President Morales has been busy calling the U.S. decision to exclude Bolivia from tariff benefits “political revenge”. The accusation followed the decision of the United States to suspend Bolivia’s special trade benefits on grounds that it has not cooperated in fighting drugs.
What did President Morales think was going to happen? After kicking out the American Ambassador, kicking out the Drug Enforcement Agency officials and blaming the U.S. for most of Bolivia’s structural problems, how did he think the Americans were going to respond? He must have seen this coming. If anything, it just gives him more material to use against the Americans. I guarantee he will blame the United States when the Bolivian Economy goes down the drain… cause it will. The merits for expelling the agencies is a debate of its own, but what is clear is the fact that the Bolivian economy will suffer because of this.
Losing these trade benefits could end up costing the Bolivian economy up to almost a half billion dollars in the middle of a global economic downturn and will cost the Bolivian people who depend on the industries bound by the agreement the most.
Bad politics have repercussions and the Bolivian people are about to suffer because of irresponsible politics by the current government. At what point is this government going to learn that you engage your “adversaries” rather than simply antagonizing them and kicking them out of your country?
