a US-made color revolution seems to be afoot in Bolivia

The pink tide needs to be stemmed for good, as with VZ, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, and so on; nor can the sole Indigenous President (and a peasant to boot!) on the planet be allowed to win this election.  Note: this a$$hat’s threats came on Oct. 21, with only a portion of the votes announced!  Yeah, we know what the US and its client states will do; it’s all part of the CIA handbook, isn’t it? Criminalize the pinko’s ‘regime’, sanction/sanction/sanction and eventually back the West's preferred leader.

@GBabeuf  Gracchus Babeuf Retweeted Misión Verdad

The “Civic Committee” of Santa Cruz issues an ultimatum to the Election Commission to open a second round of voting, otherwise they’ll “proclaim” their own president. Also order Evo Morales and his VP to vacate the presidential palace

@MarkWeisbrot ‘The OAS should either provide evidence in support of its statements questioning the election results, or publicly retract these statements.’

@AndeanInfoNet ‘President Evo Morales affirms that there should be an audit of the election results to address fraud accusations in #Bolivia‘s national elections. He asked the opposition to provide evidence of these claims.’

Presidential elections were held on Sunday, Oct. 20.  Telesur english described the two front-runner candidates on Oct. 17, 2019:

“A look at Bolivia’s opposition candidates provide insight into that question, so too does examining the current fates of countries like Ecuador and Argentina that threw out progressive governments to elect neoliberals, which is what Bolivia’s right-wing is offering today.

Carlos Mesa, a former head of state himself who presided during the country’s neoliberal past, invited in the United States military to establish bases in Bolivia during his term. Carlos Mesa’s previous term (2003-2005) gives some idea of what lies in store for Bolivians if he wins. During his watch, poverty and extreme poverty was twice as high as the current rates—over two thirds of the population were impoverished. His presidency, which he didn’t complete, came to represent one of the moments at which the country most beholden to the U.S. government and its institutions.

During his time in power he attempted to push through a bill that would grant legal immunity to U.S. officials operating in Bolivia, most of whom were overseeing coca eradication and quelling Campesino protests against the practice.

Mesa’s two-year tenure saw not only ‘security’ affairs outsourced to the U.S., but economic policies. International institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) directed economic affairs, exemplified by having their office inside the building where Bolivia’s Central Bank is also housed.

In his infamous resignation speech Mesa railed against Morales saying his proposal to nationalize natural gas was ‘unviable’ because the U.S. and the World Bank “have told us so.” [long snip]

“The stakes are incredibly high in this election. One only has to look to Argentina and Ecuador to see the speed at which progressive social pacts can disintegrate. After opting for President Mauricio Macri, Argentina is now beholden to the tune of billions of dollars in IMF loans and all the austerity conditions attached to it. Macri and his IMF pact have produced runaway inflation, unemployment and poverty, as well as police excessive use of force against demonstrators who are constantly protesting the effects of the IMF measures. Ecuador, too, is just now emerging from 12 days of massive police violence and military curfews imposed on protesters who were forced to the streets to stand against IMF-imposed austerity after President Lenin Moreno invited the fund back to the Andean nation after a nearly 20-year absence. Both Macri and Moreno have used remarkably similar rhetoric being employed by the Bolivian opposition. Both railed against the leftist governments that preceded them, characterizing them as ‘populist’ and calling for a reorientation of foreign policy towards the U.S. and it’s institutions and allies.

Ecuador in particular has accelerated attacks on the progressive regional integration championed by former Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez. Barely completing half a term in power, Moreno has already triggered the disintegration of UNASUR, the most important Latin American forum that didn’t include the U.S. Add to that the handing over of Julian Assange to British authorities last April and establishing a U.S. military base in the Galapagos Islands, current president Moreno, whose approval rating has sunk to 17 percent, seems determined to do away with the progressive policies of the previous administrations, opting for austerity and U.S. approval.

