Bolivia, U.S.: An Attempt at Cooperation?

The United States has given Bolivia until June 30 to prove its commitment to cooperation in counternarcotics operations in order to reverse the suspension of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. Relations between Washington and La Paz have been tense since Bolivian President Evo Morales took office in 2005. Since Morales — a former coca farmer — depends on Bolivia's impoverished indigenous population for support, and many of his supporters depend on coca cultivation for their livelihoods, Morales is unlikely to meet U.S. demands on the counternarcotics front for the sake of improving trade relations with the United States.