Bolivia, bad information and the State Department/

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia, bad information and the State Department/
By david c. knowlton
Published Dec 4, 2010 01:01AM
Updated Dec 4, 2010 01:01AM

The release of thousands of secret documents by WikiLeaks justifiably troubles the U.S. government, but it also provides the rest of us with a window into the information on which American foreign policy is based. Though the window is broken and dirty, quite a lot can still be seen through it, and those glimpses are useful for evaluating our government and its policies.

Bolivia is one of the countries besides Cuba and Venezuela that troubles the United States in Latin America. Among the documents made public by WikiLeaks is a memorandum from the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia reporting on the buildup to that country’s Jan. 25, 2009, referendum on a new constitution. As a scholar who specializes in the study of Bolivia, I find the published memo important. It suggests how the United States filters information about a country in problematic ways that may well become the basis for making important decisions.

For example, while reporting the Bolivian opposition’s hand-wringing that it would probably lose the election, the Jan. 23 memo notes that “the forces of inertia seem to be conspiring against , particularly in the form of a largely uneducated rural base in the Altiplano,” or high plateau.

The memo repeats, as if it were analysis, the idea that Bolivian President Evo Morales’ support among rural Bolivians, most of whom are indigenous, is unreflective and a result of a lack of education. It continues to develop the theme of an uninformed mass blindly following the nation’s president, who generally has high public approval ratings, although the opposition and the U.S. government find him disturbing.

More:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/50797118-82/memo-rural-bolivia-education.html.csp

[peacetalksforall]

1. I despise the U.S. policy towards Bolivia - both administrations.

The country is rich in earth resources. The ruling elite of this world want in. A French company tried to sesl Bolivian water to Bolivians - they took over and made Bolivians pay. It backfired. The US and Europe think they can run a bulldozer through Bolivia and let our military take it - that it is their right to own Bolivia and say who the leader will be. The State Dept rhetoric against Bolivia sickens me.

I am not a happy camper.