Socialism in Latin America, Take #42132

Bolivia's socialist, pro-indigenous president Evo Morales, pictured left demon-strating the size of his 'national pride for Bolivia'(see below), has made progress in attempts to stabilise the situation in his country, which has in recent months been gripped by protests on the part of representatives of the richer regions of Bolivia. Provinces like Tarija, which contains much of Bolivia's considerable natural gas wealth, are balking at Morales's plans to address Bolivia's huge inequalities by distributing gas wealth more evenly between regions. The renewed attempts at dialogue came after violent protests ended with the deaths of 15 pro-government farmers, and the declaration of martial law in the region of Pando. 

Bolivia's crisis stems from a problem endemic to the vast majority of Latin American countries, the sharp inequality between indigenous, rural workers, and the mostly white middle and upper class. The unique thing about Bolivia is that it is the only country in Latin America where the indigenous are actually the majority, forming 65% of Bolivia's population. Evo Morales took power on a pro-indigenous, pro-worker platform, and this has ruffled the economic and political supremacy of the ruling class in Bolivia, leading to the protests and a continuing row with the US, which naturally supports the anti-government protesters. Morales's expulsion of Philip Goldberg, the US ambassador to La Paz, due to accusations that he was aiding the violent anti-government protest movements seems paranoid, but is perhaps understandable given the US's history in Latin America.

Managing a conflict between the middle class and working class of a country is heavy shit, especially when there is as much social, economic, and racial division between the two sides as there is in Bolivia. Citizens of wealthy regions of the country see no reason why their wealth should be taken away from them, and feel out of touch with a president who is unashamedly working in the interests of the country's indigenous poor. Morales has fought his entire career to better the lot of the indigenous peoples in his country, and his goals of land reform and wealth redistribution are laudable. But he needs to present these economic changes on a more accessible platform that promises dividends for all members of society. The only problem is if he continues to go down the path of demagoguery and populism that led him to take Hugo Chávez, the fattest thorn in the USA's side, as his closest ally. Morales is still a promising politician, and his socialist goals are achievable (and really awesome), but not without the cooperation of the entire population.

ALTERNATIVE THINGS MORALES IS DEMONSTRATING THE SIZE OF

-A fish he caught last week

-The amount up to which he has 'had it'

-How big Barbara Bush's ass is, seen from behind

-The length of the sub sandwich he desires from the Bolivian people

-His penis.