Bolivia: On the Brink?
Written byDavid Sasaki
Miguel Buitrago wonders where is the rule of law and Miguel Centallas asks if Bolivia is “on the brink” of collapse. Meanwhile, inspired by Harper's Magazine Jim Shultz serves up the his own Bolivia Index: “Number of comments accusing The Democracy Center of being either: communists; stupid; getting rich in Bolivia; MAS lackeys; or some mix of all: Oh, we stopped keeping track of that a long time ago.”
Written byDavid Sasaki
1 comment
I worked in Bolivia for years. The indigenous Aymara and Quechua people were treated with mind-numbing disrespect, akin to South Africa’s racially-segregated society in before democracy. I amy not agree with many of Morales’ economic positions, but 60% of Bolivians do. He enjoys widespread and solid support among his citizens, a level greater than any leader in the Western Hemisphere at this moment. As any behavioral economist or game theorist knows, all humans will act irrationally pro-social when dignity and self-respect are part of the cost-benefit analysis. The economic consequences of Morales’ decisions may be collectively negative, but the desire to live in dignity will trump any other cost for 3/4 of Bolivian society. In this landlocked, agrarian society with a pathetically weak military, the poor and the disrespected hold most of the cards. Get ready for an interesting few years.