After Bolivia Coup, Lithium Question Looms

Bolivia's interim president Jeanine Añez speaks during a press conference to announce that the Senate approved a bill that could open the door to new elections without ex-president Evo Morales, as the caretaker government prepared to meet with protesters to end weeks of unrest, in La Paz on Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo: Jorge Bernal/AFP via Getty Images)

By Vijay Prashad

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales was overthrown in a military coup on November 10. He is now in Mexico. Before he left office, Morales had been involved in a long project to bring economic and social democracy to his long-exploited country. It is important to recall that Bolivia has suffered a series of coups, often conducted by the military and the oligarchy on behalf of transnational mining companies. Initially, these were tin firms, but tin is no longer the main target in Bolivia. The main target is its massive deposits of lithium, crucial for the electric car . . .

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