Bolivia’s extraordinary achievements in lifting the regions poorest country out of underdevelopment have been achieved only after rejecting neoliberalism and taking back control of the country’s natural resources. One study illustrates how Bolivia would have lost US $74 billion in revenue were it not for Morales’ widespread nationalization initiatives.

Also from Telesur English on Oct. 23:

“A coup is underway, carried out by the right-wing with foreign support…what are the methods of this coup attempt?”

Bolivia’s leftist President Evo Morales gave a press conference early Wednesday morning in which he warned that a right-wing coup attempt is being carried out so as to stop the full counting of votes, and annul the result of Sunday’s elections if it gives Morales a first-round victory.

“A coup is underway, carried out by the right-wing with foreign support…what are the methods of this coup attempt? They’re not recognizing or waiting for election results, they’re burning down electoral courts, they want to proclaim the second-place candidate as the winner”, Morales told journalists assembled.

Morales pointed to the fact he is in the first place and reiterated his victory. However, he also stated that “we are just waiting for the electoral court to report the results, I’m nearly certain that with the vote of the rural areas that we will win in the first round, even though the preliminary results show that we’ve won, but we are respectful and will wait for the official results from the electoral court. I say to the international press, our triumphs have always been with the rural vote.”

“Anti-government right-wing protests turned violent Monday with numerous violent attacks took place across the country as preliminary results indicated that leftist President Evo Morales is on course for a first-round victory. Attacks included the burning down of vote counting centers and assaulting Indigenous supporters of Morales. 

The first such action was in the city of Sucre, an opposition stronghold, where rioters set fire to the regional electoral authority. Elsewhere in the country, government buildings were attacked in Tarija, Oruro, the campaign headquarters of Morales’ party were vandalized.

In Cochabamba, where Morales is leading the vote, protesters attempted to seize control of the Campo Ferial, which is the hall in which the votes were being counted.

The president stressed that a key tactic of the right-wing who are plotting a coup is to not recognize the Indigenous vote, which largely favors Morales.” [snip]

To defeat the coup, Morales echoed the call from social movements of the CONALCAM who yesterday declared a state of emergency and peaceful mobilization to defend democracy from right-wing violence.”

The Guardian’s spin on  the protests on Oct. 21, 2019: Bolivia braces for fresh protests as officials say Evo Morales close to victory; Protesters set fire to electoral offices in three cities across the country late on Monday amid fury over allegations of vote-rigging


Supporters of the Bolivian opposition candidate Carlos Mesa of Comunidad Ciudadana party prepare to burn ballots during a protest in La Paz, Bolivia, on Monday.

“Amid widespread fury over allegations of vote-rigging, violent skirmishes broke out late on Monday, as protesters set fire to electoral offices in three cities across the country.

The country’s electoral body abruptly stopped releasing election returns late on Sunday, prompting opponents to suggest that officials were trying to help Morales avoid a runoff vote.”

Er…ya think they might have stopped counting and releasing results because opposition rioters were burning down the regional vote-counting centers and burning ballots?

“At that point Morales had a lead of 45.3% to 38.2% over the second-place candidate, former president Carlos Mesa. Late on Monday, the body renewed its count and said that with 95% of votes counted, Morales led 46.41% to Mesa’s 37.06%.

Under Bolivian law, Morales would need a 10-percentage-point advantage over Mesa to avoid a second round in December. The official final count is not due for seven days.

On Tuesday, the EU said the unexpected interruption of the electronic count “sparked serious concerns that need to be fully and swiftly addressed” and called on a thorough investigation.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) also expressed its “deep concern and surprise at the drastic and hard-to-explain change in the trend of the preliminary results revealed after the closing of the polls” and urged for calm.

Opposition groups have not heeded that call. Mesa, who had warned that the vote could be manipulated to avoid a runoff, called on Bolivians “to conduct a battle in defense of the vote”.

In Santa Cruz, opposition figures called for an indefinite country-wide strike while supporters chanted “No tenemos miedo, carajo!” (“We aren’t scared, dammit!”).

