Andean Information Network

Urban Potosí, once the richest city in South America, is now one of the poorest.  A mining center during the colonial and post-colonial eras, economic progress has been slow in recent decades and the region remains largely isolated with poor infrastructure.  Previous administrations did little to promote development in the region.  Campesino and working-class social [...]

This Tuesday, June 29, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a  confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nomination of Mark Feierstein to head USAID programs in Latin America.   Feierstein, of the firm Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner, served as a political adviser to former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada during his 2002 Presidential campaign.  [...]

Ten initial observations:

The study cites a 1% increase in Bolivia’s coca cultivation from 2008-2009, from 30,500 hectares to 30,900 hectares. From 2007-2008, the UN reported an increase of approximately six percent.
Bolivia remains in third (and last) place for coca cultivation with 19% of the worldwide total crop.
These findings suggest that cooperative coca reduction (racionalización), which [...]

Hopefully, Assistant Secretary of State, Arturo Valenzuela’s June 1 visit to La Paz will jumpstart efforts to reach and sign a new bilateral framework agreement between Bolivia and the U.S.  A central point of contention continues to be broader transparency and ownership of development aid programs. However, it is not necessary to start from [...]

New Human Rights Ombudsman finally sworn in
Congress swore in the new Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), emeritus Methodist Bishop Rolando Villena, on May 13. According to the 2009 Constitution, Villena will serve a six year term, without the possibility of reelection. Congress chose Villena amidst debate and unfounded accusations [...]

Foreign Minister, David Choquehuanca, announced on May 11 that the Bolivian government still wishes to change the course of its relationship with the United States, but that this may take up to five years. “We want improved relations, but with respect; we’re not desperate.” He affirmed that the Bolivian government does [...]

Yesterday, former Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo) Waldo Albarracín told the press that the deaths of David Callisaya Mamani (16) and Fidel Mario Hernan Jiménez (19) last week in Caranavi should make President Morales ineligible to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for which he was recently nominated.  It’s a valid argument that nevertheless presents [...]

Despite U.S. concerns that Bolivia cultivates problematic alliances with countries such as Venezuela and Iran, it is important to note that Bolivia also maintains good relations with nations the United States government considers to be allies, including many of Bolivia’s neighbors. For example, Chile benefits from strong economic and diplomatic ties to the U.S., but [...]

Minister of Government, Sacha Llorenti, announced on March 16 that prisoners in La Paz’s maximum security prison, Chonchocoro, would remain locked down for 23 hours in an attempt to stifle recent  outbursts of violence.
On Sunday March 14, one prisoner detonated a grenade, injuring three others. Prison officials transferred the wounded to hospitals for treatment. Following [...]

Legislative Agenda Loses Steam
Almost a month after the whirlwind legislative approval of the “short-term” judicial law, Bolivian government officials appear to be moving slowly on other issues. Although critics initially expressed concern about the MAS leadership’s propensity to aggressively “steamroller”  their political agenda, no other major legislation has been passed. This suggests there is not [...]