I’ve spent the better part of a week on my research in Bolivia. One of the odd things about this, of course, is that in a whirlwind trip I have limited time to pay attention to “current event” news in detail. Sure, there’s the kind of soaking & poking that happens (including reading interesting graffiti everywhere), but that never really makes up for careful, thorough analysis of facts (as opposed to knee-jerk reactions based on ideological prejudices). But balancing time between spending hours tucked away in the Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional & entertaining w/ Javi (my 18-month-old) limits that kind of thorough “on the scene” analysis. Still, there were a few interesting moments.

Yesterday, leaving the Biblioteca about 20 minutes earlier than usual, I encountered an interesting march. La Paz, of course, is famous for it marches. But this one was much more interesting than previous ones. From what I could see, it was representatives of Manuel Pando, a rural La Paz municipality. But no one on the street could tell me what they were marching for (or against), though I overheard rumors that they wanted greater autonomy and/or control over their mineral resources (“like the cambas” one person said). But unlike the marches from previous years, they were dressed in full ethnic regalia (including tall feather hats), marching in military parade files (six across, several rows deep, in companies). Their march also included bands (each “company” was led by a full ensemble of drums, panflutes, fifes, and other “traditional” instruments).

Otherwise, the city seems tense but calm. Most of the graffiti in La Paz calls for voting for the new constitution (the election was in January). It’s interesting, however, to see the “official” billboards & posters that call for a yes vote. A giant billboard at the bottom of the Prado proclaims that the new CPE offers protections for private property. The posters facing the UMSA (the state La Paz university) bear the slogan “Bolivia unida con Autonomías.” None of this suggests the kind of radical socialism many MAS supporters (particularly outside Bolivia) think the government pursues.

On the other hand, there are constant TV/radio ads for Evo (not so much for MAS, the party) & his government. Almost every billboard in front of a government office or proclaiming some new government initiative bears his picture. This suggests a growing personalization of the regime, not unlike previous populist regimes in Bolivia & across Latin America, particularly in the 1950s-1970s. It’s also clear that the regime emphasizes nationalism & anti-imperialism more than it does traditional Marxist socialism.

In the news headlines, many of the same stories remain. The growing rift between Bolivia & Peru continues, and has become even more aggressive than the earlier rift w/ the US. Coca production (and seizure) seems to be increasing dramatically. The end of preferences for Bolivia’s exports to the US (through the ATPDEA) continues to worry people (though this morning the government announced that the loss in trade would only cost $2 million & 1,000 jobs). Otherwise, the road to the December election continues, after overcoming the potential hurdle of requiring a biometric voter registration system (a deal was reached a few weeks ago). No one seems to doubt that Evo will win reelection; the question is merely how & by how much. Interestingly, Evo this week even announced he might abandon MAS & campaign alone if his party didn’t get behind his proposals (there’s been growing rifts between elements w/in the MAS party/movement, including a growing number of defections).

The one problem—which could turn into an Achilles heel for Evo—is the growing tendency for local communities to announce that they will not allow opposition candidates/parties to campaign in their communities. Defended abroad (by some) for various reasons, this clearly violates the principles of a free, fair, open election. The reason this could turn into an Achilles heel is that it gives tremendous power to local caudillos. So long as they back Evo/MAS, this is a boost for the government & an easy way to increase its vote share. But what if local caudillos (as many have) abandon Evo/MAS? This happened to the MNR in the 1960s, which in large part explained its loss of hegemony (from 1952-1960 it was able to win nearly three quarters of the national vote). Not to mention, of course, that if only one party (whether MAS or another) is able to campaign in a geographic area, there is no incentive for that party to really represent constituents (no competition means a captured vote).

Still, my current concerns are legislative committee assignments in the 1980s & 1990s. So far, I’ve worked my way through 1985-1990 (skipping the 1987-1988 session missing from the archives). Hopefully, I’ll get through this by middle of next week (w/ a great debt of gratitude to the Biblioteca staff). Then I can start tracking down candidate lists for 1985 & 1989 (which the CNE doesn’t have, so I’ll have to go through published newspaper lists). It also doesn’t help that CNE’s archives are in the process of being moved to a bigger space in Obrajes. The bright news is that Salvador Romero just published (earlier this month!) a complete dictionary of legislators for 1979-2009. At first glance, it includes a great deal of the biographic information is included.

