US intensifies attack on Bolivia

George W. Bush has been dismissed as a “lame duck” President, but his aggressive policy on Bolivia points otherwise. Although at the last stages of his presidency, Bush appears to be intensifying its vindictive war on the South American nation. Specifically, on Wednesday the White House announced that the US will be suspending “special trade benefits with Bolivia because of its failure to cooperate in drug-fighting efforts”. The “failure to cooperate in drug-fighting efforts” refers to the recent decision of the Bolivian government to halt the operations of the US Drug Enforcement Agency in the country, after it discovered that the agency tried to tap the telephone conversations of Bolivian President, Evo Morales, and actively funded and supported anti-government secessionist movements in selected oil-rich provinces. Using standard blackmail terminology, White House spokesperson Dana Perino stated that “the benefits can be restored if Bolivia were to improve its performance under the criteria of both programs and at the president’s discretion”. [IA]

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