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  • I’m Miguel Centellas, a political science professor at Mount St. Mary’s University. Because of academic interests, I post frequently on Bolivian politics. I also occasionally discuss interesting books, pop culture, and daily life in Baltimore.
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Bolivia in Le Monde

March 4, 2008
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There’s an excellent article in this month’s Le Monde Diplomatique on the current situation in Bolivia: “Bolivia: Morales is Checked” by Hervé Do Alto and Franck Poupeau (trans. George Miller).

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Comments

I do not have access to Le Monde Diplomatique. Could you give us a few brief quotations or summarize?

Posted by John March 4, 2008 2:53 PM

    Could you post a few quotations or summarize? I don't have access. Thanks.

    Posted by Anonymous March 4, 2008 3:07 PM

      Sorry, I assumed the Le Monde piece was public, since I stumbled upon it through Google News. When I checked back to re-read it for a summary, it's now unavailable to me, too. (Frankly, why some companies do this baffles me, since it just reduces their readership, and therefore their importance.)

      But from memory, it basically argued that Morales has had a tough job implementing his reforms because the country has become more polarized in different ways (between east-west, indigenous-mestizo/white, urban-rural, etc). It points to the problem of using street tactics to intimidate political opponents (and blames both sides for using such tactics). It then emphasizes that Morales is checked by pressure for increased social change and strong (and perhaps even unanticipatedly wide-spread) resistance from other sectors.

      Posted by mcentellas March 4, 2008 4:19 PM

        Actually, if you click on the article link from Google, you do not a password. It's one of these mysteries of the virtual world.

        Alternatively, if you read French, wait a few days and you will be able to read the original on the French site. It's in the February issue of Le Monde Diplo, and usually the content is made freely available a few days into the next month.

        I agree with Miguel that it’s a very good article.

        Posted by Jorge March 4, 2008 6:18 PM

          This comment is a little off-topic, but related to the post. Since Miguel referred to Le Monde Diplomatique as just Le Monde, I would like to clarify that Le Monde Diplo (as it is affectionately known by its readership) is editorially and financially independent of the daily Le Monde. It is markedly more to the left.

          There is actually an interesting story relating Le Monde Diplo to Bolivia. In the middle of 1990’s, when Le Monde Diplo was going to through a deep financial crisis, it received unexpectedly a one-million dollar life-saving donation from an unlikely source: a Bolivian-German named Günter Holzmann, who had made his fortune in the timber industry in Santa Cruz.
          Here is an obituary for Holzmann written by the present director of Le Monde Diplo, Ignacio Ramonet. Holzmann was a very interesting fellow. The NY Times magazine ran a piece about him long time ago; I'll see if I can find it.

          Posted by Jorge March 4, 2008 7:27 PM

            Jorge: Thanks for the info. Yes, I've only ever read Le Monde Diplo, and usually in Bolivia, so I often just call it the shortform. Honestly, I just assumed it was the "international" version of Le Monde. I apologize for the confusion.

            Posted by mcentellas March 4, 2008 9:57 PM

              Here it is. Full-text.

              http://www.counterpunch.org/alto03082008.html

              Posted by John March 8, 2008 4:51 PM

                Bolivia Rising (blog) also has full text, in English.

                Posted by John March 8, 2008 5:17 PM


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