Word: bolivia
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Right-wing forces cannot rid themselves of the political pressures from miners because mineral production has such importance in the Bolivian economy. Although miners represent only 3 per cent of Bolivia's workforce, mining provides the Bolivian government with 60 per cent of its official foreign exchange. Most recently, miners have used their clout to fight persistently for democratic elections; many in Viloco and other centers vowed to oppose this latest interruption to the final consequences. The resistance of such communities had been instrumental in staving off a 1979 attempted coup...
...clandestine political work within the country, may eventually pose a forceful challenge to the military regime. In the meantime, political stability will depend on other factors. The regime has survived economically so far because of the repeated lenience of the international financial community. At the time of the coup, Bolivia's foreign debt was $1.9 billion, $170 million of which came due in December. Within 10 days a consortium of banks led by Chase Manhattan agreed to postpone the payments. Last Friday, the consortium agreed in principle to reschedule another $460 million, giving Garcia Meza additional breathing space...
...Meza first tried to impose in January. IMF intervention in the Bolivian economy has a long history of detrimental effects on the popular sectors and the latest IMF conditions are no exception. In January, economic degrees resulted in severe inflation of necessary goods and wage freezes. Workers all over Bolivia went on strike in spontaneous protest. A new attempt to comply with IMF mandates will surely bring more political problems for Garcia Meza...
Furthermore, Reagan's policy toward El Salvador, Guatemala and other Latin American governments shows a complete willingness to support institutionalized, state-sponsored terrorism of the right wing. The resistance to recognize Bolivia stems not from human rights violations, but from concern about cocaine, produced in Bolivia and sold in the United States. Deep involvement of top-ranking officers in cocaine trade has been documented beyond doubt. Analysts of Bolivian polities suspect that control over this 800-million-dollar-a-year business was a central reason for the July coup...
Outraged by the drug connection, Sen. Dennis DeConcini (R-Ariz.) is attempting to mobilize U.S. opposition to the Bolivian regime. Future U.S. recognition of Bolivia depends largely on the outcome of this controversy: human rights is not an issue...