Bolivia Boils

I just read Javier Santiso's book The Latin American Political Economy of the Possible, which examines how the most successful countries in the region have adopted a pragmatist economic approach that uses the best practices of the left (greater social spending) and the right (fiscal and monetary discipline). Brazil, Chile, and Mexico have enjoyed unprecedented spells of economic stability because they've stopped searching for an instant fix in strict neoliberal orthodoxy or Marxist statism.

Bolivia, as today's Washington Post article demonstrates, hasn't gotten there just yet. With a vital referendum on President Evo Morales and his governors looming on Sunday, the country is torn between Morales' socialist approach and the Santa Cruz-based elites demanding more autonomy. To be fair, Morales' economic team hasn't been terribly irresponsible, and the opposition to him owes a lot to the old ruling elites' racism and the loss of their privileges, but whatever the reason, the pragmatic consensus remains elusive in Bolivia.

For more info on Bolivia, check out any one of these detailed Crisis Group reports.