Where is Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? 
The Washington Post, Opinions, 29-June-2011: Chances are that Hugo Chavez will stage a triumphant return before the July 5 celebration of the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence. But the episode has underlined the growing instability in a country that supplies 10 percent of U.S. oil imports. While Mr. Chavez has been uncommunicative, troops have struggled to regain control of a large prison taken over by armed inmates; at least 25 deaths have been reported. Power outages are plaguing the cities again, the murder rate is worse than in Mexico or Iraq, and inflation, at 23 percent, is the highest in the world. Having concentrated power in his own hands, Mr. Chavez governs a nation that is spiraling beyond anyone's control.
Weaning countries off aid
Jonathan Glennie - The Guardian - 29-June-2011: "Reducing aid dependence is not the same thing as reducing aid. Aid dependence can be reduced without reducing aid (if other sources of money increase). And reducing aid doesn't mean reducing aid dependence – it might well mean the opposite. It is the dependence not the aid that is the problem."
Dispersing Power in Bolivia: Tending the Sacred Fire' of Social Movements
| Dispersing Power - Social Movements as Anti-State Forces - By Raúl Zibechi, Translated by Ramor Ryan, 28-June-2011: Social Movements in El Alto, Bolivia have been the agents of political change in the country for much of the past decade, ousting right-wing presidents, rejecting neoliberal policies and ushering in a new political era with the election of Evo Morales in 2006. Understanding how these movements have operated and sustained themselves in recent years is a key part of grappling with the questions of social change and state power in Bolivia today. Raul Zibechi, a Uruguayan journalist and author of many books on social movements in Latin America, focuses on social movements in El Alto in the new English edition of his book, Dispersing Power: Social Movements As Anti-State Forces. |  |
Bolivia moves to end dependence on foreign seed firms
| BBC News, 28-June-2011: Bolivian President Evo Morales, has signed a new law which aims to ensure food security for his country. Under the plan, state-owned companies will be set up to produce seeds and fertilisers. |  |
Economics Lessons From Bolivia's Scuffle With Transportistas
Niklas Blanchard - The Athantic, 28-June-2011: Casually browsing the Economist's site, I came across this rather short article focusing on Bolivia's Evo Morales' scuffles with the transportistas, a political interest group (ostensibly union) representing the owner-drivers of buses and taxis. The very short article offers tons of economics lessons to the discerning reader. A few "quick and dirty" points: The first clash was in December, when the government announced a steep rise in the price of petrol only to back down within days.
Unwilling to Compromise: Pacific Access for Bolivia
On March 23, 2011, as the latest move in the longstanding territorial dispute between Bolivia and Chile, Bolivia intensified pressure on Chile in order to secure for itself “free and sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.” It did so by threatening to bring a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) located in The Hague. The War of the Pacific, fought 1879-1883 between Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile (the eventual winner) on the other, left a bitter legacy that has shrouded the region for decades. Bolivia has insisted on the unconditional return of a portion of annexed land, hoping to regain its access to the sea.
CFK and Evo Morales to inaugurate US$180M gas pipeline
| Buenos Aires Herald, 30-June-2011: President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner along with her Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales will inaugurate the "Juana Azurduy Integration Gas Pipeline" that will bring between 7.7 and 11 million cubic metres of natural gas from Bolivia. |  |
Ex-Intelligence Director Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Trafficking
Bolivia Weekly, 30-June-2011: General René Sanabria, 58, and one of his accomplices Juan Marcelo Foronda Azero, plead guilty yesterday to charges of dug trafficking and conspiracy in a Miami courtroom. The is scheduled to end on September 2nd. Both men plead guilty to charges of importing cocaine with the hope of receiving lesser sentences. Sanabria was the forme.
Mortality and the Utopian Quest
Roger Burbach - Toward Freedom, 30-June-2011: For Latin Americans the desire for utopia has moved beyond the controlled democracies that are dominated by the elites. The social movements, particularly the indigenous ones, call for “Buen Vivir,”a world in which people live in harmony with all forms of life. For the Landless Movement of Brazil, utopia is the access to land and resources that allow for full communal development with schools, agricultural research centers, and medical facilities. Ollanta Humala's victory in Peru reveals that the Pink Tide is still rising in Latin America. The oligarchic and racists elements that have dominated Peru for centuries have been dealt a decisive blow as the country tries to construct its utopia in the geographic heart of the ancient Inca empire.