General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Irony of ironies: The Ron Paul Libertarian's one way out is the "land of Chavez and Bolivar" [View all]HumansAndResources
(229 posts)Chavez was able to out-maneuver the full-weight of Millions of dollars of "soft power" money (USA-NED, US-AID, NGOs, etc), which was used to create an 'opposition' to his policies in the service of the tiny Venezuelan Elite and Western Transnationals AND a hard-power coup attempt. In Bolivia, a foreign-funded secession movement, promising greater riches to groups in resource-rich areas by not sharing the wealth with the rest of the nation, is one ongoing tactic in play. Keep in mind, the Billionaires fund the so-called "left" foundations, think-tanks, and NGOs, too; just because the criticism seems 'leftist' in flavor, doesn't mean it tells the whole story.
I do not suggest we should fail to criticize any hindrances of civil-liberties and/or deprivations of human-rights anywhere in the world, though analysis of Morales actions should include the full context. Consider the Allende example to get an idea of the scope of the opposition to self-rule in South America:
[link:http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/NSA/CIA_Allende_LS.html|
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/NSA/CIA_Allende_LS.html]