Bolivia’s Poor Proclaim Abiding Distrust of Globalization

In a civil conflict that has already left more than 80 Bolivians dead this month, protestors have turned the issue of natural gas export through Chile to the United States into an indictment of globalization. Calling for the resignation of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, demonstrators are sending a powerful message – a resounding "no to the export of gas and other natural resources; no to free trade with the United States; and no to globalization in any form other than solidarity among the downtrodden peoples of the developing world." After five years of stalled national economic growth and a yearly Bolivian per capita income of US$950, the protestors insist that instead of exporting gas Bolivia should use its natural resources to build a strong domestic industrial base. But for that to succeed, Bolivia would need significant foreign investment. And as one South American diplomat asked, "Who in their right mind is going to be willing to invest in a country that is so unstable and hostile to foreign capital?" –YaleGlobal