Bolivian Myths at TNR

The New Republic (who disgraced itself with the Scott Thomas Beauchamp story) has an excellent article by Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Bolivian Myths: What Do the Bolivian People Really Want:

After talking to Bolivians from all walks of life in areas ranging from the rural outskirts of Santa Cruz, in the east, to Cochabamba, in the highlands, and from the jungles of Chapare to Tiwanaku, the site of an ancient citadel peopled by indigenous Bolivians, I am persuaded that Morales' government is ruling based on myths. Those myths need to be exposed before other Andean countries where ethnic and social divisions are also abrasive follow suit.

• The greatest myth is that Bolivia's population is alien to Western culture imposed by 300 years of colonial rule and two centuries of republican life.
• The second myth pursued by Morales is that Bolivians want communal property.
• Another myth is that the regions calling for local autonomy want to break away from Bolivia.
• One last myth is that the nationalization of natural gas in the southeastern lowlands will liberate the indigenous population.

As they say, read the whole thing.

Update

What would Bill Cosby say?


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