Bolivia: Country Overview and U.S. Relations (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 21, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12743 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Leticia Chacon |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Bolivia is a landlocked country of about 12.3 million people
in the Andean region of South America. