The Bolivian military coup and the proto-fascists of South America

            The arrival of 2019 coincided with the escalation of the Trump administration’s policy of advocating and supporting moves towards a coup in Venezuela and now we are entering into the last half dozen weeks of 2019 coinciding with the military coup in Bolivia.  Evo Morales, the first indigenous person elected President of Bolivia (Chomsky & Barsamian, 2017), which has a majority indigenous population, resigned along with Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and the head of the Bolivian senate and the lower house following the Bolivian military appearing on air and calling for his resignation.  The military has also detained the top two officials on Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Court.  The right-wing opposition senator Jeanine Anez who has consistently spread racist, anti-indigenous views and positions has declared herself President.  Anez has already issued a decree preventing prosecution of the military for violent acts as they continue to violently suppress pro-Morales protests condemning the military coup and anti-indigenous violence that have already resulted in at least 32 deaths.    

            The military massacres of Morales supporters have coincided with President Anez reversing President Morales plan to cancel an agreement with Germany, allowing access to Bolivia’s Potosi region’s lithium reservoir which contains half of the world’s lithium reserves, lithium being a principle raw material in the producing of cellphone and electric car batteries.  Anez allowing Germany access to Bolivia’s lithium reserves follows developments in neighbor state Brazil in which proto-fascist Brazilian President Bolsonaro is pushing for opening the Amazon to further deforestation and exploitation.  Bolsonaro has also used the devastating fires in the Amazon, set by land-grabbers, to achieve the militarization of the Amazon.  As in Bolivia, the Brazilian indigenous are suffering the violence and brutality of the Brazilian military and pro-Bolsonaro fascist militias.
 

            Bolsonaro was only able to secure electoral victory in Brazil’s 2018 elections after the framing and imprisoning of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by Bolsonaro ally, conservative Judge Sergio Moro, now serving as Brazilian Minister of Justice for Bolsonaro, widely viewed as his reward for removing Bolsonaro’s political opponent and obstacle to the Presidency.  Since The Intercept received leaked materials detailing the corrupt process and reported on it, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled to end the mandatory imprisonment of people who were convicted of crimes who are still appealing their cases, this allowed the release of Lula from prison as he hasn’t exhausted his appeals.  Lula has made it clear that he intends to challenge Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections. 

            While indigenous Brazilians struggle to secure the safety of the Amazon, their lives and prevent the ever-looming climate catastrophe, so too are the neighboring indigenous Bolivians protesting against the neoliberal opposition that is orchestrating the exploitation of their lands, lands with an indigenous majority in a country with constitutional requirements that protect the “rights of nature” (Chomsky, 2016).  While Evo Morales remains in Mexico for the safety of his life since he resigned following the military coup demand, he has called for an international truth commission to open an investigation into his being demanded to resign by the military and has pointed out that the United States and the Bolivian right-wing coup desperately do not want his return to Bolivia. 

            An international truth commission ought to be organized and open an investigation into the military coup in Bolivia.  Evo Morales must be allowed safe reentry into Bolivia and the political will of Bolivians must be respected.  The proto-fascist elements currently in power in Bolivia must immediately return their stolen positions, stop advocating for violent suppression of the population and the military and police must immediately cease wantonly shooting and murdering civilians, a majority of whom are indigenous Morales supporters. 

            The temporary Venezuelan coup of Chavez ultimately failed, the sabotaging economic sanctions on Maduro’s government, the attempted assassination of Maduro and the attempted coup waged by Juan Guido have all failed, the attempted framing and imprisoning of Lula has begun to be reversed, and all of these events are hopefully but preludes to what is to come for Bolivia: the ultimate failure of the proto-fascist military coup.  Bolivians and their allies will do well to maintain a Gramscian optimism of the will.   

References

Chomsky, Noam, Barsamian, David, (2017). Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy. Metropolitan Books. 

Chomsky, Noam, (2016). Who Rules the World? Metropolitan Books.