Police opened fire with teargas on Monday night [extremely dubious claim, imo] as protesters clashed with government supporters outside local offices of the electoral tribunal in the capital La Paz, and the cities of Oruro, Potosí and Cochabamba.” [snip]

The US acting assistant secretary of state for the western emisphere, Michael Kozak, tweeted: “The US rejects the Electoral Tribunal’s attempts to subvert #Bolivia‘s democracy by delaying the vote count & taking actions that undermine the credibility of Bolivia’s elections.” [snip]

(see Kozak in action in the instagram at the top)

“Bolivia under Morales has remained a rare example of stability and growth. The economy has grown by an annual average of about 4.5%, well above the regional average, and the International Monetary Fund predicts it will grow at 4% this year.

But Morales has also faced growing dissatisfaction, especially over his refusal to accept a referendum on limiting presidential terms.”

Evo Morales Wins Bolivia’s Presidency in the 1st Round with Updated Results;  (Opposition Promoting Violence), Oct. 21, 2019, orinocotribune.com

“Bolivian President Evo Morales has won the Presidency after obtaining 46.86 percent of the votes against 36.73 percent from right-wing main opposition candidate Carlos Mesa, meaning a 10-point lead to win outright.

With 95.03 percent of votes counted from within Bolivia and across the world, left-wing candidate from the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party and current head of state beat Mesa from the Citizen Community (CC) party by gaining more than 40 percent of the valid votes and having a 10-point lead.

As expected, in Santa Cruz, a fierce opposition stronghold, Mesa summoned citizens and civil organizations to carry out a battle in defense of the vote.

We will summon councils and strikes; democracy cannot be taken away from us, Mesa said surrounded by his supporters.

In Cochabamba, in the center of the country, dozens of people shouted in marches. Fraud will not happen! A group announced that it will go on hunger strike.

The government minister, Carlos Romero, held the opponents responsible for creating a climate of tension. They must take care of the violence they are generating, he said.”

Telesur: With 98.07% votes counted; 1.93% remain, the results are 12:45 La Paz: Evo Morales surpasses the 10% advantage over his closest opponent Carlos Mesa, in the final official count of the October 20th presidential election.

Morales: 46.77% – 2,826,166
Mesa: 36.76% – 2,221,275

@camilateleSUR  Camila Retweeted Freddy Morales

President Evo Morales says that 20 people attacked his home in the city of Cochamba this morning, painting it with insults. He has reiterated the invitation, extended to the OAS or any other body, to audit Sunday’s election. #Bolivia

See also: ‘International Observers Assert Legitimacy of Bolivia’s Election’, Oct. 22, 2019, telesurenglish.net

““Everything has taken place with total normality and regularity.”

A number of international observers that are in La Paz monitoring Bolivia’s general elections have praised the legitimacy and transparency of the process which comes in contrast to proclamations by U.S.-backed opposition leaders who have already made declarations questioning the results.

The U.S. Footprint in Bolivia’s Incipient Colour Revolution’, Oct. 24, 2019, misionverdad.com

You may remember that the opposition had claimed that Evo’s ‘farming laws’ were what caused the Amazonian rainforest fires…the link deconstructs that quite handily.

@camilateleSUR Camila Retweeted Freddy Morales
President Evo Morales says that 20 people attacked his home in the city of Cochamba this morning, painting it with insults. He has reiterated the invitation, extended to the OAS or any other body, to audit Sunday's election. #Bolivia

(cross-posted from Café Babylon)

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wendy davis's picture

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earthling1's picture

the US regime installed a military base in the Galapagos.
How fitting. Another world scientific treasure despoiled by our military debris.
At long last, have we no sense of decency?

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

wendy davis's picture

@earthling1

moreno's 20 pieces of silver to sell out julian assange, eject him from the equadorian embassy: the IMF loans that are backfiring, plus the memo of understanding with the PPPP-pentagon.

and no, the US military poisons every square inch it touches. wish i'd ever seen galapagos, and had seen and swum with the giant sea turtles...we had a friend who did. i can still see the blue-green of the pristine sea there in my mind.

sigh. guess we'll see what happens next in bolivia but i reckon it won't be one bit pretty.

