[DEBATE] : CEPR: U.S. Should Disclose its Funding of Opposition Groups in Bolivia

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Press Release

U.S. Should Disclose its Funding of Opposition Groups in Bolivia and
Other Latin American Countries - Center for Economic and Policy
Research

For Immediate Release: September 12, 2008
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

WASHNGTON, D.C. - The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
called on the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), and other agencies to release information
detailing whom it is funding in Bolivia -- where violent right-wing
opposition groups have wreaked havoc this week in a series of
shootings, beatings, ransacking of offices, and sabotage of a natural
gas pipeline -- as well as in other Latin American countries including
Venezuela. Recent events suggest there may be evidence for Bolivian
president Evo Morales' assertions that the U.S. Embassy is supporting
groups promoting violence and seeking "autonomy" from Bolivia, and the
Center called on USAID and other U.S. agencies to "come clean" in
order to demonstrate the U.S. government's good faith.

"Washington has decided to keep its ties to Bolivia's opposition
shrouded in secrecy, and that's not conducive to trust between the
U.S. and Bolivian governments," said Mark Weisbrot, CEPR Co-Director.
"If Washington has nothing to hide in terms of whom it is funding and
working with in Bolivia, then it should reveal which groups those
are."

In the midst of the violence and property destruction, Bolivian
president Evo Morales declared U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg
"persona non grata" and asked him to be expelled, suggesting he is
aiding organizations behind the violence and sabotage. Despite
numerous requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act, the U.S.
has not turned over all the names of recipient organizations of USAID
funds. Bolivia is a major recipient of USAID money, with millions of
dollars sent to groups there. The U.S. also funds groups in Bolivia
through the National Endowment for Democracy and related
organizations.

"USAID is not supposed to be a clandestine organization, but
nevertheless the U.S. government refuses to divulge which groups in
Bolivia are supported with U.S. tax dollars," Weisbrot said. "By
providing clandestine aid to groups that are almost certainly in the
opposition, it gives the impression that the U.S. is contributing to
efforts to destabilize the Bolivian government."

The U.S. Embassy in Bolivia has been implicated in a number of events
that suggest it may be seeking to undermine Morales' government. In
February of this year it was revealed that the Embassy had repeatedly
asked Peace Corps volunteers and a Fulbright Scholar [LINK:
<http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4262036>] to spy on people
inside Bolivia. USAID has an "Office of Transition Initiatives"
operating in Bolivia, funneling millions of dollars of training and
support to right-wing opposition regional governments and movements.

At least eight people were killed and dozens injured in violence
Thursday, the latest in over a week of protests carried out by
organized youth groups in conjunction with [LINK:
<http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43788>] departmental governors and
other opposition leaders that also saw them sabotage a natural gas
pipeline, vandalize government offices, ransack the offices of a human
rights organization, and threaten to cut off natural gas exports to
neighboring Brazil and Argentina.


The Center for Economic and Policy Research is an independent,
nonpartisan think tank that was established to promote democratic
debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect
people's lives. CEPR's Advisory Board of Economists includes Nobel
Laureate economists Robert Solow and Joseph Stiglitz; Richard Freeman,
Professor of Economics at Harvard University; and Eileen Appelbaum,
Professor and Director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers
University

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