This article appears in the July 5, 2024 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.
Attempted Military Coup Fails in Bolivia
[Print version of this article]
June 27—Bolivia lived through dramatic moments June 26, when the commander-in-chief of the Army, Gen. Juan José Zúñiga, and Naval Commander Vice Admiral Juan Arnez threatened to overthrow the government of President Luis Arce Catacora. Zúñiga deployed troops to take over La Paz’s central Murillo Plaza, used a tank to break down the door of the presidential palace, and confronted President Arce. The general claimed he was acting to prevent former President Evo Morales from running for President in the 2025 elections, and would protect the country from the “elites” who, he said, governed only for “a few.”
The rebellion lasted only a few hours. Zúñiga and his coup-plotter allies were forced to stand down, and were arrested and charged with terrorism and subverting the “sovereignty and security of the state,” for which they will receive long jail terms. There was a significant international outpouring of support for Arce as well, especially from fellow Ibero-American heads of state. But, to be clear, these events had little to do with internal politics. Bolivia is a candidate to become a member of the BRICS, and President Arce has clearly stated his commitment to the pro-development worldview that the BRICS represent, as he elaborated during his June 7 speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
As Bolivia’s neighbor, Brazilian President Lula da Silva has been especially supportive, and he and Arce enjoy a close working relationship. Lula will be traveling to Bolivia on July 9 to express his support for Arce and his democratic form of government, while also promoting South American economic integration and increasing connectivity through great infrastructure projects.
For the last two years, Wall Street and the City of London have subjected Bolivia to fierce financial warfare, demanding a currency devaluation and a change from Arce’s economic policy, which prioritizes industrial development, poverty reduction, and social welfare. The Bolivian President has often warned that domestic enemies and their foreign allies are seeking to destabilize his government. Removing him from office would be convenient for those Anglo-American forces that have also targeted Brazil, the BRICS leader in South America, while they prop up the pathetic Argentine President Javier Milei, who is deployed against Brazil and the BRICS momentum in Ibero-America.