But this weekend is time for a break. We’re meeting relatives for lunch, then maybe we’ll take Javi to the lagoon in Cota Cota. Sunday is the (unexpected!) match between USA & Brazil for the FIFA Confederations Cup. Monday it’s back to work at the congressional archives.

We arrived in La Paz Monday afternoon, a bit tired after a long bus trip from Cochabamba, and feeling the effects of altitude (Javi, not so much). We´re settled into our cozy little habitación in Casa Hermanos Manchego (though sans the promised wifi). There are changes in La Paz, but so far the city seems oddly "depoliticized" compared to previous visits, despite the frequent tv/radio government (and some opposition) spots. I´ll try to comment on some of the news later.

I met my research assistant. I think our project will move forward smoothly enough, assuming we can actually find the information we need. The National Electoral Court (CNE) doen´t have detailed records going beyond the 1997 election (it might have the 1993 election information I need). Since the project seeks to compare candidate recruitment from the 1985-1993 to 1997-2005 period, having pre-1997 data is critical. Sadly, I may have to do archive work to find the names of candidates (who didn´t win seats) in pre-1997 elections and present it to the CNE as a colaboración to augment their own records. After that, we have about 14 months to try to track down demographic information on the candidates. So far our database contains about 2,700 candidate entries (this includes about 1,500 for a complete list of 1997 candidates already entered); the total number should ammount to an estimated 6,000-7,000 (though many of these will be duplicates; that is, the same person running in multiple years).

Today I have to present my letters of request for information to the CNE, as well as the Bolivian National Library of Congress. If nothing else, they may have old newspapers that printed the names of candidates for the 1985, 1989, 1993 elections. I can then copy them down & transfer them to the spreadsheet. This afternoon I go to ILDIS to meet Carlos Toranzo, catch up, and seek his guidance on how to continue w/ the project (as well as some coding questions).

These are the kinds of things I do when I "work" in Bolivia.

Otherwise, we´re enjoying seeing La Paz through new eyes. Javi changes the dynamics, of course. We have to walk more slowly, we have to choose our routes & itinerary w/ his attention span in mind, and we have to figure out where to eat lunch (so far it looks like La Terraza in Sopocachi, w/ its play area & high chairs w/ gadgets, is a hit). His love of cars means he is having a blast riding in taxis (w/o a safety seat!) or just plain walking the streets looking at all the different kinds of cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, etc. He also loves feeding, then chasing, the pidgeons in Plaza Murillo. Oh, and he played w/ his first sparklers (for San Juan, of course)! Today, we´re taking hin to the Sagarnaga.

Not much else is new. We´ll try to post some pictures (mostly of Javi, of course) once we have time. But it´s not too cold for him, in case you were worried.

K8 posted some photos to her Facebook account, but I’ll wait to post photos until I’m in La Paz & have a bit more time. But Javi is having a grand time in Santa Cruz. The weather is cooperating nicely (not too hot, not too humid), even though many of the local attractions are closed for “winter” (it can get as low as the mid-70s here!).

One of the things we’ve noticed more of (though possibly because we now have a child) is the number of new play areas for young children built throughout the city. Near my parents’ house is the “Parque Autonómico,” one of several new parks throughout the city. This one, however, is the largest. It includes probably about a mile long jogging track, some exercise equipment, and a series of small, identical playgrounds (a jungle gym & slide, two swings, and two teeter-totters), as well as some BBQ areas. There’s also lots of shade & the grounds are nicely maintained. Oh, and there’s also a small half-pipe for skateboarding.

Javi also enjoyed the Santa Cruz Zoo. It’s certainly not as well maintained as it should be, and only a shadow of its former glory when I was a child. But they’re clearly trying to keep it up, and it’s now sponsored by Petrobras. Hopefully finding a large sponsor (the zoo languished after the death of its founder, Noel Kempff). The zoo has a reputation for one of the “most complete” collections of endangered South American animals. It’s an underappreciated treasure in the city of Santa Cruz. One of the problems, of course, is that many people don’t really respect the zoo (while we were there, an adult couple kept trying to give the monkeys coca-cola). But Javi still enjoyed it.