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Roy Blakeley's picture

@wendy davis that takes them out. However, for the oligarchs and right wing politicians of those countries, they pay off. Lots of income from corruption, privatization, etc.

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wendy davis's picture

@Roy Blakeley

they backfire, indeed. but just now in the global IMF austerity resets, the citizenries are raising such a ruckus against them that some oligarchical leaders are having to rescind the 'austeries' put on them. time will tell how it plays out even for ecuador, but for now the indigenous seem to be winning. wish i had a link at hand.

but this is the brilliant bruce cockburn's ode to the IMF ; ):

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68zccrskOqQ]

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wendy davis's picture

@Roy Blakeley

that the indigenous in ecuador had caused moreno to blink than a 45-second video at telesur english on the sidebar; no link to it whatsoever.

anyhoo, the background: Indigenous-Led Protests Rock Ecuador Decrying IMF Deal and Demanding Moreno’s Resignation’, mintpress news, julian cole (who was on the ground), oct. 11. 2009

a whooosh-worthy report and photo evidence.

from oct. 16th: Moreno reverses decision to end fuel subsidies, eiu.com (caveats galore, including 'for now']

Amid sustained pressure from indigenous groups and an escalation of violence, Mr Moreno backtracked on his decision to end gas and diesel subsidies. With the lifting of the decree, the president announced that discussions would be held with indigenous groups to introduce new measures to protect the most vulnerable. In the meantime, fuel prices will return to their previous levels, with the subsidies reimposed. Indigenous groups that had descended upon the capital, Quito, have agreed to end their protests and have left the city.

Although an agreement has been forged between Mr Moreno and indigenous groups, it will do little to mend the fissures opened up by the past two weeks of unrest. Political, racial, social and regional divides were laid bare. Supporters of the former president, Rafael Correa (2007-17), are accused of fomenting most of the violence. Some legislators sympathetic to Mr Correa have sought refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito, while other public figures have been

arrested. The government has accused Mr Correa of orchestrating an attempted coup d'état, which he denies. Meanwhile, resentment against indigenous groups for the destruction wrought in Quito has risen to the surface. Most of the urban middle class is incensed by the groups' actions, which paralysed parts of the country and caused severe disruption to business operations. The business chamber in the city of Guayaquil estimates that the protests have cost US$2.3bn in lost output.

We expect the government to reintroduce the removal or gradual rollback of subsidies in a more targeted manner. This will assuage indigenous groups' concerns and still allow the government to moderate spending. Nevertheless, the fiscal savings generated are likely to be weaker, raising concerns that the government will fall short of its targets with the IMF. However, the IMF is aware of the government's predicament and its commitment to fiscal consolidation, and so may well extend waivers or modify performance criteria.

earlier the comprador moreno had blasted: 'i don't negotiate with terrorists!'

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CB's picture

@wendy davis

here: https://videos.telesurenglish.net/

When you find the one you want, just insert into text link like this:

Ecuador's Gov’t Gives In To Indigenous Demands

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

what a brilliant help-meet you are! (will wd remember?)

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wendy davis's picture

@earthling1

look at the map, and consider that colombia is also a 'nato in waiting', or 'under nato's umbrella', how simple stopping ships into and out of bolivia would be:

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ggersh's picture

@wendy davis https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/10/23/burn-neoliberalism-burn/

Neoliberalism is – literally – burning. And from Ecuador to Chile, South America, once again, is showing the way. Against the vicious, one-size-fits-all IMF austerity prescription, which deploys weapons of mass economic destruction to smash national sovereignty and foster social inequality, South America finally seems poised to reclaim the power to forge its own history.

Three presidential elections are in play. Bolivia’s seem to have been settled this past Sunday – even as the usual suspects are yelling “Fraud!” Argentina and Uruguay are on next Sunday.

