https://sputnikglobe.com/20240628/questions-remain-over-role-of-military-after-bolivia-coup-attempt-1119160771.html
Questions Remain Over Role of Military After Bolivia Coup Attempt
Questions Remain Over Role of Military After Bolivia Coup Attempt
Sputnik International
The surprising incident attracted global attention, but lacked many of the hallmarks of typical Western-backed regime change operations.
2024-06-28T05:13+0000
2024-06-28T05:13+0000
2024-06-28T05:13+0000
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Unanswered questions remain over the planning and motives of an apparent coup attempt in the South American state of Bolivia Wednesday.The Andean country holds the dubious title of world’s most couped nation, with 23 attempted overthrows of its government since 1950 and 190 successful ones since its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1825. The US has played a role in many regime change operations throughout the continent, with the country’s doctrine of guarding Latin America from the threat of foreign interference providing cover for the United States’ own efforts to maintain influence.Journalist Camila Escalante of the Bolivia-based media organization Kawsachun News joined Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Thursday to break down the incident.“There are a lot of unusual circumstances surrounding this apparent coup,” the journalist noted. Escalante explained that coup leader Juan José Zúñiga “signed a statement to the police since his detention saying that they were unable to reach their objective for Wednesday's action, which, according to him, seems to be the forced resignation of Luis Arce and his ministers.”Escalante noted that previous US-backed regime change operations throughout the continent have often been accompanied by prolonged social media campaigns and foreign organizations exerting their influence. 2019’s forced resignation of former President Evo Morales was instigated after disputed claims of electoral fraud by the Organization of American States and the Twitter hashtag #SOSBolivia, mirroring previous US interference campaigns in Latin America.But Wednesday’s incident was free of such telltale signs of Western backing, Escalante noted. Bolivia’s military has acted impulsively in the past – once marching into congress to demand the promotion of generals in 2020 and plotting a second coup that same year – but some observers still remain skeptical that General Zúñiga attempted to carry out such an audacious action alone. Zúñiga has since suggested the incident was a preplanned stunt in order to bolster the image of President Arce.But the United States has previously worked through various covert channels to instigate uprisings in Latin American militaries, training dissident generals through the notorious School of the Americas and influencing personnel who serve under the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington as embassy attaches. Observers claim it may be some time before the full story behind Wednesday’s surprising incident is known.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240627/bolivias-interior-minister-presents-detained-general-zuiga-to-media-1119146910.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240627/outside-forces-may-provoke-coup-attempt-in-bolivia---bolivian-defense-minister-1119158713.html
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Questions Remain Over Role of Military After Bolivia Coup Attempt
The surprising incident attracted global attention, but lacked many of the hallmarks of typical Western-backed regime change operations.
Unanswered questions remain over the planning and motives of an apparent coup attempt in the South American state of Bolivia Wednesday.
The Andean country holds the dubious
title of world’s most couped nation, with 23 attempted overthrows of its government since 1950 and 190
successful ones since its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1825. The US has played a role in many regime change operations throughout the continent, with the country’s
doctrine of guarding Latin America from the threat of foreign interference providing cover for the United States’ own efforts to maintain influence.
Journalist Camila Escalante of the Bolivia-based media organization
Kawsachun News joined
Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Thursday to break down the incident.
“It's been painted today in the headlines in the mainstream government media in Bolivia as a failed coup, a foiled coup attempt, and it was the triumph of the Bolivian people,” Escalante explained. “But, we just heard from the minister of the presidency, María Nela Prada. She just held a press conference alongside [Bolivian President] Luis Arce's other cabinet members, and they're saying they're going to continue to search for those who are responsible and who participated in this action.”
“There are a lot of unusual circumstances surrounding
this apparent coup,” the journalist noted. Escalante explained that coup leader Juan José Zúñiga “signed a statement to the police since his detention saying that they were unable to reach their objective for Wednesday's action, which, according to him, seems to be the forced resignation of Luis Arce and his ministers.”
“They had met previously – Zúñiga as army commander – met with the other branches of the armed forces but for whatever reason, units of the Navy and the Air Force were unable to arrive in Plaza Murillo at the time of the attack. So they simply didn't have the manpower to carry out what they had intended to do yesterday.”
Escalante noted that previous US-backed regime change operations throughout the continent have often been accompanied by prolonged social media campaigns and foreign organizations exerting their influence. 2019’s forced resignation of former President Evo Morales was instigated after disputed claims of electoral fraud by the Organization of American States and the Twitter hashtag #SOSBolivia, mirroring
previous US interference campaigns in Latin America.
But Wednesday’s incident was free of such telltale signs of Western backing, Escalante noted. Bolivia’s military has acted impulsively in the past – once marching into congress to demand the promotion of generals in 2020 and
plotting a second coup that same year – but some observers still remain skeptical that General Zúñiga attempted to carry out such an audacious action alone. Zúñiga has since suggested the incident was a preplanned stunt in order to bolster the image of President Arce.
But the United States has previously worked through various covert channels to instigate uprisings in Latin American militaries,
training dissident generals through the notorious School of the Americas and
influencing personnel who serve under the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington as embassy attaches. Observers claim it may be some time before the full story behind Wednesday’s surprising incident is known.
