Bolivia

Kepa Artaraz

Description

The election of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) to power in Bolivia in 2006 marked a historic break from centuries of foreign domination and indigenous marginalisation. Evo Morales, leader of the MAS, became the first indigenous president of Bolivia.



Kepa Artaraz looks at the Morales' government's attempt to 'refound the nation'. He shows how the mix of Marxism, indigenous liberation politics, anti-imperialism and environmentalism has made Bolivia one of the most interesting and unique political experiments of Latin America's 'red decade'.



As the historic left-turn in Latin America reaches a crossroads, this book guides us through the politics and ideas which have animated this popular movement, drawing out important lessons for progressive politics everywhere.
Acknowledgements

1. The Economic Birth Pains of Poor Countries

2. Political Failures and Political Revival

3. Revolution in Democracy?

4. New Politics: In Search of a Working Relationship Between the State and Civil Society

5. New Citizens, Welfare and Wellbeing

6. New Economics: The Promise and the Limits of Post-Neoliberal Development

7. Bolivian-US Relations: Breaking the Stranglehold

8. Bolivia’s Place in Latin America

9. The Promise and the Limits of a Revolution in Democracy

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Public Policy
• Political Parties
• Political Process
• Political Science
• General officer
• Central
• General
• Bolivia

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781849646628
• Langue: English

Extrait

BOLIVIA

First published 2012 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
www.plutobooks.com
Distributed in the United States of America exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of St. Martin's Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Copyright © Kepa Artaraz 2012
The right of Kepa Artaraz to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 3090 7 Hardback ISBN 978 0 7453 3089 1 Paperback ISBN 978 1 84964 661 1 PDF ISBN 978 1 84964 663 5 Kindle ISBN 978 1 84964 662 8 ePub
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Curran Publishing Services, Norwich Simultaneously printed digitally by CPI Croup (UK) Ltd., Croydon, CR0 4YY and Edwards Bros in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and abbreviations
Map of Bolivia

Introduction: Bolivia: refounding the nation

1 The economic birth pains of poor countries


Five hundred years of plunder?
Economic liberalism reborn
A heavy dose of shock therapy and the bitter pill of structural adjustment
The deepening of the neoliberal project
The Latin American turn to the left

2 Political failures and political revival


The frustrated expectations of the transition to democratic rule: the view from below
The frustrated expectations of the transition to democratic rule: the view from above
MAS: an alternative political movement
A revolutionary period: three key moments
Towards the 2005 victory

3 Revolution in democracy?


Demanding recognition: the marches for territory and dignity
A revolution in democracy or a revolutionary form of democracy?
Main pillars of the new Bolivian constitution
The challenges ahead

4 New politics: in search of a working relationship between the state and civil society


The failure of old politics
The emergence of alternative political actors
Complexity and contradictions in the relationship between the state and civil society
Towards a new polity

5 New citizens, welfare and well-being


United in diversity
Suma qamaña , or an indigenous understanding of ‘living well’
Welfare, well-being and the role of the state
Living well and anti-poverty cash transfers
Towards a new definition of the good society

6 New economics: the promise and the limits of post-neoliberal development


Towards a new national productive economic model
A story of success?
The limits of post-neoliberal development

7 Bolivian–US relations: breaking the stranglehold


A history of imperialist relations
The transition to democracy and the war on drugs
Fighting the process of change
Unchanging relations and frustrated expectations
The end of the Monroe Doctrine?

8 Bolivia’s place in Latin America


A Latin American bloc?
The emergence of UNASUR
A post-neoliberal paradigm
ALBA and Bolivia’s social policy
ALBA: the future of South–South collaboration?

9 The promise and the limits of a revolution in democracy


A bottom-up process of change
Obstacles on the path of national rebirth
A new direction of travel?
Conclusion