Blowback against what David Harvey has splendidly conceptualized as accumulation by dispossession is, and will continue to be, a bitch. It will eventually reach Brazil – which as it stands continues to be torn to pieces by Pinochetist ghosts. Brazil, eventually, after immense pain, will rise up again. After all, the excluded and humiliated all across South America are finally discovering they carry a Joker inside themselves.

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

wendy davis's picture

@ggersh

my friend. wsws has been covering the galloping fascism on the ground in chile, and to say the truth, i hadn't clicked in it's all so hideous. 'Chilean military deployed against protests for the first time since Pinochet, Andrea Lobo, 21 October 2019

by the gods, brazil must be next; that bolsonaro is a nasty piece of work, and ugly to boot. some have dubbed him 'brazil's Trump'.

but boy howdy, i've been poking about for the other Papers of Record are reporting on this election, and was disheartened, but not surprised by this at the NY CIA Times:

President Accused of Fraud in Bolivia Election as He Opens Big Vote Lead’, oct. 21, 2019

a few of the most incendiary excerpts:

LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales of Bolivia faced stinging accusations of election irregularities by international observers and violent protests in the streets on Monday as an updated tally of votes cast in the country’s presidential election appeared to give him a big enough lead to avoid a runoff.

Manuel González, the head of the election observer mission dispatched by the Organization of American States to monitor Bolivia’s vote, said on Monday night that he was “profoundly concerned” by the “drastic” reversal in the vote results.

[Now again, this was on oct. 21!]

“It’s essential that the people’s will be fully respected,” Mr. González said.
He said that the O.A.S. intended to issue a comprehensive report on its findings in coming days and that the report would say a second round was warranted.
The damning assessment by the team of observers raised the prospect that a victory by Mr. Morales would be regarded by the international community as illegitimate.

The uncertainty over the results opened a new front in the type of violent political unrest that has rocked the region over the past few weeks. Photos and videos of bloodied protesters were posted on social media on Monday night.
Mr. Mesa blamed Mr. Morales for the clashes and acts of vandalism that were spreading late Monday night. Among the most dramatic was a fire that engulfed an election tribunal building in the southern city of Sucre.

“The government, with its decision to again subvert the will of the people, is the only responsible party for the violence that threatens Bolivia,” he wrote in a statement on Twitter.

Heavily armed police officers were deployed to the streets, where they clashed with demonstrators on Monday night, according to television news reports.

If there is a runoff, Mr. Mesa would most likely get the backing of rival presidential candidates who participated in the election, so Mr. Morales would face a daunting fight.
Addressing supporters Sunday night, Mr. Morales characterized the result as a major victory and did not concede that there would be a second round.

Michael Kozak, the top American diplomat overseeing Latin America policy, said Monday night that the United States “rejects the Electoral Tribunal’s attempts to subvert democracy by delaying the vote count and taking actions that undermine the credibility of Bolivia’s elections.”
In a statement on Twitter, he warned that the United States “will work with the international community to hold accountable anyone who undermines Bolivia’s democratic institutions.”

Ernesto Londoño is the Brazil bureau chief, based in Rio de Janeiro. He was previously an editorial writer and, before joining The Times in 2014, reported for The Washington Post. @londonoe

and yeppers, form the OAS twitter:

bet diego pary will be well and fairly received.

@OAS_official
3h3 hours ago

#OEAenBolivia
LIVE | OAS Permanent Council Receives Minister of Foreign Affairs of #Bolivia, @DiegoPary @MRE_Bolivia

http://bit.ly/OASenglish https://youtu.be/djLuJfAmkT8
(both sessions are over)

yeah, it's a stacked deck already, goddammit. sure wish i spoke spanish, though.

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lotlizard's picture

@wendy davis  
What map is that?

I am aware that Bolivia “wuz robbed” of her coastal province by some kind of b.s. historical incident and war, but I didn’t know maps were still in use upholding her old borders and territorial claims prior to that incident.

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wendy davis's picture

@lotlizard

you brilliant lizard! this map says nope: landlocked bolivia. here's how bolivia ships by sea.

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from a “news”paper.