Otherwise, it’s a pretty laid back “vacation” in Santa Cruz. So far we’re just enjoying the climate, and the break from our grinding commutes last year. We’re letting Javi run around in my parents’ small yard, the playground in their little development neighborhood (Javi climbs the ladder & goes down the slide, unless there’s a bus or a truck worth staring at for a moment), and driving around the city.

It’s also amazing that Santa Cruz is still very much a “boom town” atmosphere. New residential developments (of all sizes) keep going up. The city of my childhood that had no buildings past four stories (the post office, maybe a hotel or two) now has a growing skyline of glass & concrete. And there seems to be no end in sight. And yet the fast paced construction is followed by a sense of chaos. It’s all rather haphazard & spontaneous, w/ little zoning or foresight (for example: entire shopping centers are built w/ no thought to parking).

To me this is also quietly tragic. As a “new” city (unlike La Paz), Santa Cruz had the opportunity to become a more “ordered” city. La Paz, which grew gradually (but steadily) over centuries, was always hampered by geography. In contrast, Santa Cruz is completely flat; the only geographic obstacle (on one side) is the Piraí River. Theoretically, Santa Cruz could’ve been a model city, had local authorities continued a consistent vision that kept development (both private & public) at a steady, coordinated pace. Instead, kindergartens are next to karaoke pubs, residential neighborhoods are next noisy markets, and playgrounds are nestled between office spaces. Maybe over time the city will finally sort itself out. But at what cost?

The saddest recent story involves a plot of land the national government handed out to a local union (the wheelbarrow drivers’ union). Evo personally came & promised them new houses. So money was spent, and a cluster of new houses was built on the outskirts of town. There was much celebration. Until it turned out that not only were there no schools or other public services for the new community, the houses had no water or sewage connection, no electricity, no basic urban infrastructure services. This is the same pattern from when UCS governed the city (it’s idea of building “roads” was to flatten earth & pour cement over it; they didn’t last the first major rains). It’s sad that such a dynamic city continues to grow & inch forward not because of, but often despite it’s national & local leaders.

Our first few days in Santa Cruz are mostly devoted to catching up w/ my parents & relatives, so I’ve not had a chance to really scour the Bolivian news. There will be much more of that when we get to La Paz, obviously. But the two main stories that seem to dominate everyone’s attention are swine flu (N1H1, here called A1H1) & deteriorating Bolivia-Peru relations.

The flu scare seems quite serious. We were greeted at the airport by young medical staff—all w/ facemasks & clipboards—who kept asking everyone if they had felt ill or coughed recently. It was a bit unnerving. Since then, we’ve seen a few (only a few) people wearing facemasks in public. But the TV news & the front page of the papers is carrying information about that, including the recent death of the first H1N1 death in Florida.

Politically, however, I’m much more interested in the continual decline of Bolivia-Peru relations. Peru has historically been on of Bolivia’s closest allies, particularly as a partner in dealing w/ Chile (both countries fought a war against Chile in 1878 in which Bolivia lost its seacoast). There’s rumor that the disagreement is more personal than political, based on longstanding animosities between Evo & Alan Garcia (Peru’s president) that go back to the 1990s.

Either way, the Peruvian government is quickly attacking Evo for “interfering” in Peru’s internal affairs—including accusations that Bolivia’s president is fomenting violence or perhaps even materially supporting an indigenous insurrection in Peru. Such accusations are interesting, of course, because they are the very kind of accusations Evo himself frequently makes towards other countries (particularly the US) whenever their representatives meet w/ or otherwise encourage the activities of opposition groups. Today, Peru withdrew its ambassador from Bolivia in protest.

For his part, Evo’s mostly attacking Alan Garcia personally & blaming Peru’s government of deliberately orchestrating a massacre of indigenous people (34 peopled died in clashes about two weeks ago, including 24 Peruvian security personnel). But there seems to be no effort to deny Evo’s ideological affinity for the Peruvian indigenous movement—and several recent public statements on their behalf confirm that he is at least a verbal “supporter” of their cause.

None of this is illegal, of course. National leaders have the liberty to speak their minds about events in other countries; they also have the right to associate w/ opposition figures (at least, they do if we believe in liberal-pluralist democracy). But it’s ironic that Bolivia’s government is being accused of acting in Peru in the same way that it accuses other countries (particularly the US) of meddling in its own affairs (several editorialists are relishing that ironic twist). Such intervention is also, of course, taboo w/in the region. Most states have a reputation of backing sitting governments (the whole sovereignty thing), even at times when it may not be popular to do so (most countries publicly supported Goni in 2003, just as they did Chávez in 2002).

