Abstract
The foreign policy of the radical populist government of indigenous president Evo Morales mirrored the principles and causes of Bolivia’s “refounding” revolution. In the Middle East since the Arab Spring, Bolivian foreign policy shifted from the pro-US alignment of previous elite governments to a radicalized, activist, and independent role promoting an anti-hegemonic and anti-capitalist agenda that directly challenged US regional interests and global dominance. The Morales government embraced the “outcast” regimes of Libya and Iran, championed Palestinian statehood, and cooled toward Israel—positions opposed to US policy. The Middle East provided a geopolitical arena where Bolivia could challenge the reactionary global order of US hegemony, and champion its revolutionary causes, thereby enhancing Bolivia’s importance and autonomy as an international actor, and legitimating revolution at home.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Ahmadinejad, Morales Insist on Resistance Against Hegemonists. Tehran Times, 27 October 2010. Available online at: http://old.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=229333.
Al-Batati, Saeed, and Kareem Fahim. 2015. War in Yemen is allowing Qaeda Group to expand. New York Times, 17 April 2015, p. A7.
Arce, Luis Manuel. 2014. Frei Betto: no existe globalización sino globocolonización. El País online, Tarija, Bolivia, 1 June 2014. Available online at: http://www.elpaisonline.com/index.php/nociciastarija/item/128057-fre-betto-no-existe-globalizacion-sino-globocolonizacion.
Baker, Peter. 2015. Obama says offer to Iran Tests whether it is serious. New York Times, 9 March 2015, p. A6.
Berman, Ilan. 2012. Iran Courts Latin America. The Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2012, 19(3): 63–69. Available online at: http://www.meforum.org/3297/iran-latin-america.
Bolivia’s Morales Sees Oil, Greed Behind NATO Mission in Libya. Global Research, 22 September 2011. Available online at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/bolivia-s-morales-sees-oil-greed-behind-nato-mssion-in-libya/26722.
Brumberg, Daniel, and Steven Heydemann. Global Authoritarians and the Arab Spring: New Challenges for US Diplomacy Washington, DC: Wilson Center Papers. Available online at: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/global-authoritarians-and-the-arab-spring-new-challenges-for-us-diplomacy.
Cohen, Roger 2015. Iran matters most. New York Times, 31 March 2015, p. A23.
Erdbrink, Thomas. 2014. Netanyahu speech has eager audience in Iran. New York Times, 4 March 2014, p. A11.
Erikson, Daniel P. 2007. Ahmadinejad finds it warmer in Latin America. Los Angeles Times, 3 October 2007. Available online at: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-oe-erikson3oct03-story.html.
Esfandiari, Golnaz. 2013. Iran’s Ayatollahs Blame Morsi’s ‘Pro-Israeli, Pro-U.S.’ Stance for Egypt Crisis. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 5 July 2013. Available online at: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-ayatollahs-blame-morsi-egypt-crisis-israel-us/25038079.html.
Esfandiary, Dina. 2012. Iran and Egypt: A complicated tango?. London: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 18 October 2012. Available online at: http://www.iss.europa.eu/de/publikationen/detail/article/iran-and-egypt-a-complicated-tango/.
Evo Morales: “Donde hay un Embajador de Estados Unidos, hay golpe de Estado,” Agencia Venezolana de Noticias, 27 July 2011. Available online at: http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/287399/evo-moarales-donde-hay-un-embajador-de-estados-unidos-hay-golpe-de-estado/.
Fahri, Farideh. 2009. Tehran’s Perspective on Iran-Latin American Relations. In Iran in Latin America: Threat or ‘Axis of Annoyance?’, ed. Cynthia Arnson, Haleh Esfandiari, and Adam Stubits, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Latin American Program and Middle East Program. Available online at: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/Iran_in_LA.pdf.
Farrar-Wellman, Ariel, and Robert Frasco. 2010. Bolivia-Iran Foreign Relations, 4 August 2010, IranTracker. Available online at: http://www.irantracker.org/foreign-relations/bolivia-iran-foreign-relations.
Iran Attempts to Forge Ties with Latin America, Council on Hemispheric Affairs. 25 July 2012. Available online at: http://www.coha.org/iran-attempts-to-forge-ties-with-latin-america/.
Iran’s Influence and Activity in Latin America. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs, 16 February 2012, the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, Washington, D.C., US Government Printing Office, 2012. Available online at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg73922/html/CHRG-112shrg73922.htm.
Kampmark, Binoy. 2014. Bolivia’s transformation: The victory of Evo Morales. Global Research, 15 October 2014. Available online at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/bolivias-transformation-the-victory-of-evo-morales/5408102.
Kershner, Isabel. 2015. Israel to release tax revenue it had held back from the Palestinian authority. New York Times, 28 March 2015, p. A8.
Kirkpatrick, David D., and Kareem Fahim. 2015. Saudi leaders have high hopes for Airstrikes, but Houthi attacks continue. New York Times, 3 April 2015, p. A7.
Knell, Yolande. 2011. Palestinians Pursue ‘Plan B’ After Failed Talks. BBC News, Middle East, 1 January 2011. Available online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12099625.
Lee, Briana. 2014. Israel Is a ‘Terrorist State’: Bolivian President. International Business Times, 30 July 2014. Available online at http://www.ibtimes.com/israel-terrorist-state-bolivian-president-1644126.
Mason, Robert. 2013. Iranian Policy Towards Latin America as a Countermeasure Against US Hegemony. In The Gulf and Latin America: An Assessment of Expectations and Challenges, ed. Alejandra Galindo, 59. Cambridge: Gulf Research Centre Cambridge.