I was puzzled by what little I’d read at various “news” sites. Thank you for fleshing out the real story and linking to more info.

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wendy davis's picture

@tle

missed this earlier, my friend. i must have left my tab open too long or else some comment took way too long to think thru and type as usual.

best i can say is that most news sites are are far too biased toward the western imperialist narrative. the bezos rag's coverage likely read similarly, but for once i was able to get into the CIA Times...

but now that i've read and been appalled by the wsws/andrea lobo coverage i'd linked to downthread, not all alternative sites are unlike the MSM. ; ) ad you're very welcome. tle.

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wendy davis's picture

for the night. this machine kills fascists.EU

and oh, have the capitalist fascists bust creating a putsch against evo: the EU (brussels), the US, and the OAS: organization of american states. yes, they kicked cuba out, VZ under maduro resigned (iirc), but those named are a powerful alliance.

i'd like to send some tinku song and dance to evo and the MAS. oddly, in my sixth grade geography book on bolivia was a photo captioned 'tin miners in bolivia', both men and women is such gloriously life-affirming colorful clothes, and all wearing wool felt hats (fedoras?). i was, and remain enchanted by them.

good night all, peace when you can manage it.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdtQaYTZZ2c]

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CB's picture

When will this shit from Uncle Sam ever stop? Whenever a third world country overthrows their US backed masters and begins to bring the indigenous population out of poverty by using the natural wealth of these countries their political leadership will get targeted for destruction.

“Exporting Democracy” to Bolivia
It is precisely the success of the president Evo Morales’ economic model which makes Bolivia such an attractive target for regime-change and neo-liberal economic looting.

On October 23rd, Bolivian president Evo Morales gave a press-conference in which he stated that a right-wing coup d’etat was underway in the country. With victory practically assured in the first round of the presidential election, the returning incumbent claimed that widespread right-wing extremist violence was being used in an attempt to interfere with vote counting and certification of the election’s results.
...
Morales also stated that one of the strategies of right-wing extremists attempting to disrupt the election was to find ways of rendering the votes of rural and indigenous communities uncountable or otherwise irrelevant. He has always received the overwhelming electoral support of rural and indigenous communities. This is entirely predictable, considering that rural and indigenous communities in Bolivia have been the principal economic beneficiaries of the revolution which has been undertaken since Morales was first elected president in 2006.
...
Therefore, regarding Bolivia, the Americans are left with no other strategy but to sponsor low-level terrorism, enacted by domestic reactionary elements, which the western media refer to as “civil society organizations.” However, this is combined with quasi-legal methods, insofar as the purpose of the terrorism is to prevent the counting of votes and the certification of election-results. This combination of legal and illegal methods in synthesis has always been a hallmark of fascist movements worldwide, going all the way back to the 1930’s – they use violence to seize power, but always attempt to construct a veneer of legality while doing so. As a methodology, the “quasi-legal coup d’etat” is a historically defining characteristic of fascism.
...
On that basis, we should not be so surprised if the United States and its allies and clients choose to arbitrarily declare that they recognize Morales’ defeated opponent, Carlos Mesa, as president. Mesa’s party (the so-called “Revolutionary Left Front”) sold out to Bolivia’s land-owning class decades ago, and he has spent several years moonlighting in Washington DC-based think-tanks. He’s Uncle Sam’s boy in La Paz. The Bolivian government’s non-compliance with these international quasi-legal diktats would then be used as a pretext for economic terrorism and the imposition of economic sanctions.

Maybe it's now time for China to bring it's "Belt and Road" initiative to Bolivia.