Notes
Index
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the help, conscious or not, of many people both in Bolivia and elsewhere. In Bolivia, many people are unaware – as I was myself at the time – of just how much our conversations influenced my understanding of the historic events I was fortunate enough to witness on more than one occasion. Their names are many and I will not list them all, but they include, in no particular order, James (el Jimmy) Blackburn and Cecilia (la Ceci) Córdova, Iñigo Retolaza, Pablo Regalski and Maria Teresa Hosse. I am also most grateful to Ann Chaplin and José Pimentel, who fed both my body and my mind on a regular basis, as did Roxana Liendo and Héctor Córdova. All of them have privileged observation points for understanding Bolivia’s current process of change, and were generous enough to informally share their views with me on many occasions.
The Fundación Xabier Albó (http://­www.­fxa.­org.­bo/) holds the largest social science library in Bolivia and fulfils a heroic role compiling and democratising access to research materials. I want to pay tribute to Lola Paredes and Marcelo in the library for the day-to-day struggle that goes into keeping alive the best source of Bolivian academic production. It was a privilege working with them, and I hope their efforts are soon repaid with the funds they need to keep this treasure illuminating our understanding of Bolivia.
This book aims to politically ‘translate’ Bolivia’s social and political reality to a new, broader audience in the global north, in the hope that novel experiences in the global south can contribute to our questioning of key concepts like democracy, participation, well-being and development, as a small step towards achieving cognitive justice. 1
Many people were instrumental in my getting close to the Bolivian climate change platform, a microcosm of the blurred relations between civil society and government institutions. I would like to thank the many people from the Bolivian indigenous social movements, national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado (CIPCA), the Centro de Comunicación y Desarrollo Andino (CENDA), Agua Sustentable and Fundación Solón, and international NGOs Christian Aid, Cafod, Trocaire and Oxfam, for opening their doors to me and helping me glimpse at the pioneering work they are carrying out in Bolivia, warts and all.
Two of the 88 women elected as members of the constitutional assembly deserve special mention: Rosalía del Villar (MAS, El Alto), and Ana Maria Ruiz (MNR, Beni). I thank them for their time and for the honest commitment to their country that they demonstrated in their own ways. My thanks go also to Nila Heredia, a medically trained health minister who recognises that health policy is far too important to be left solely in the hands of doctors. Raquel Romero from Colectivo Cabildeo, Soledad Domínguez, Patricia Costas, Patrick Vanier and Julio Peñaloza Bretel were generous enough to give me copies of their own excellent documentaries on the constitutional assembly, which would otherwise have been difficult to access. Gaby Barriga and Marco were not only instrumental in gaining me access to the vice-minister of pensions and other key commentators, but remain close friends, as are Pablo and Yumy. I hope to see them all soon to put the world right over a caipicoca or two at Pablo’s bar Etno in Calle Jaén.
Closer to home, the Bolivian Information Forum headed by Alex Tilley provided multiple analyses of Bolivia’s critical junctures, and opportunities for visiting the presidential palace and ministries as an interpreter, which initially fed my appetite for trying to understand this fascinating country. In a similar way, regular dinners with Pierre Nouvellet and with Mei López-Trueba keep this hunger alive, especially through Mei’s understanding of the micropolitics in Potosi and of the (short) life of the miner. A number of anonymous reviewers provided insightful comments in the early and final stages of this project. I would like to thank them all for their insights and generosity. Any merits in this book are in no small measure down to them. The limitations are however entirely my own.
Finally I would like to thank my family in Antwerp, Puy L’Evêque, Bilbao, and those who in Bolivia have become family, like Naty, Cielito and Kwenty. My most sincere thank you has to go to my wife Karen, who years ago took me to visit those Bolivian places (and people in Viloco, Urubichá, Puerto San Borja, Salvatierra and more) that were so formative in her youth and would shape her character and values. I hope I can repay her generosity of spirit by being able to understand and love her even more as a result.
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
ACLO
Acción Cultural Loyola (Loyola Cultural Action)
ADN
Acción Democrática Nacionalista (Democratic Nationalist Action)
ALBA
Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas)
ATPDEA
Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act
BONOSOL
Bono Solidario
BRICS
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
CAFOD
Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
CAN
Comunidad Andina de Naciones (Andean Community of Nations)
CAOI
Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas (Andean Network of Indigenous Organisations)
CEDIB
Centro de Documentación e Información de Bolivia (Bolivian Documentation and Information Centre)
CEJIS
Centro de Estudios Jurídicos e Investigación Social (Centre for Legal and Social Research)
CENDA
Centro de Comunicación y Desarrollo Andino (Andean Development and Communication Centre)
CEPS
Centro de Estudios Políticos y Sociales (Centre for Political and Social Studies)
CIDOB
Confederación Indígena del Oriente Boliviano (Indigenous Federation of Eastern Bolivia)
CIPCA
Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado (Peasant Research and Promotion Centre)
CNE
Corte Nacional Electoral (National Electoral Court)
CNMCIOB ‘BS’
Confederación Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas Indígenas Originarias de Bolivia ‘Bartolina Sisa’ (Bartolina Sisa Federation of Indigenous Peasant Women of Bolivia)
COB
Central Obrera Boliviana (Trade Unions Federation)
COMCIPO
Comité Cívico de Potosí (Civic Committee of Potosi)
COMIBOL
Corporación Minera de Bolivia (Boli