James Dunkerley

Evo Morales, the ‘Two Bolivias’ and the Third Bolivian Revolution

This essay, written in September 2006, considers the first months of the MAS government headed by Evo Morales in the light of the virtually constant political crisis in Bolivia since 2000. The first part asks why the turbulent course of public life in Bolivia has proved so difficult to explain. It seeks to show that the recent period has been depicted in rather narrow interpretations that stress institutional failings, poverty and oppression, or civic heroism, but do not try to find the linkages between these phenomena. The second section proposes an alternative approach, treating the recent experience of conflict as a revolutionary episode in which the idea of ‘Two Bolivias’ needs to be qualified by appreciation of past revolutionary experiences. The final sections suggest that the ardour and complexities of the current conflict might seem more comprehensible if the MAS and its supporters are viewed as essentially plebeian in both condition and ideological disposition. Such a classical and early modern allusion provides a fuller analytical palate for understanding the current conjuncture and the socio-political propositions being made in a ‘semi-modern’ environment.

The United States and Latin America: The New Agenda

The end of the Cold War removed hemispheric security from the top of the agenda of US-Latin American relations. Democracy, trade and investment, drugs and migration rose in importance. Pressures to eliminate the anachronistic US embargo on Cuba increased. The new agenda also includes Latin Americas growing ties to the countries of the European Union and other regions. The book contains 15 essays by US, Latin American and European scholars on each of these issues, framed by overviews of the changing historical context from the 19th century to the end of the Cold War. Authors include John Coatsworth, Jorge Dominguez and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco.

The Bolivian Revolution at 60: Politics and Historiography

The 60th anniversary of the Bolivian Revolution of 1952 led by the MNR provided an opportunity to review a Latin American political experience of disputed importance in the light of the government of the MAS under Evo Morales since 2006. This essay reappraises the historiography of 1952 from the perspective of MNR officialism and from critical positions, particularly those associated with indigenismo or Katarismo. Bolivia hoy , an influential collection of essays edited by Rene Zavaleta Mercado in 1983, is identified as a key moment in changing interpretations of the 1952 revolution.

The Military: The Challenge of Transition

The armed forces of Central America have been important and often decisive political actors over the last fifteen years. In three cases — El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua — this importance derives immediately from the waging of civil war, where operational considerations came to determine much of public policy. However, in all the countries the military were influential in politics before the generalisation of the conflict in the mid-1970s. In Guatemala this dominance has a particularly long history and appears to transcend alterations in the ideological landscape at home and abroad. In other cases, such as Panama and Honduras, the influence of the soldiery emerged much later and proved to be ideologically more malleable, albeit highly resilient in strictly institutional terms. Nicaragua has manifested a persistent strain of partisan armies (Liberal and Constitutionalist until the 1920s; Guardia Nacional (GN) and Sandino’s nationalist guerrillas; Ejercito Popular Sandinista and the contras), each linked more or less directly to an ideological current since the 1850s. In the case of El Salvador, a most energetic and confident civilian political elite was displaced from administration of the central state by officers in the 1930s, and when they returned thanks to US pressure fifty years later even the most reactionary elements remained prey to the military lobby, which retained important powers of veto.

Andres Bello and the Challenges of Spanish American Liberalism

Andrés Bello (1781-1865) is generally reckoned to be the foremost intellectual amongst opponents of the Spanish empire in the Americas after the Napoleonic Wars. This paper provides a synoptic account of Bello’s development as a scholar, politician and statesman from his early career as a servant of the crown in colonial Caracas, through his 19-year exile in London, to his prominent role in the institutional design and management of the young Chilean republic. The paper traces the historiographical treatment of Bello and the application of his cosmopolitan learning to the tasks of nineteenth-century state-building. It is suggested that his trajectory reflected a successful adaptation of liberal precepts to a conservative local social setting within a world order dominated by British promotion of free trade.