May 1, Bolivian president Evo Morales announced that he would be expelling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from the South American nation of around 8 million.
Little information has been given for USAID’s expulsion other than Morales’ accusations of “meddling” in Bolivian affairs and “conspiring” against its government.
The merit of these accusations has yet to be proven, as Morales and the Bolivian government have not released evidence or made specific claims to justify their action.
Many have linked the event to Morales’ outrage over a comment made by Secretary of State John Kerry in April in which he described Latin America as the “backyard” of the U.S.
To most Americans, the expulsion of an organization devoted to the distribution of civilian foreign aid directed at some of the world’s poorest, seems ludicrous.
I am in complete agreement with those Americans.
But as someone who has lived in another Andean nation for the past four months, one which maintains close ties with the government of Bolivia and mirrors many of its anti-capitalist, anti-globalization sentiments, I can’t say that learning of the fate of USAID’s Bolivian operations came as much of a shock.
The era of Hugo Chávez brought sweeping changes not only to Venezuela, but also throughout much of Latin America.
Populist leaders armed with rhetoric of restoring sovereignty and dignity to their nations saw their messages resonate with the citizenry, oftentimes bitter from the perceived American support of repressive regimes and exhausted from systemic economic inequalities in their countries.
The ideology of Chavismo had and continues to have profound effects on Venezuela and its close allies, including Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba, but ripple effects can also be seen throughout the region as a whole.
All countries of Latin America are now members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), founded in Caracas in 2010 with the intention of increasing political dialogue among members without the influence of the U.S., Canada or any of the European territories. CELAC includes long-time allies of the U.S. such as Mexico and Colombia.
As an American in a foreign land, it wouldn’t be right to judge these sentiments and changes openly. My perspective is certainly different from that of the Ecuadorians I live with, because our experiences are different. Though I still can’t help but cringe when I hear President Correa bemoaning U.S. hegemonic influences, I do my best to be a good student of politics and objectively assess why he believes in what he does, and more importantly, why his rhetoric works so well here.
But it’s impossible for me, as someone that cares about our country’s role in aid work around the world, to remain passive and objective when $52.1 million will no longer be going to support the programs in education, health and food security that USAID has been operating in Bolivia over the past 50 years — seemingly for no other reason than conflicting political ideologies.
Does a sovereign nation have the authority to choose which governmental organizations can and cannot operate within its borders?
Absolutely.
But when millions of dollars and several workers are no longer permitted to serve a population in which over 50 percent live on less than $2 a day, it’s hard not to feel saddened and angered by the sway of reactionary politics.
— kabeasle@indiana.edu
