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let them sip champagne: the battle of bolivia by Robert Sterling (robalini@aol.com) - December 28, 2000 |
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| Water is the essence of life, making up 70% of the human body. Mankind can't live long without it. Such is the background behind a failed swindle, masterminded by the forces of globalization. The backlash nearly led to a revolution, the first of hopefully many to follow in the New World Order of economics. Oddly, there wasn't too much about it in the news. In 1999, the Bolivian government "privatized" the public water system in the city of Cochabamba, based on the "advice" (i.e. demands) of the World Bank. They only considered one bid, by a conglomerate led by Bechtel, the giant San Francisco-based engineering monolith. Bechtel and its pals were given a 40-year-lease. More than half a million people depend on the water to survive. What is important to understand is that there's nothing unusual behind such plans: it's modus operandi for both the IMF and World Bank. "Privatization" means selling public enterprises and natural resources to private corporations. The corporations are unsurprisingly almost always Western military-industrial titans. In exchange, the countries are infused with more cash. The sales job is that the corporations will run things more efficiently than a bungling government industry. It didn't work that way in Bolivia. Big surprise: why would an amoral money machine not abuse a granted private monopoly and the license to gouge? The conglomerate doubled and tripled prices. They claimed it was to recover the cost of a huge dam project in Misicuni, yet to be built. Many impoverished people suddenly couldn't afford the essence of life. The response from Bechtel, the Bolivian government, and the World Bank was a collective shrug. Get used to the new economic realities. Or, as Marie Antoinette would put it, "Let them sip champagne." The people of Bolivia responded to the economic rape and thievery with protests led by workers, environmentalists, and citizen's groups. A strike and transportation stoppage brought the city to a standstill. They were met with tear gas and bullets. Six were killed and 175 injured, including two children blinded from the chemical warfare. In April 2000, Hugo Banzer, the former Bolivian dictator and now the President, declared martial law. World Bank Director James Wolfensohn commented to reporters that, "The riots in Bolivia, I'm happy to say, are now quieting down." Bechtel issued a statement denying the upheaval in Bolivia had anything to do with its plundering, and suggested the revolt was the work of those opposed to a "crackdown on coca-leaf production." But the tide had turned. This time, the opponents of Corporatism (under the banner of "free trade globalization") ended in victory against the evil empire. While Bechtel and the Bolivian government tried to shift blame to the other, the industrial giant fled its offices and tried to extract a US$12 million exit payment. The leader of the water protests, Oscar Olivera became a national hero. More than even Seattle or D.C., the Battle of Bolivia is a global wakeup call against economic oppression in the world. |
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Bolivians Rise Against Globalized Water Prices Water Fallout: Bolivians Battle Globalization Blame Bechtel, Not Narcotraffickers, For Bolivian Uprising Water Wars: Bechtel's Bloody Hands In Bolivia The World Bank Must Realize Water Is A Basic Human Right Water, Water . . . Nowhere Protests Against Water Rate Rises Sweep Bolivia Bolivia's War Over Water Not Just A Seattle Sequel New British Empire Of The Dammed The Earth Wrecker Standing Up For The Victims Of Globalization Union Members Join Thousands To Protest Anti-Worker World Bank, IMF Policies Bolivians Rise Against Globalized Water Prices: Photo Gallery Globalization & War For Water In Bolivia Toronto Globe & Mail Americas.org The Democracy Center The World Socialist Web Site Global Exchange: Building People To People Ties Bechtel Corporation Bolivia's War Over Water Disinformation Dossier On A16: The World Bank v The World Disinformation Dossier On The Battle In Seattle Disinformation Dossier On The World Trade Organization Disinformation Dossier On Bloody Bolivia Water Privatization In Bolivia |
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