Bolivia: Resisting socialism. Moving to anarcho-capitalism?

[Dejavu]

Four Bolivian regions declare autonomy from government.

(CNN) -- Tensions were rising in Bolivia on Saturday as members of the country's four highest natural gas-producing regions declared autonomy from the central government.

Thousands waved the Santa Cruz region's green-and-white flags in the streets as council members of the Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando districts made the public announcement.

The officials displayed a green-bound document containing a set of statutes paving the way to a permanent separation from the Bolivian government.

Council representatives vowed to legitimize the so-called autonomy statutes through a referendum that would legally separate the natural-gas rich districts from President Evo Morales' government.

The move also aims to separate the states from Bolivia's new constitution, which calls for, among other things, a heavier taxation on the four regions to help finance more social programs.

"The statutes will be ratified," said Oscar Ortiz, Santa Cruz senator. "With a public referendum, the people of our region will legitimize their will."

About 35 percent of Bolivia's 9.5 million people live in the four states, according to The Associated Press.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/15/bolivia.unrest/?iref=mpstoryview
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-bolivia16dec16,1,717771.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/346577.html

[Dejavu]

Everyone's favorite 'freedom loving and selfless' leader Comrade Chavez is threatening slaughter on the separatists.

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=OmpOuFaFAjU

[Faux Real]

Everyone's favorite 'freedom loving and selfless' leader Comrade Chavez is threatening slaughter on the separatists.

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=OmpOuFaFAjUYour Spanish is awful. He is saying the Venezuelan government would not sit back and watch should the oligarchs topple/carry out a coup against the Bolivian government or assassinate Evo Morales.

[Faux Real]

If I may add, the oligarchs do not want 'anarcho' capitalism they are looking for a bourgeois state, the Republic of Santa Cruz.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Your Spanish is awful. He is saying the Venezuelan government would not sit back and watch should the oligarchs topple/carry out a coup against the Bolivian government or assassinate Evo Morales.

His Spanish is just as bad as his theories.

I'll happily await this "anarcho-capitalist" experiment. All the rest have failed thus far, with near-perfect conditions, but you can never stop good ol' "freedom!" :D

[Jazzratt]

Remember how well it went last time the robber barons went in for their market deregulation stuff? Chances are we'll see what always happens with this shit - skyrocketting prices, rock bottom wages and violently repressed unions.

[Demogorgon]

How on earth is declaring regional autonomy (effectively a form of federalism) a case of moving towards anarcho-capitalism?

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Hilariously, the referendums aren't showing strong support by the people. Only right-wing activists associated with fascist parties have been pushing for the "yes" vote - going so far as to purposely botch up the election in some parts of the country. I guess this is what DejaVu means by anarcho-capitalism. :D Morales has been very judicious in the matter, not taking any violent measures.

Reference: http://www.revleft.com/vb/revolutionary-defeat-referendum-t78057/index.html

[BurnTheOliveTree]

The free market is always accompanied by violently holding down the indigenous population, every time, right back to Pinochet's Chile. This is depressing.

-Alex

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Chavez hits the nail on the head again: This is yet another example of the third-world's national bourgeoisie's voluntary partnership, or rather submission, to international capital.

[Random Precision]

Yeah, when Santa Cruz was one of the poorest regions in the country its ruling oligarchy was right to demand support from the central government. But now that they've got this cool natural gas thing going on, the rest of the country can fuck off as far as they're concerned. :rolleyes:

[Zurdito]

it's the equivalent of texas demanding independence because the central government raised taxes. absolutely ridiculous.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

it's the equivalent of texas demanding independence because the central government raised taxes. absolutely ridiculous.

At best, this viewpoint relegates the imperialist factor to a position of secondary importance, which is BS, if you don't mind me saying.

[Zurdito]

At best, this viewpoint relegates the imperialist factor to a position of secondary importance, which is BS, if you don't mind me saying.

why would I mind you calling my argument BS?:rolleyes: ;)

yeah broadly I think you are right that obviously Bolivia and the US are qualitatively different as states.

The reason I madethe analogy - which did, as you say, wrongly overlook the imeprialist factor - is that what has happened in Bolivia is not the following: desperately poor semi-colony, under the leadership of a bourgeois populist, tries to make some modest reforms, and in response, imperialism devestates the eocnomy, provoking sectarian war between two poor regions and two very oppressed communities.

what has happened, from my understanding, is this: deeply unequal semi-colony, under leadership of bourgeois populist, has brought in some reforms based on a growing economy and funded out of a growing economy; reforms which threaten the relatively wealthy "media luna" provinces and their pretty powerful oligarchy, and in response, these have launched a huge backlash based on the "white" petty-bourgeoisie int heir regions, and on fascist gangs which go around attacking indigenous workers and epasants, in order to retain their considerable degree of white privelige, and in order that the region may keep hold of its considerable natural wealth, which it does profit from.

so to that extent, I think the analogy was possible, and not BS. ;) but of course you are right, it wasn't perfect.

[AGITprop]

Zurdito is right.

This is a neo-fascist movement. The rich whites in the country want independence to justify creating a police force that does not have to answer to the government of Bolivia and can go around attacking left-wing workers and indigenous people, which they are already doing with gangs.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

This is a neo-fascist movement.

As is "anarcho-"capitalism.

[RedFlagComrade]

This separatism may be being fuelled by greed and fascism but nobody has explained yet how it is anarcho-capitalist?

[bootleg42]

It's not anarcho-capitalist. It's basically a group of really racist european descendants who don't want to be a part of the indigenous people so now the racists in Santa Cruz are trying to separate themselves from them so they can create free trade agreements with multi-nationals and the United States.

No Anarcho-capitalist situation there.