Via Nathan Wilcox at The Agonist, Eva Golinger posts at Bolivia Rising on USAID aid money funding opposition to Bolivian government and Evo Morales:

Recently declassified documents obtained by investigators Jeremy Bigwood and Eva Golinger reveal that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has invested more than $97 million in “decentralization” and “regional autonomy” projects and opposition political parties in Bolivia since 2002. The documents, requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), evidence that USAID in Bolivia was the “first donor to support departmental governments” and “decentralization programs” in the country, proving that the US agency has been one of the principal funders and fomenters of the separatist projects promoted by regional governments in Eastern Bolivia.

Anyone surprised? Now, what will Obama do?
In comments, Tina posts link to Reuters India article, Bolivia eyes better ties with US, demands respect.

Posted by: jawbone | May 26 2009 16:41 utc | 3

I wish it were as simple as Cynthia suggests unfortunately it is not, forces which happen to be contrary to liberal thinking are entrenched in the Washington elite but ridding them will take a lot more than a philosophic shift. Like the military industrial complex, or the forces that were gathered for the war on drugs, those forces of empire which were assembled on behalf of the global war on terror and who have now expanded out into a war with Iran, a wing training and advocating illegal imprisonment and torture, as well as supporting provocateurs to create threats if none exist, have become part of the accepted Washington establishment, where the rules are everyone tolerates everyone else lest shafting a member bounces back and shafts you.
Unlike AIPAC which is little more than a political front these new ‘industries’ support thousands of easily able to be politicised citizens through actual employment. This is a major difference, one that means the smallest cut sends forth many highly influential citizens baying for blood because their ‘right’ to hunt and gather has been stopped, probably the oldest and most powerful motivation in human society.
Occasionally someone may try to curtail the gwot mob’s power or funding but since they are all hard wired into the lobby/PAC/fund-raising nexus the curtailment will only be smoke and mirrors. That is until amerikans decide to take back their power, something they can never achieve through the ballot box, since it is the tiny percentage of citizens who are in the Washington nexus who control the ballot box.
In all likelihood amerikans will never decide to fight back.

Posted by: Debs is dead | May 26 2009 20:43 utc | 5

today’s scare headline reminded me of an older article:
Washington May Soon Try to Pin the Venezuelan Uranium Tail on the Iranian Nuclear Donkey:

May 9th 2006, by Larry Birns and Michael Lettieri – COHA
The wide-ranging, if somewhat vague, cooperation agreements between Iran and Venezuela were repeatedly reiterated by Washington sources to suggest that more malignant factors might be at play. The most popular rumor had Caracas sending its uranium to Iran in exchange for nuclear technology, with the most radical version beginning with accusations that Caracas was seeking to obtain weaponry from Tehran. Some went so far as to suggest that nuclear devices already had been clandestinely transported to Venezuela on chartered oil tankers. . . .
While the rumors sometimes involve an alleged Israeli intelligence report which speaks of covert uranium mining in Venezuela, the so-called findings have never been seen, let alone validated. In fact, while Venezuela may possess some yet to be established uranium deposits, there is no evidence that these have been located, let alone worked. Venezuelan officials have vehemently denied charges that the country is facilitating the enrichment of uranium by the Iranians, and even the State Department has minimized such suggestions, noting that while it is “aware of reports of possible Iranian exploitation of Venezuelan uranium,” it does not see any “commercial uranium activities in Venezuela.” Furthermore, the speculated ties overlook the fact that Iran does not particularly need to import uranium all the way from Venezuela for its projects, as it has ample supplies of its own.

so the story’s now evolved to Evo/Bolivia being in on the ‘plot’ – how long ’til they find an Ecuadorian connection?

Posted by: Arcturus | May 26 2009 22:13 utc | 7