domination that had existed prior to Evo Morales becoming President in 2006.

The coup is a major defeat for the people of Bolivia who are facing violent repression. However, the left in Bolivia have deep social roots and mass support. The Bolivian people have resisted colonialism for centuries and aren’t going to stop now.

Read the full article on The Canary: ‘The clear US role in Bolivia’s tragic hard right coup.’.