http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304069604579158293350301588?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond
Alas, Bolivia…..I was born and nurtured there. Thousands of Jews found a haven in Bolivia where they were treated hospitably by the residents and never harassed or oppressed. ….Dictators came and went. They were tin pot tyrants but none as brazen and criminal as Evo Morales, a cretinous Hugo Chavez clone…..rsk
The country is a hub for organized crime and a safe haven for terrorists.
In the years after a brutal 10-year Soviet occupation, Afghanistan became a petri dish in which a culture of organized crime, radical politics and religious fundamentalism festered—and where Osama bin Laden set up operations.
Now something similar may be happening in Bolivia. The government is an advocate for coca growers. The Iranian presence is increasing. And reports from the ground suggest that African extremists are joining the fray.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is also the elected president of the coca producers’ confederation, and Vice President Alvaro García Linera, formerly of the Maoist Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army, began building their repressive narco-state when they took office in 2006.
Step one was creating a culture of fear. Scores of intellectuals, technocrats and former government officials were harassed. Many fled.