Bolivian Leader Warns U.S. on Free Trade

Yahoo News / Associated Press ^ | Thu Oct 30,10:02 PM ET | ANDREA RODRIGUEZ

[The Bronze Titan]

HAVANA - If Latin American opponents of Washington's free trade policies join forces, they could deal the United States a blow as serious as its loss in the Vietnam War, Bolivian opposition leader Evo Morales said Thursday.

"Urgent action is important," Morales told leaders of social movements from across the Americas at a gathering here attended by President Fidel Castro (news - web sites). Morales called on the leaders to come together in regional unity and "create people power."

"Very soon we could celebrate in Latin America another Vietnam for the United States," Morales said, referring to the protracted conflict in Asia that sparked widespread opposition protests across the United States in the 1960s.

Morales, a former presidential candidate and now a congressman, is considered a top leader of regional opposition to free-trade policies that have expanded across Latin America in recent years.

The leader of Bolivia's Indian coca-leaf farmers was at the forefront of protests that toppled President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in mid-October after the president promoted a plan to export Bolivia's natural gas.

Morales, attending a meeting of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, on Wednesday had called on intellectuals to work with grass roots leaders in their countries to end free-trade economic policies that he says favor the privileged rich while ignoring the majority poor.

"It is important to incorporate intellectuals into the struggle," Morales said Wednesday on the communist government's nightly "Roundtable" television program. He said intellectuals should "not only be concerned, but do something."

Morales on Wednesday repeated his earlier calls for an "alternative summit" by Castro and presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil when heads of state from Spanish- and Portuguese speaking nations gather in Bolivia in mid-November for the annual Ibero-American Summit.

Castro, who for security reasons never announces his trips abroad in advance, has not said if he will attend.

[GeronL]

Time to cut off Bolivia from the trough

[GeronL]

Our type of capitalism involves free market competition, thats the good kind.

and still, we need to cut off the aid to Bolivia

[squidly]

Time to cut off Bolivia from the trough

Keep dreaming. We haven't even cut North Korea off from the trough. (But I agree with you).

[FITZ]

These nations you speak of are no more communist than is China, which is to say that they aren't communist.

China didn't stop being Communist.

[witnesstothefall]

by the tens of millions to vote

There's no evidence that illegals here vote on anything more than a very small scale. But I'm with you on immigration reform. What does that have to do with the spread of communism in South America?

[squidly]

China didn't stop being Communist.

They're socialist. It's possible that we're splitting hairs just a tad. However, there is far too much free enterprise in China for it to be called communism. More like a socialist aristocracy nowadays.

[FITZ]

People will see a couple very rich people and believe that means a Capitalist system is securely in place. But all countries have some very rich people ---- America and a few other countries had Capitalism for the majority of people which is very different than Capitalism for a handful of people --- for the oligarchy only.

[witnesstothefall]

and still, we need to cut off the aid to Bolivia

Perhaps, but that will only give ammo to the communist agitators. It's a very thorny problem what we should do. The band-aid approach only lines the pockets of ruling kleptocrats.

We invested blood, treasure and time in Europe after the war precisely so it wouldn't go communist as it no doubt would have absent our efforts.

A comprehensive approach to the continent to our immediate south has long been lacking.

The burdens of the arsenal of democracy are neverending sad to say.

[dasboot]

Gee fellers, this is getting all tense. The real question is what's a good caption for the pic above?

I read this:

And they are coming right across our open borders by the tens of millions to vote and to void the votes of legitimate citizens and bring down the USofA, aided and abetted by both parties. and I got one:

" Keel dee goose! Take dee eggs!

Now, somebody ping JasonC to give up the real skinny on the whole situation.

[Porterville]

Can we go in and make him disapear??? He should shut his commie ass because we don't play commie games anymore and around 2006 Bush will be in full stride of kicking commie ass and killing terrorist.

[GeronL]

2000, Bolivia recieved $123 Million in foreign aid!!!!

[whiskeyandvicodin]

What you call "crony capitalism" isn't really capitalism, at all. By definition, capitalism requires free markets..which many of these countries lack. In truth these corporatist economies have little to do with capitalism. And any business man willing to hop in bed with the government is hardly a capitalist.

Humanism is exactly what capitalism DOESN'T need. All capitalism needs is for human beings to pursue their own interests..which we tend to do pretty well. Of course there's much more to life than this..family, friends, charity, etc. But none of this has anything to do with capitalism. By declaring that capitalism requires humanism to be benevolent..you've already doomed it to failure.

[FITZ]

More like a socialist aristocracy nowadays.

At best they'd be an oligarchy --- but I'm pretty sure there is no freedom, not even economic freedom in China. The government controls the businesses.

[GeronL]

$123 million in 2000 alone!

[witnesstothefall]

If not for humanist reasons, then why does the US Constitution provide Congress the power to regulate commerce (capitalism)?

Do you believe it's merely so it can keep it well-oiled?

The Founders were almost to a man self-described Humanists, fyi, not Capitalists.

[FITZ]

Washington's free trade policies

And Capitalism isn't doing too well with our government's "free trade policies" either. Look at Mexico --- it's worse off than ever and making a sharp turn to the left itself. NAFTA has so destroyed that country that thousands of it's citizens would risk death to get out. The campesino of Mexico has been utterly destroyed with NAFTA. Since they were the majority of the people in that country --- that doesn't seem to show NAFTA or free trade promote Capitalism.

[Mark17]

Bolivia is also asking the US to increase development and foreign aid to poor countries. As are most poor countries.

Translation: more welfare money, huh?

[GeronL]

we only gave them $123 million in 2000

[KarlInOhio]

If Latin American opponents of Washington's free trade policies join forces, they could deal the United States a blow as serious as its loss in the Vietnam War

Let's see, when we lost the Vietnam war we left and had some rough times geopolitically because of our perceived weakness until Reagan was elected (Fall of Saigon to Reagan's inaguration = 5 years, 9 months). However, the Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian people were killed by the millions by their own people.

Better not wish too hard for dealing such a blow against us, Senor Morales. A victory like that on your part might haunt you and your neighbors for generations.

[whiskeyandvicodin]

I'm not talking about the founders or the Constitution..I'm talking about capitalism. None of that is relevant to this discussion. The founders, like all human beings, were wrong at times but I'm not interested in discussing whether or not they understood or approved of capitalism..simply because I don't care. How do you think that humanism should be integrated into capitalism? What exactly do you mean by humanism, given that there are so many different varieties and interpretations? Do you mean just a general caring for humankind? If so, how should businessmen act if capitalism is to be humanistic?