But the entire episode is complicating bilateral Bolivia-Peru relations. The most recent attacks by Evo linking the violence in Peru to the US-Peru free trade agreement (though a good argument can be made for some sort of relation, of course, as AS/COA suggested earlier) highlight this.

There’s now also a (minor) tiff w/ Paraguay, over a recent speech by Evo.

My personal instinct is that this is very good for Evo’s reelection. Evo may be souring some of his relations abroad. But citizens of Peru & Paraguay don’t vote. And it’s easy to prey on longstanding anti-Peruvian xenophobia (a classic explanation for crime is “hay mucho peruano” [“there’s too many Peruians”]). It may not be good IR, but that’s good electoral politics. After four years in office & more than six years since October 2003, Evo is reminding voters of “Black October” all over again. What better way to mobilize the base?

I’m curious to see if/when a real opposition figure emerges. So far the only viable candidate officially in the race is Potosí’s mayor, Rene Joaquino. He’s popular—in Potosí (where he’s been reelected multiple times). But he failed to win the department’s prefecture w/ his own party (AS, Alianza Social) in 2005; his party also didn’t do well in the 2006 constituent assembly election. I doubt he’ll captivate the nation’s vote in 2009. So far the election is Evo’s to lose. He’s keeping his name in the news, controversially or not. And, as someone famously quipped: There’s no such thing as bad publicity.

We finally arrived in Bolivia after a long journey that started in Chicago on Saturday afternoon & ended in Santa Cruz on Sunday night (w/ a midnight to 7pm layover in Miami). Both flights were fine. And Bolivian immigration was actually rather easy (though it seemed hard at the end of a 30 hour trip). But once again American Airlines showed itself to lack any understanding of the words “customer service.”

In Miami, a very rude customer agent informed us of various requirements (we had come prepared), including some that were not on the Bolivian consulate list (which we brought). When we produced documents, she would then ask us if we had that same document. We would point to her hand. She would stare profusely. Then, she decided K8 & Javi needed 4x4 passport photos (like the kind in our passports!) because they were not Bolivian nationals. This was not on the Bolivian consulate list, but she insisted. She also told us we needed to “find a CVS or something” & “get some pictures taken.”

Why an airline that does international travel can’t have a photobooth (or even why an international airport can’t have one) is beyond me. Her suggestion (I kid you not) was that K8 take Javi (all of 17 months old), get in a cab, while I wait w/ the luggage. About 30 minutes later, K8 & Javi returned w/ the photos. We walked back to the customer agent, and waited patiently for her to help assisting the person in front of her. As soon as she finished w/ that person, w/o telling us anything (though she clearly saw us; we’d been standing there for at least 5 mins), she just walked away. No explanation. Just walked away. We turned to the agend next to her, and she started to walk away, too. When we insisted, we were told that their shift had ended. That was it.

We then raced to another agent. Our intrepid agent had not saved any of her work (why should she, right?) & we had to start all over showing documents (w/ the same level of incompetence from the agent). And, I kid you not, at least 3x he asked which one of us was “Katherine” (32 yr old female), which one was “Miguel” (35 yr old male), and which one was “Javier” (17 month old male). I’m not sure about you, but I think anyone w/ half a brain could identify which of us was which based on recent passport photos. After another 25 minutes, we were finally given our boarding passes.

In total, it took us less time to get through Bolivian customs. And that was only because we had to fill out a form that AA was supposed to give us on the plane, but didn’t. They never asked for the 4x4 photo, our yellow fever certificates, our birth certificates, or our marriage license. In fact, the Bolivian customs agents were nothing but friendly, courteous, and even showed initiative to keep Javi distracted & happy while we did paperwork. Why can’t they man the American ticket counters in Miami?

I’m glad to be back in Bolivia, eager to see some friends/family, and ready to start my research when I get to La Paz. But I am absolutely dreading having to deal w/ American Airlines again. Next time I’d rather take BoA (the new Bolivian airline that replaced LAB, which I always liked). Or any other carrier. Seriously, any of them will do. American made my shit list.

Much more (and vivid) detail from K8 over at Gringo Tambo.