Expulsion of US agency "well thought out foreign policy" - Bolivian paper
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 20:26 
Text of report by Bolivian newspaper Los Tiempos website on 3 November
[Editorial: "Bolivia, Drug Trafficking Capital"]
Lending continuity to one of its core foreign policies, the government of the Movement Towards Socialism has decided to deal with another blow to our country's relations with the United States by suspending the operations of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The arguments that President Morales is citing to back his decision are the same ones with which he has justified his previous moves against the United States: political meddling, espionage, and funding for a "coup d'etat by civic leaders and prefects."
As in previous cases, several analysts and opposition leaders have described Morales's decision as "one more mistake." In other words, it is just another misjudgment caused by "bad advice," a misunderstanding of reality, or worse, a sudden tantrum by the president.
Given the background to the affair, however, all indications are that this is instead the logical consequence of a well thought out foreign policy that is pursuing specific objectives in accordance with a geopolitical strategy that has been put together with major foreign allies of the government.
Against this backdrop, Bolivia would be attempting to consolidate its already significant role on the world scene as one of the pivots of an international political project whose main goal is to destroy the hegemonic role of the United States on our continent and in the world and replace it with a "multipolar" system.
A fundamental part of this strategy is the network of alliances that Bolivian diplomacy has developed with countries such as Russia and Iran, which are after the same objective in their respective spheres of influence. It is no accident, therefore, that prior to the expulsion of the DEA, Bolivia moved ahead on negotiations with Russia so that it can take the place of the United States in our country.
The consequences of Bolivia aligning itself with a powerful anti-US axis will, of course, be many and complex. The economic consequences have already begun to be felt, as our country has been taken off the list of beneficiaries of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act.
In the matter at hand, however, the negative consequences could be even worse. Activities connected with the production and trafficking of cocaine and other drugs are clearly at a peak in Bolivia and will no doubt be further spurred. Bolivia is in a way becoming a sort of narcotics trafficking capital, and this can only have dire consequences.
We are therefore moving through dangerous territory. The virtual legalization of drug trafficking is acquiring the status of a State policy and in today's world, we can rest assured, this is something that will not go unpunished.
Source: Los Tiempos website, Cochabamba, in Spanish 3 Nov 08
