Both Morales and Quispe denied leading the uprising and Morales also denied government accusations that he received financial aid from Libya's Muhamar Gadafi and Chavez. But Manfred Reyes of the New Republican Force party, and until recently part of the governing coalition, alluded to Chavez and others when he claimed "there are anarchic groups with foreign backing that are using this as a pretext to bring down the country."
The United States should be concerned. Morales is part of a growing network of leftist anti-American leadrers and groups in Latin America, apparently aided (and possibly financed) by Castro and Chavez working to undermine pro-American governments throughout the hemisphere.
This "anti-imperialist" effort also aims to elect leftist leaders when possible such as Chavez in Venezuela and Inacio Lula de Silva in Brazil. But when elections fail, these groups will use coups by populist/leftist military officers or populist protests such as those in Argentina and now Bolivia, to achieve their ends of removing elected pro-America leaders.
Many see the decrepit Castro (who still has a huge, loyal following in Latin America developed and cultivated over the past four decades) as the brains behind this effort, with his alter ego Chavez (using Venezuela's large territory and vast oil revenues) as the logistical and financial support for this new subversion campaign. Some of the coordination may also be conducted through the Sao Paolo Forum, the Castro-inspired anti-American movement founded in Brazil by Lula da Silva in 1990.
The Forum, which meets regularly thgroughout Latin America, can be seen as a successor to Castro's Tricontinental Congress formed in the 1960s to foment radicalism and revolution globally. It serves as the glue that binds anti-American leftist groups in Latin America with like-minded rogue states such as Iran and North Korea, and international radical groups and terrorists worldwide.
Bolivia is now ripe for take over by these Castro-Chavez sponsored radical groups. but it is just the latest of potential targets. The United States and the democracies of Latin America need to wake up to this growing subversion threat and work together to actively counter the Castro-Chavez axis. ***
Almost three weeks after the federal government restored control of the Caracas police force to the city mayor, police claim they are outgunned by criminals and practically defenseless because all their weapons haven't been returned. Officers are dying as a result, they say.
President Hugo Chavez ordered the armed forces to take custody of police stations last November, accusing the police of playing a key role in a short-lived 2002 coup and repressing pro-government marches. On Oct. 10, soldiers left police stations as Chavez's administration relinquished control of the 9,000-strong city police force under orders from the Supreme Court after the 10-month takeover.
Despite the military's withdrawal from city precincts, Venezuela's defense ministry hasn't returned more than 2,000 MP-5 submachine guns and dozens of 12-gauge shotguns that were confiscated during the takeover. Lacking powerful firearms to fight criminals in violent Caracas, an increasing number of police officers are dying, said Metropolitan Police Chief Lazaro Forero.
He said 24 police have been killed and 90 wounded in clashes with criminals since the takeover began. Last week, an officer wearing a flak jacket died in action after being shot with ten armor-piercing bullets. "We can't fight crime like this. It's a battle we can't win because we are competing with criminals that have weapons for wars," Forero told the Associated Press. City police are currently permitted to use .38-caliber revolvers. ***