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H06738

Headlines : International

Summary:

On its face, the election of Evo Morales to the presidency of Bolivia would seem like an enormous victory for the left-another domino in the line of Latin American nations turning away from Washington Consensus-style economics to forge a path of its own. But the question remains whether the first indigenous president in Bolivia’s history will be allowed—by the Bolivian Congress or by the larger international financial and legal system-to live up to his promises and fulfill the enormous expectations of his supporters. If not, Bolivia could face an even more unstable future.

[Posted By phoenix_rising]

By Daphne Eviatar
Republished from the nation

The election of former coca farmer Evo Morales as Bolivia's first indigenous president appears to be an enormous victory for the left. But will Morales be able to live up to his pr

On its face, the election of Evo Morales to the presidency of Bolivia would seem like an enormous victory for the left-another domino in the line of Latin American nations turning away from Washington Consensus-style economics to forge a path of its own. But the question remains whether the first indigenous president in Bolivia’s history will be allowed-by the Bolivian Congress or by the larger international financial and legal system-to live up to his promises and fulfill the enormous expectations of his supporters. If not, Bolivia could face an even more unstable future.

The symbolic value of a Morales victory cannot be overstated, in a country where symbols represent the passions of a people mobilized to change what they see as 500 years of state oppression. Thus the wiphala-the checkered rainbow flag of indigenous resistance-flew from every Morales campaign vehicle; technocratic economic policy proposals about how the nation should manage its natural gas industry became symbols of Bolivian “independence” and “self-governance”; and politicians called for the defense of Pachamama (Mother Earth) as they pressed their home-grown solutions for this cash-poor but resource-rich country, urging the rejection of the North American capitalistas.

Massive support for that rejection fueled widespread protests last summer, when…

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Posted by phoenix_rising
currently working on: "war-crimes.info":http://www.war-crimes.info trying to balance eastern and western philosophy, and most importantly remembering to stay conscious.

H06738

Bolivia's Home-Grown President

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