Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Bolivia recently and met with Bolivian President Evo Morales to discuss indigenous protests over a Brazilian-financed road that will link Brazil with ports in Chile. The controversial section of the road runs from Trinidad, Beni, to Cochabamba in the Bolivian Mountains and transverses a nature reserve. Protesters are concerned that the road will yield opportunities for loggers and illegal coca growth in the in the reserve, which they are constitutionally allowed to govern. The dispute highlights the fragmentation of Morales' political base, which is largely comprised of indigenous peoples and the coca growing industry. Lula's visit to Bolivia not only emphasizes the importance of the infrastructure between Brazil and Chile, but also emphasizes Brazil's increasing its diplomatic outreach in the region as a way of ensuring that its economic and political interests are secured.
