Evo Morales and the Populist Paradox --

Bolivian Economist Roberto Laserna has deconstructed Morales policies, Evo Morales and the Populist Paradox (in Spanish here), exposing the reality that he has benefitted:
1. From Neoliberal economic policies that created the climate for investment and set in motion the industries that are now generating income for the country, and
2  Political policies from "Neoliberal" governments that opened the political space for Evo Morales rise, and created institutional mechanisms that allow the government to transfer resources to many communities. . That would be the municipal decentralization and local community budgeting laws passed by Sanchez de Lozada in the mid-90's.

Private investment in the mid-1990’s, moreover, increased output of natural gas. Soon gas was being exported – very profitably – to Brazil. Thus, when Morales came to power, Bolivia’s economy was in a position to take advantage of the global price boom for raw materials. As a result, revenues increased, despite his government’s nationalist and statist policies, which drove away investment and hindered access to new markets.

Since 2005, Bolivian exports have increased six-fold, along with fiscal revenue. This money is distributed automatically to local governments, according to the model established by Morales’s predecessors, carrying resources to the farthest reaches of the country. But it is not only local governments that have benefited; through cash transfers created during the so called neo-liberal years, families have gained as well, most importantly through a universal and non-contributive old-age pension benefit given to persons over 60, which reaches slightly more than 30% of households.

EVO-WATCH: Evo Makes Really, Really Stupid Statements Part XVIIXIII

Evo Goes To UN Forum And Shows The World His Genius


Like an indigenous Kruschev, Evo, at the UN Indigenous People's Forum gave his "10 Commandments" For Saving The World."

#1 With A Bullet is "finishing and erradicating the capitalist model"

Luddite? Neo-Communistic? Definitively plain idiotic in a post-Berlin Wall world where Vietnam, China, and India are feeding hundreds of millions of people much better thanks to making peace with market forces. Morales on the other hand, has tried implementing his "model" by chasing away foreign investment and his recent ban of exports of vegetable oil.

" Si se quiere salvar el planeta, hay que terminar y erradicar al modelo capitalista y lograr que el norte pague la deuda ecológica en vez de que los países del sur y de todo el mundo paguen la deuda externa".

Bolivia, Colombia: FARC Laptop: Evo, Ortega to Meet Marulanda at Summit

The laptops which allegedly were captured from the FARC camp are an interesting read. Colombian publication Semana has some n Interesting highlights. In general, it is a lot of back and forth correspondence among top levels of the FARC hierarchy, as would be expected from a member of the directorate charged with foreign affairs.
There is also quite a bit of chatter - almost obsessive - on their business dealings. They try to figure out how best to use money from Chavez - the $300 million the press talks about. In my opinion it could be Chavez granting them a contract to commercialize the $300 million worth of oil, from which they would get a huge commission, and could launder it through front corporations. Only in Colombia would Marxist-leninists have this kind of business savvy. The Uranium, sounds like a proposal one of their "contacts" made. When you have this kind of cash, people will try to sell you anything
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Then you get to the heart of the matter of the matter. There is a lot of internal strategizing and debate between FARC commanders about how to effectively use their bargaining position with the hostages, to get international recognition as combatants, the "despeje" or "cleared zone" to further peace negotiations. And throughout its clear that they see Chavez as a key partner, even flattering his vanity. But definitively someone who can help them in undermining Uribe internationally, by upstaging him in these hostage dealings - and consequently strengthening the FARC's position internally.

"PATRIA O MUERTE" EVO
Evo, Ortega and Correa are described as being close to Chavez: the FARC commander emailing Marulanda/Tirofijo describes them as "patria o muerte" with Chavez "fatherland or death" literally.
Marulanda, the ancient and enigmatic leader of the FARC, who has been in the bush most of his adult life, will apparently have a meeting with Chavez. The Venezuelan will be accompanied by Evo, Daniel Ortega and Correa, in what is described as a "summit of commanders".
Here is a quote from that communication.

Octubre, 4 de 2007
Camarada Manuel. Cordial saludo. Del diálogo con Chacín, lo siguiente:

1- Se proseguirá el esfuerzo por hacer realidad la cumbre de comandantes en el Yarí. De lograrse, Chávez iría acompañado por los presidentes Ortega, Evo y Correa, que son “patria o muerte” con Chávez. De todas maneras habrá una reunión privada Chávez-Marulanda. "

No doubt many discussions of Boliviarian projects, complaints about the empire and comparing notes on coca production.

-As an aside, I was struck by the ideological common ground between Evo, Garcia-Linera, the MAS leadership and the FARC. Their worldview, an extremely paranoid and rigid view of the empire, and its domestic "oligarchic" partners. The delusions they somehow have a "valid revolutionary alternative" - nothing more than the same old Marxist-Leninist cliches, with some twists.

Another letter, describes the topics that will be brought up by these characters. The negotiations with the Colombian government, and a "common geo-political strategy".

