Chilean Attack on Bolivia and Peru Possible: Bolivian Analyst

Bush’s visit to the Summit of the Americas was met with massive protest, and his rhetoric included a call for the people of Latin America to choose between an American-supported “vision of hope” versus another that “seeks to roll back the democratic progress of the past two decades.”

While Bush was clearly referencing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, his statement certainly echoes the “with us/against us” language that preceded the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The U.S. is beginning to draw that ideological line in South America, one of the new frontiers of post 9/11 U.S. intervention. Clearly on one side of the line are Chavez, Castro, and Bolivia’s frontrunner for the Presidential Elections , Evo Morales.

Bolivia’s former Foreign Minister Juan Ignacio Siles insists that “Chile’s arms buildup stems from its intention to become, with US support, the region’s military guardian, in a role similar to Israel’s in the Middle East.”

While the situation is far more complicated than this summary can convey, this article from Prensa Latina raises questions about just how soon the ideological battle line will be drawn, and when, exactly, overt military action will replace the alleged covert operations and military buildup in the region that have been reported in recent months.

La Paz, Nov 7 (Prensa Latina) Chile, a US ally, is pondering a hypothetical simultaneous military attack against Bolivia and Peru, an outstanding Bolivian military analyst said on Monday.

In remarks about the maritime dispute between Chile and Peru, military analyst Juan Ramon Quintana said that since the 80s, Chile has had a simultaneous scene conflict as a main war scenario.

This forecast is based on Santiago’s view that Bolivia, for historic reasons, would support Peru in case of a Chilean military attack, he said.

For that reason Chile is committed to an arms race to impose its military superiority, said the former Army major, who is director of the Democracy and Security Observatory and Bolivia’s main strategic analyst.

He added that Chile “suffers the syndrome of countries with accelerated economic growth, but ever-increasing lack of energy sources and natural resources including water,” of which Bolivia has plenty.

Bolivia’s former Foreign Minister Juan Ignacio Siles revealed last week that last June, during Bolivia´s social and political crisis, Chile unsuccessfully tried to get the Organization of American States to intervene.

He added that Chile’s arms buildup stems from its intention to become, with US support, the region’s military guardian, in a role similar to Israel’s in the…

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