Washington Elite Still Don't Get Latin America - Will They Ever? 
By Mark Weisbrot - CEPR, The Huffington Post, June 30, 2010: I had the privilege of watching "South of the Border" in a soccer stadium filled with more than 6,000 people in Cochabamba, Bolivia, a few weeks ago. At one point in the film Evo Morales tells the story of Tupac Katari, an indigenous leader who fought against the Spanish colonialists in the 18th century. Evo recalls Tupac Katari's last words, before he was drawn and quartered by the Spanish: "I die as one, but I will come back as millions." Evo then looks into the camera and says: "Now we are millions." Unlike in Washington, every person in that stadium knew exactly what he meant.
BD Comment: Mr. Weisbrot, along with Oliver Stone, the staff at CEPR, Jim Schultzs´ Democracy Center, the Andean Information Network, and other US and European pseudo-intellectual "elites" are part of a difficult to comprehend, highly biased, misinformed, distorted, and distorting force as to what is truly happening in Bolivia. What is clear to those of us who have been born, raised, and live in Bolivia, fighting on a daily basis to make our nation a better and happier nation for all bolivians, is that this crowd of cheerleaders to the dictatorial leaders of the Bolivarian movement are either confused or consciously willing to support dictatorial regimes that (1) Admire and are actively and openly emulating and partnering with dictators and enemies of the United States including Ahmedinejad, Castro, and Lukashenko ... (Read on ...)
Bolivia Ayllus Council Decries Indigenous March
La Habana - Cuba - Prensa Latina, 28-Jun-2010-- Bolivia National Ayllus and Markas Council of Qullasuyu (CONAMAQ) rejected on Monday the march organizad by leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia (CIDOB) demanding autonomy.
MEPs claim to be under attack from, er, Colombian secret service
Telegraph, June 25, 2010: A number of Euro-MPs have always seen Colombia, and in particular its recent leader, Alvaro Uribe, as proxies of Washington. South America has its share of caudillos at present. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Rafael Correa in Ecuador have all rewritten their constitutions to remove the checks on presidential power. Uribe, by contrast, insisted on standing down when his term came to an end, defying the clamour of his people who had wanted, by a large majority, to amend Colombia's constitution so as to allow him to stay. Last month, the diminutive Liberal politician returned to his hacienda, as Cincinnatus to his plough, leaving a stronger, freer and richer state behind him. Yet it is his regime, not the surrounding autocracies, which MEPs choose to condemn.
Coca cultivation falls in Colombia, rises in Peru
CNN, June 23, 2010: If current trends continue, Peru is poised to overtake Colombia as the world's top producer of coca, the plant used in the production of cocaine, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's coca crop surveys for Bolivia, Colombia and Peru showed a 5 percent drop in the amount of coca being grown in the Andean countries, but Peru bucked the trend with a significant increase.In the Andean region as a whole, the amount of coca bush being grown fell from 167,000 hectares in 2008 to 158,000 hectares in 2009. In Peru, however, coca cultivation increased 6.8 percent from 2008 to 59,900 hectares in 2009. According to UNODC, Peru has had a 55 percent increase in coca cultivation in the past 10 years. "If the current trend continues, Peru will soon overtake Colombia as the world's biggest coca producer -- a notorious status that it has not had since the mid-1990s," Costa said. "There are limits to what the Andean governments can do if people keep snorting cocaine," Costa said. "It is therefore up to governments in coke-consuming countries -- mostly in Europe and North America -- to take their share of responsibility and reduce demand for cocaine," Costa said.
BD Comment: The production and transformation of coca and cocaine, of poppies into heroin, are not localized problems. Any serious attempt to reduce the devastating power of narcotraffic on people, communities, governments and the envirornment requires a systemic and integrated understanding and solution. A systemic approach to the challenges of the coca-cocaine circuit in the Americas will probably show that relative "victories" and progress in the war on drugs in one nation or region --such as Colombia-- is most likely correlated in a direct manner to setbacks in other places such as Peru -- and Bolivia.
BD Comment: The production and transformation of coca and cocaine, of poppies into heroin, are not localized problems. Any serious attempt to reduce the devastating power of narcotraffic on people, communities, governments and the envirornment requires a systemic and integrated understanding and solution. A systemic approach to the challenges of the coca-cocaine circuit in the Americas will probably show that relative "victories" and progress in the war on drugs in one nation or region --such as Colombia-- is most likely correlated in a direct manner to setbacks in other places such as Peru -- and Bolivia.
USAID: The Bone of Contention in U.S. - Bolivia Relations
By Alex Main, CEPR, June 22, 2010: -- It is clear that USAID's role in Bolivia is at the heart of discussions taking place between the US and Bolivian governments today. If the U.S. administration is sincere in its desire to improve relations with the Bolivian government, it should come clean regarding USAID's political activities in Bolivia and agree to a framework of future relations that allows for full transparency in all of its "cooperation" programs. Finally, if the US administration wishes to stand by its decision to appoint of Feierstein to USAID, it should, at the very least, recognize the controversial character of the nomination while making it clear that Feierstein has ceased to have relations and will not work to promote or defend the interests of Bolivia's most reviled politician, Sanchez de Lozada.
