Bloody protests continue in and around La Paz, and pressure is mounting on president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to step down. Today’s notable stories:
—New York Times: “Despite moves by the military to tighten its control of the capital, President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada’s hold on power grew more tenuous on Tuesday, as demonstrations demanding his resignation spread to provincial cities, and important political allies scrambled to distance themselves from him.”
—Miami Herald: “President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada’s hold on power weakened Tuesday as the capital’s airport remained closed and food and fuel supplies ran short amid bloody street protests that have sparked Bolivia’s worst political crisis since the return of democracy 21 years ago.”
—AP: “Protesters promised a new wave of demonstrations against Bolivia’s president, putting more pressure on his increasingly fragile coalition government after deadly street riots swept this poor Andean nation.”
And there’re also stories from Financial Times and Reuters.
Today’s best big-picture analysis comes from The Economist. They’re running an interesting look at “the Andean countries’ deep malaise.”
And don’t miss “Coca Culture,” a New York Times op-ed by an indigenous Bolivian coca grower. She says the real issue isn’t the (now abandoned) plans for a natural gas pipeline, but the plant the US says she shouldn’t cultivate:
I am a cocalera. I owe my life to coca. My father died when I was 2 and my mother raised six children by growing coca. I was a farmer myself, growing coca for traditional purposes. But the United States says it is better for us to just forget about coca.
Turing to the world of Weblogs, AlphaPatriot has posted some thoughts of the situation: “Revolution is Brewing in Bolivia.” And Randy Paul comments, as well.
For first-person reporting and photos from La Paz, go to Miguel Centellas’s excellent blog:
Most of the neighbors here understand the frustrations of the people from El Alto and the campesinos. But they also support using democratic means to affect change, not violence. La Paz is still tense, while the protests are gaining steam in Cochabamba. Things are still utterly quiet in Santa Cruz.
UPDATE (1:32 p.m. EST): Glenn Reynolds disagrees with Al Giordano, who says true democracy is coming to Boliva.