Following years of political tension and saber rattling that included the expulsion of one agency from Bolivia (the Drug Enforcement Agency) and the near expulsion of another (USAID), the U.S. and Bolivia finally signed a framework agreement in November, thus giving diplomacy a chance.
Relations between both nations also featured the expulsion of each other's ambassador three years ago, the culmination of a soap opera that has featured dozens more political speeches with the rhetorical value of a Marx Brothers dialogue.
How exactly the agreement will transform relations between President Evo Morales, a bitter enemy of the United States, remains unclear. Whereas Morales continues to accuse the U.S. of attempting to destabilize his country, the U.S. counters that Bolivia continues to fail in its efforts to fight in the war on drugs.
The tide of sentiment within Latin America has apparently turned for the worse over the years. Main nemesis Hugo Chavez of Venezuela even went as far as to say that the United States might have been behind the recent cancer diseases that have afflicted various Latin American leaders with anti-American sentiments, including Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, and Argentina's Christina Kirchner. The recent cancer cases could not be explained by the laws of probability alone, Chavez explained.
One of the main bones of contention between the U.S. and Bolivia itself has been the official status of the coca plant. Morales, a former coca farmer, has been lobbying world-wide that the coca plant itself is harmless and doesn't warrant either the scrutiny or the 'special' status bestowed upon it.
First and foremost among the priorities listed in the agreement is the return of each country's ambassador (good idea for the U.S. – the vacant Ambassador's Residence still costs $ 25,000 per month in rent) as well as respecting the sovereignty of each nation, in other words Bolivia would like to avoid having you-know-who continue to meddle in their internal affairs. Whether this can be accomplished by a mere signature of the pen remains to be seen.
Although Bolivia wouldn't appear to be on the list of priorities for the U.S. in Latin America, that assumption is highly misleading. Its strategic location in the middle of South America as well as its socialist leader coupled with the copious amounts of coca being produced have made Bolivia a consistent source of concern for the U.S., and one it doesn't take lightly, what with the fresh wave of anti-American sentiment now ruling most countries in Latin America.
More recently, the U.S. and Bolivia clashed over the arrest of one of Bolivia's anti-drug 'czars' in Panama… due to drug trafficking, ironically. Bolivia recently responded by seizing several tons of rice by an American businessman last month, claiming his business dealings were illegal and that the government now had the right to sell the rice on the open market.
Of course, the main whipping boy was the United States Agency for International Development, short USAID, and its supposedly diabolic empowerment of the Bolivian people. Within the agreement, Bolivia has agreed to respect the cooperation agreements formerly reached with USAID.
The framework agreement, while not a cure-all for all ills between both nations, appears to at least be a promising first step in establishing normal diplomatic relations...whatever normal means here.
Relations between both nations also featured the expulsion of each other's ambassador three years ago, the culmination of a soap opera that has featured dozens more political speeches with the rhetorical value of a Marx Brothers dialogue.
How exactly the agreement will transform relations between President Evo Morales, a bitter enemy of the United States, remains unclear. Whereas Morales continues to accuse the U.S. of attempting to destabilize his country, the U.S. counters that Bolivia continues to fail in its efforts to fight in the war on drugs.
The tide of sentiment within Latin America has apparently turned for the worse over the years. Main nemesis Hugo Chavez of Venezuela even went as far as to say that the United States might have been behind the recent cancer diseases that have afflicted various Latin American leaders with anti-American sentiments, including Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, and Argentina's Christina Kirchner. The recent cancer cases could not be explained by the laws of probability alone, Chavez explained.
One of the main bones of contention between the U.S. and Bolivia itself has been the official status of the coca plant. Morales, a former coca farmer, has been lobbying world-wide that the coca plant itself is harmless and doesn't warrant either the scrutiny or the 'special' status bestowed upon it.
First and foremost among the priorities listed in the agreement is the return of each country's ambassador (good idea for the U.S. – the vacant Ambassador's Residence still costs $ 25,000 per month in rent) as well as respecting the sovereignty of each nation, in other words Bolivia would like to avoid having you-know-who continue to meddle in their internal affairs. Whether this can be accomplished by a mere signature of the pen remains to be seen.
Although Bolivia wouldn't appear to be on the list of priorities for the U.S. in Latin America, that assumption is highly misleading. Its strategic location in the middle of South America as well as its socialist leader coupled with the copious amounts of coca being produced have made Bolivia a consistent source of concern for the U.S., and one it doesn't take lightly, what with the fresh wave of anti-American sentiment now ruling most countries in Latin America.
More recently, the U.S. and Bolivia clashed over the arrest of one of Bolivia's anti-drug 'czars' in Panama… due to drug trafficking, ironically. Bolivia recently responded by seizing several tons of rice by an American businessman last month, claiming his business dealings were illegal and that the government now had the right to sell the rice on the open market.
Of course, the main whipping boy was the United States Agency for International Development, short USAID, and its supposedly diabolic empowerment of the Bolivian people. Within the agreement, Bolivia has agreed to respect the cooperation agreements formerly reached with USAID.
The framework agreement, while not a cure-all for all ills between both nations, appears to at least be a promising first step in establishing normal diplomatic relations...whatever normal means here.