McGovern, Ray. 2015. Why Iran Distrusts the US in Nuke Talks. Constortiumnews.com, 1 April 2015. Available online at: https://consortiumnews.com/2015/04/01/why-iran-distrusts-the-us-in-nuke-talks/.
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. 2012. Política Exterior Soberana para Vivir Bien, Informe de la Gestión 2012, La Paz.
———. 2013. Canciler David Choquehuanca Presentó la Memoria Institucional 2006–2013. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, 20 July 2013. Available online at: http://www.cancilleria.gob/bo/node/657.
———. 2014a. Irán Ratifica Relación de Cooperación y Amistad con Bolivia. La Paz, 20 January 2014. Available online at: http://www.cancilleria.gob.bo/node/525.
———. 2014b. Presidente Morales ante Cancilleres de los Países no Alineados: ‘Algunas Potencias Buscan Seguir Invadiendo Nuestros Países’, 28 May 2014. Available online at: http://www.cancilleria.gob.bo/node/619.
———. 2014c. La Revolución Democrática y Cultural y Su Política Exterior, Memoria, 2006–2013, La Paz.
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Unidad de Asia África y Oceanía. Available online at: http://www.cancilleria.gob.bo/node/410.
Morales: ‘histórica’ visita a Libia. BBCMundo.com, 30 August 2008. Available online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_7589000/7589799.stm.
Netanyahu: Bar-Ilan 2-state speech no longer relevant in today’s reality. Haaretz, 8 March 2015. Available online at: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.645912.
Prashad, Vijay. 2011. Imperial Anxieties. Eurasia Review, 9 March 2011. Available online at: http://www.eurasiareview.com/09032011-imperial-anxieties/.
Presidente Morales en la 69° Asamblea de la ONU: ‘Debemos Erradicar el Colonialismo Financiero en el Mundo’. Discurso del Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma en occasión de Debate de la 69° Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas, 24 September 2014. Available online at: http://www.cancilleria.gob.bo/node/741.
Roberts, Sam. 2015. Tony Gonnella Frichner, 67, Indigenous Advocate. New York Times, 26 February 2015, B12.
Rubin, Michael. Iran’s Global Ambition. AEI Middle Eastern Outlook, 17 March 2008. Available online at: http://www.meforum.org/1873/irans-global-ambition.
Salbuchi, Adrian. 2012. ‘Arab Spring’ Coming to Latin America?. RT.com, 26 June 2012. Available online at: http://www.sott.net/article/247214-Arab-Spring-Coming-to-Latin-America.
Saravia López, Alejandra, and Adam Rua Quiroga. An assessment of the environmental and social impacts of Chinese trade and FDI in Bolivia. BU Global Economics Governance Initiative, Discussion paper 2015-2. Available online at: http://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/files/2014/12/Bolivia1.pdf.
Sengupta, Somini. 2015. France to Press U.N. on Talks Between Israel and Palestinians. New York Times, 28 March 2015, p. A5.
Tayel, Abeer. 2011. Bolivia: Does Obama Deserve Nobel Peace Prize?. Al Arabiya, 23 March 2011. Available online at: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/22/142520.html.
Tharoor, Ishaan. 2014. Latin America’s support for Palestinians and the Echoes of the cold war. Washington Post, 31 July 2014. Available online at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/07/31/latin-americas-support-for-palestinians-and-the-echoes-of-the-cold-war/.
UN General Assembly. 2014. Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, 19 December 2014, 75th Plenary Meeting, A/RES/69/241.
Venezuela, Bolivia Cut Israel Ties For Gaza. Palestine Chronicle, 15 January 2009. Available online at: http://www.palestinechronicle.com/venezuela-bolivia-cut-israel-ties-for-gaza
Wadi, Ramona. 2013. Similarities between Palestine and Latin America Invoked in Bolivian Message of Solidarity. Middle East Monitor, 28 November 2013. Available online at: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/8554-similarities-between-palestine-and-latin-america-invoked-in-bolivian-message-of-solidarity.
Whitbeck, John V. 2010. Palestinian statehood: Quality as well as quantity. Palestine Chronicle, 23 December 2010. Available online at: http://www.eurasiareview.com/23122010-palestinian-statehood-quality-as-well-as-quantity/.
White House. 2015. Readout of the President’s Call with President al-Sisi of Egypt. Office of the Press Secretary, 31 March 2015. Available online at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/31/readout-president-s-call-president-al-sisi-egypt.
Yapp, Robin. 2011. Iran defence minister forced to leave Bolivia over 1994 Argentina bombing. The Telegraph, 1 June 2011. Available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/bolivia/8550445/Iran-defence-minister-forced-to-leave-Bolivia-over-1994-Argentina-bombing.html.
Zimmett, Nora. Bolivia becoming a hotbed of Islamic extremism, report concludes. Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 17 June 2009. Available online at: http://www.coha.org/bolivia-becoming-a-hotbed-of-islamic-etremism-report-concludes/.
Zimmit, Raz. 2013. Disillusioned Hope: Iran and Mohammad Morsi’s Government. The Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University, No. 58, 16 July 2013. Available online at: http://humanities.tau.ac.il/iranian/en/previous-reviews/10-iran-pulse-en/244-iranpulse58-july2013.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Morales, W.Q. (2016). Bolivia’s Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East (2000–2015): Promoting a Populist and Radical Agenda Abroad. In: Tawil Kuri, M. (eds) Latin American Foreign Policies towards the Middle East. Middle East Today. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59939-1_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59939-1_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-60130-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-59939-1
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)