3- Ya estoy enterando a Ricardo y a Marcos de todos los pormenores. Los dos camaradas serán recibidos públicamente por Chávez antes de su reunión del 12 con Uribe en la frontera de la Guajira. Esperamos nuevas directrices del camarada Manuel. Por ahora les he explicado que su misión es reiterar a nombre del Secretariado lan exigencia de despeje de Pradera y Florida. Agradecer a Chávez su invaluable labor de intermediación. Que la cumbre Chávez-Marulanda en el Yarí con el acompañamiento de los presidentes Ortega, Morales y Correa, será decisiva en la búsqueda de fórmulas para el acuerdo y para la estrategia geopolítica común. Plantear que estamos analizando sus propuestas de fecha para la reunión secreta con el Secretariado. Convocar a los gobiernos del mundo, personalidades y organizaciones políticas y sociales a rodear la intermediación del Presidente Chávez.

The FARC clearly sees Evo and Ortega as part of this "Boliviarian" anti-US block, that wants to weaken Colombia's government, decrease US influence, and build up Chavez. The FARC want legitimacy as combatants, the clearing of a "demilitarized zone" within Colombia while negotiations for their release and an eventual peace plan take place. They want to discredit and hurt Uribe as much as possible in the meantime. Externally, that means giving Chavez - and partners Evo, Ortega, Correa - leverage by showing they can be effective intermediaries with the FARC by releasing hostages. Evo and Correa can also contact influential countries on behalf of these "efforts", without carrying the Chavez stigma (in theory).

In some ways this is nothing more than the FARC giving a percentage of its future earnings to partners like Chavez - and Evo to a lesser degree. Those earnings, are of course, the ransom for the hundreds they kidnapped and hold hostage for years. This is an ugly situation.
Judge for yourself, the 36 page PDF made available by Colombia.

Chavez Threatens Bolivian Opposition

Looking for proof Chavez has his claws into Bolivia, and that Evo Morales seems almost a puppet of the Venezuelan strongman? Yesterday Chavez directly threatened the Bolivian opposition on his weekly show, broadcast from Cuba of all places. Saying that Venezuelans "will not sit still" if Evo is overthrown or killed by the Bolivian "oligarchy", and that it would be a "Vietnam of machine guns" they would face. He also helpfully indicated that "compromise" with "oligarchs" was impossible.

While the lemmings who are quick to chime in about all sorts of abuses of soveirgnity by the US, World Bank, and IMF, they ignore the Chavista petro-kleptocracy's heavy handed diplomacy. And heavy handed it is. Petro-dollars and bad advice are spread around to ideological allies. And the Boliviarian Supremo then takes a paternal interest in seeing his schemes go through. Take the case of Bolivia's Constituent Assembly - which Chavez brought up in his tirade. The MAS "proposal" is almost a cliff notes version of Chavez own "revisions" to Venezuelas Constitution. That Evo Morales has to contend with an effective opposition, which knows what lies in store if the document is approved, must drive Chavez nuts.

Morales selectively appeals to Bolivian's strong nationalism only when convenient. It is clear he will put his ideological preferences over sovereignity, as when he shamefully celebrated Che and the Cuban communist invaders of 1967 over the protests of his own Army. A U.S. Ambassador making comments about Bolivian politics is a sin, but allowing Evo's ideological mentor and paymaster to bully his opponents is perfectly ok within this context. One word for that: hypocrisy.

EVO WATCH: Morales Meets With Mr. Humanitarian" Castro

OH BROTHER

Noah Rudovsky / AP Photo

Bolivia's leader, who describes himself as "very much an admirer of Fidel" meets with his hero for nearly 3 hours. According to the Miami Herald Evo left the nearly 3 hour meeting feeling "very satisfied," after an "intense and productive" meeting Morales told state media before boarding his flight home Thursday night. He found the aged dictator "fairly recovered" from his health woes.

And what did the Marxist-Leninist tyrant and his eager coca-growing disciple talk about? Evo on Cuban TV, seen here in Miami on Jaime Bayly's TV show, and reported by the Nuevo Herald they talked about "advances in the integration....through the so-called "Bolivarian Alternative For The America's" Where Bolivia - whose trade with the island was worth about 10,000 dollars last year- and Cuba will become "solidarity" trade partners.
But above all and due to Castro's "preocupations with life and with humanity" they discussed "energy, about economic development of countries, about health, and above all,thinking about all of humanity, on the environment."

This is hilarious stuff. A leader of a democratic country jets off -hopefully on Chavez dime- to visit the longest running dictator of Latin America, who has pretty much ravaged his country economically. To talk about global warming, development, and healthcare. The only good advice Castro can give about 3rd World Development is to do completely opposite to what he did. You do not learn economics from Marxists, the only thing they know how to do is destroy them. And Bolivia's economy is based on gas, the only gas Castro knows about, is the one that rises up from his colostomy bag.