THE US policy of seeking regime change in those Latin American countries that it cannot economically and politically dominate is now putting Bolivia and the government of Evo Morales in its sights, with the Amazon fires as the pretext.
The US has a history of seeking to subvert the Morales government, with the last major CIA-backed effort, known as the “media luna” coup, taking place in 2008-09 as the right-wing opposition, knowing it couldn’t defeat Morales in democratic elections, initiated a wave of violence.
A decade later, with presidential elections this month, the context is the same. The latest poll by private Bolivian TV channel Unitel shows that President Morales has opened up a huge lead over right-wing candidate Carlos Mesa.
Far-right forces are rising across Latin America and the Caribbean, armed with a common agenda of anti-communism, the culture war, and neoliberal economics, writes VIJAY PRASHAD



