Dr. Francisco Dominguez talks about the regional implications, and the implications for Latin America, of the coup attempt in Bolivia. A surprising number of Latin American countries have rallied in support of the President Evo Morales' central government, and have rejected US interference in Latin American affairs - including governments that in the past have been traditionally aligned with the US administration. Far from 'dividing and ruling' the coup attempt in Bolivia has rallied almost al
Warwick Fry Dr. Francisco Dominguez
(sound quality poor, levels erratic)
Dr. Francisco Dominguez, from the Department of Latin American and Brazilian studies of Middleton University in London was on the phone to community radio 2NimFM with some of the details, and the background of the events in Bolivia over the last few weeks, and the implications of some of the latest developments. On September 11 (the anniversary of the 1973 coup in Chile) President Evo Morales expelled the US Ambassador for his role in encouraging violence and racist thuggery led by prominent avowedly right wing public figures in resource rich regions. These figures are leading a drive to 'break away' from the central government of Bolivia, but their tactics include violence, burning, looting, destruction of radio stations that don't support their agenda, and racist vilification and public humiliation of indigenous people. The last straw was a genocidal shooting down of scores of unarmed indigenous people who had gathered in protest against the racially motivated violence.
In the second part of this interview, Dr. Francisco Dominguez talks about the regional implications, and the implications for Latin America, of the coup attempt in Bolivia. A surprising number of Latin American countries have rallied in support of the President Evo Morales' central government, and have rejected US interference in Latin American affairs - including governments that in the past have been traditionally aligned with the US administration. Far from 'dividing and ruling' the coup attempt in Bolivia has rallied almost all of Latin America in a united front. It is an historic first, with some far reaching long term effects that at this stage, can only be guessed at by most Western observers. The role of Venezuela, which has broken the political stranglehold on its economic autonomy has been critical.
In the final part of this interview Dr. Dominguez talks about the reasons President Morales called in the military, declaring martial law, only as a last resort. He explains some of the background of the military and its role in Bolivia's turbulent history.
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