BD Comment: Who is Mr. Main and what is his expertise on Bolivia? What data or statistics does he base the highly biased and subjective opinón on that Mr. Sanchez de Lozada is ¨Bolivias´most reviled politician?". Any serious polling, particularly among informed bolivians, would most likely place a number of other candidates, including top leaders in the current administration, in that position - with what authority does Mr. Main make such a claim? How about the intentions of the Bolivian government? Is Mr. Main aware that Evo Morales, current President of Bolivia, has repeatedly threatened to transform Bolivia into "another Vietnam." Is that transparent enough? Is he aware that Mr. Morales is the President of the six federations of coca growers, and that the majority of this coca is transformed into cocaine that inundates the United States and other nations? Is he aware that the regime of Mr. Morales is methodically dismantaling all checks and balances and other democratic institutions in Bolivia? What do Mr. Main, the CEPR, Oliver Stone, Mr. Weisbrot and so many other foreign friends of Chavez and Morales truly want -- for these men to follow the example of Cuba to finish what is left of democracy in their nations and than proceed on throughout the rest of the hemisphere? US commentators and would be intellectuals really need to inform themselves much more seriously as to what is happening in South America and in our nation, Bolivia. Their comments are greatly harming to the right to life, liberty, and happiness of 10 million bolivians. And yes, we at BoliviaDemocratica are 100% bolivian and are not on anyone´s payroll.
BD Comment: Who is Mr. Main and what is his expertise on Bolivia? What data or statistics does he base the highly biased and subjective opinón on that Mr. Sanchez de Lozada is ¨Bolivias´most reviled politician?". Any serious polling, particularly among informed bolivians, would most likely place a number of other candidates, including top leaders in the current administration, in that position - with what authority does Mr. Main make such a claim? How about the intentions of the Bolivian government? Is Mr. Main aware that Evo Morales, current President of Bolivia, has repeatedly threatened to transform Bolivia into "another Vietnam." Is that transparent enough? Is he aware that Mr. Morales is the President of the six federations of coca growers, and that the majority of this coca is transformed into cocaine that inundates the United States and other nations? Is he aware that the regime of Mr. Morales is methodically dismantaling all checks and balances and other democratic institutions in Bolivia? What do Mr. Main, the CEPR, Oliver Stone, Mr. Weisbrot and so many other foreign friends of Chavez and Morales truly want -- for these men to follow the example of Cuba to finish what is left of democracy in their nations and than proceed on throughout the rest of the hemisphere? US commentators and would be intellectuals really need to inform themselves much more seriously as to what is happening in South America and in our nation, Bolivia. Their comments are greatly harming to the right to life, liberty, and happiness of 10 million bolivians. And yes, we at BoliviaDemocratica are 100% bolivian and are not on anyone´s payroll.
Jorge Castaneda - Relative quiet in the region is only temporary
Project Syndicate/Miami Herald, 20 June, 2010 -- The perpetual seesaw in Latin American geo-politics is more vibrant than ever. The so-called ``Americas-1'' countries -- those that are either neutral in the confrontation between the United States and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (and Cuba), or openly opposed to the so-called ``Bolivarian'' governments of Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela -- are slowly advancing. The ``Americas-2'' radical left is receding moderately, yet it can still maintain its positions and defeat any attempts to roll back its influence. But the relative quiet in the ongoing ideological, political and diplomatic conflict between the two groups of countries is only temporary. If anything, it is the calm before an approaching storm.
Amnesty International - Bolivia: Justice for the Pando case
Amnesty International, 19 June, 2010: More than 21 months after the events known as the "Pando Massacre", oral proceedings today commenced in the Sixth Sentencing Court in La Paz. At least 11 people died and around 50 more were injured in violence in this Amazonian department of Bolivia on 11 and 12 September 2008
An Amnesty International delegation visited Pando in the north of Bolivia to investigate the status of investigations into the violent events of 11 and 12 September 2008, when at least 11 people died and around 50 more were injured. The organization again visited Bolivia from 7 to 18 June 2010 to look into the reforms of the justice system.
Cocaine production rise spells trouble for Bolivia
BBC News, 16 June, 2010: The leaves were seized in numerous operations by Bolivia's police to stop them reaching cocaine producers. But Bolivia's anti-drugs chief Felipe Caceres warns that "we are running out of storage space". For many in Bolivia and elsewhere, this is clear proof that the country's cocaine industry is growing at an alarming rate. There is further evidence. Cocaine seizures have been increasing and laboratories using processing methods long used in Colombia are mushrooming. And, for the first time in Bolivia, there is drug-related violence.
Morales to U.S.: My Way or the Highway
Ciempre.com, June 16, 2010: President Evo Morales has responded to recent overtures by the Obama Administration to normalize relations by threatening to expel the U.S. Agency for International Development from Bolivia, adding to his list of U.S. government officials he has thrown out of the country. Morales is also demanding an overhaul of U.S. assistance programs in Bolivia, insisting that officials from his administration be handed over the funds to decide who benefits - a direct contravention of U.S. law.