The Santa Cruz Problem in Bolivia

[professorchaos]

Morales and his Movement towards Socialism in Bolivia faces a problem. The right wing in the department of Santa Cruz fights for autonomy and sits on the country's largest gas reserves and most fertile land. This is the richest and whitest region in Bolivia, with aspirations to independence that the majority of the citizens of that department support. If Santa Cruz became independent or gained private control over the natural gas reserves and/or agriculture, and refused to share the wealth with the rest of the country, Bolivia, already the poorest country in South America by GDP, would be even poorer and unable to finance Morales's redistributive programs.

So does anyone have any constructive solutions? Commentaries?

[cyu]

From http://knol.google.com/k/j-y/if-they-do-not-give-you-work-or-bread/gcybcajus7dp/10

"Ask for work. If they do not give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread."

Part of a speech by Emma Goldman when she was invited to a strike at Union Square, New York. Her speech quoted this declaration from Cardinal Henry Edward Manning:

"Necessity knows no law, and the starving man has a natural right to a share of his neighbor's bread."

The laws of man are much easier to break than the laws of survival. If your society isn't providing enough legal ways to make a decent living, then more and more people will resort to illegal ways.

This isn't to say I'm encouraging everyone to take bread or engage in armed robbery on the high seas, because while I think it's justified for those who need to do it to survive, I don't believe (for obvious reasons) that it's a good economic strategy.

I would instead encourage the taking of the actual means of production (land, raw materials, equipment, etc) - like what the MST of Brazil did or what the rest of the Latin American recovered factory movements are doing.


...and since I consider myself an internationalist, obviously I believe in freedom of movement - so anybody from anywhere should be able to go there, if they want to - and that right should be protected by all leftists.

[STJ]

If the right-wing in Santa Cruz trys to leave Bolivia. If i where Morales i would send the army in and crush the bastards.

[ComradeR]

If the right-wing in Santa Cruz trys to leave Bolivia. If i where Morales i would send the army in and crush the bastards.
They would have no other choice but to send in troops. By seceding Santa Cruz would be effectively declaring war by putting a gun to the head of Bolivia through their control over it's gas reserves. Bolivia would be forced to ether use force of arms to retake control or collapse and see millions die as a result.

[antizionist]

They would have no other choice but to send in troops. By seceding Santa Cruz would be effectively declaring war by putting a gun to the head of Bolivia through their control over it's gas reserves. Bolivia would be forced to ether use force of arms to retake control or collapse and see millions die as a result.
Yeah why not if a left wing state in america
decleared independence theyd do it

Label them right wing gurrillas that also works in the west
or terrorist thats the new buzz.

[ComradeR]

Yeah why not if a left wing state in america
decleared independence theyd do it

Label them right wing gurrillas that also works in the west
or terrorist thats the new buzz.
Please, if Santa Cruz seceded it would be the Bolivian bourgeoisie holding the people hostage (and killing them) in order to protect their private property. Whereas if it were reversed it would be workers and peasants fighting to free themselves from capitalist rule. Simply taking what I said and switching it to a capitalist perspective is ridicules. You could make that same argument regarding any attempt to crush a counter revolution.

[STJ]

They would have no other choice but to send in troops. By seceding Santa Cruz would be effectively declaring war by putting a gun to the head of Bolivia through their control over it's gas reserves. Bolivia would be forced to ether use force of arms to retake control or collapse and see millions die as a result.
Hell ya and god only knows where the seceding would stop you cant let it happen.