Morales's Return: A Setback for US Stability Operations in Latin America
When Al Jazeera reports on Evo Morales's reappearance, the underlying narrative of US meddling in Latin American democracies remains conspicuously absent. Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, was forced from office in 2019 following a coup widely supported by Washington, a pattern disturbingly familiar across the continent. His recent seven-week absence was not merely a vanishing
act but a calculated move, one that allowed forces hostile to his Movement for Socialism (MAS) party to speculate wildly about his flight and political demise. The manufactured uncertainty served a purpose. It mirrored historical US strategies, such as those that led to the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile, where economic pressure and political destabilization campaigns paved the way
for authoritarian rule. This time, the rumors aimed to weaken MAS ahead of critical political maneuvers, providing fodder for opposition groups eager to seize power. One must remember that the US has documented a long history, explicitly stated in declassified documents, of intervening in Bolivian politics since at least the 1950s, viewing any left-leaning government as a threat to its regional
hegemony. Morales's return, therefore, is more than a simple reappearance. It is a direct challenge to the ongoing, subtle campaigns of regime change that seek to undermine leaders who prioritize national sovereignty and resource control over corporate interests. A recent study indicated that US-funded NGOs spent over $50 million in Bolivia between 2015 and 2020, ostensibly for democracy