China lauds Bolivia’s support for ‘Belt and Road Initiative’: Chinese FM

China appreciates Bolivia's support for the China-proposed “Belt and Road Initiative” and would like to further deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

both of them. but bolivia as a part of the BRI, of course, depends on whether or not the putsch is successful or not, or even if partially successful, much of the western world will see carlos mesa as the rightful president, and allow him free reign and money as they have juan guaido. (and boy, howdy, is he in the news more lately).

will the opposition launch drone attacks on evo as they did maduro? this was recent, last night or early this a.m.:

now i'd called it dubious that evo had sent out riot police, but i seem to have been mistaken according to ruptly news:

oh, and CB: i'd never heard of Padraig McGrath nor infobrics, so i'm very glad that the duran has republished his brilliant piece.

it's quite an antidote to andrea lobo's at wsws today. what.a.hit.job. on morales, but then while kinda supporting maduro most of the time, they tank him as bougie and not socialist enough, as well.

but that's the thing with amerika and clients 'exporting democracy' for some: the lame asses don't even twig to the fact that they're actually hastening a more multipolar world by way of (economic, trade, and military) alliances.

i hadn't quite caught was that hozak fellow in the top instagram had said about evo having thrown USAID out of bolivia? but no sir, if he'd meant allowing USAID to help during the fires, you can bet your ass he knew all to well what came in the USAID cargo trucks in venezuela: more CIA, barbed wire and guns for the guaidoistas.

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

how in the most beautiful world in the world...did you get the art with your 'china lauds bolivia' essay to be included?

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CB's picture

@wendy davis
When you find a picture you would like to include, right click on it, then choose "Copy Image Location". Then (within the body of the quoted material) select "Insert Image" (sunset graphic) from the top of Comment box and paste the copied image location into "Image URL". Click "OK" and it will insert into Comment section at current cursor location.

I hope that made sense.

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

and i'll try to remember to copy your instructions onto a blogging help word document i keep on my desktop. it's about 19 pages long already with quotes, links, etc. it's so ancient it's title is 'TPM help link doc' and i can't even remember when josh marshal closed the TPM readers blogs down. 15 years? more? ay yi yi; i'm gettin' old!

i just fetched it and opened it; at the top is: lady marchmain quote:

'one of the worst sins of the rich is envying the poor, as clearly god loves them best'

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wendy davis's picture

‘OAS Permanent Council Addresses Electoral Crisis in Bolivia’, usoas.gov, oct. 24

(w/ a photo captioned ‘Pro-democracy protesters assembled at the headquarters of the Organization of American States demanding a second-round in the presidential elections in Bolivia, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2019.’)

Before entering into the facts of the case, the United States firmly rejects any affirmation that the OAS Mission is an “intervention” in Bolivia’s internal affairs, as we heard some delegations assert yesterday, by reminding them that the OAS mission was invited by the Morales government to observe these elections and to present its findings to this Council.
...........................................
Suddenly, the Morales government does not like what the OAS Mission found: widespread irregularities, likely vote tally manipulation, lack of transparency, a general sense of distrust among the Bolivian electorate of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, and the necessity for a second round of elections.
..................................................
Finally, I’d like to read the following joint statement by Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and the United States:

United States, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia Respond to Anomalies
in Bolivia’s Presidential Election

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and the United States believe that the Bolivian people have the right to choose their leaders in free and fair elections. This right is enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter and in the Bolivian constitution. We are therefore deeply concerned over the anomalies in the vote counting process of Bolivia’s October 20 election.

We urge Bolivian electoral authorities to work with the Organization of American States Electoral Observation Mission to guarantee a transparent and credible vote-counting process. In the event that the EOM is unable to verify the results of the first round, then we call on the Government of Bolivia to restore credibility to its electoral system by proceeding to hold a second round of elections with the top-two vote winners that is free, fair, transparent and credible.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and the United States, along with the community of democracies worldwide, will only recognize results that actually reflect the will of the Bolivian people.

In the interim, we call for calm and continued respect for the rule of law. The world is watching Bolivia’s institutions and leaders to ensure that the voice and will of the Bolivian people are honored.

place your bets here, folks: will they or won't they find the whole first vote was corrupt and illegal?

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wendy davis's picture

but as i need to shut down for the night, i'll add some lullaby music from bolivia (i love pan pipe flutes), and a quote. peace be with you, and with all of us when we're able.

‘Every single empire, in its official discourse, has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort.’

~Edward Said

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTprdtsGCts]

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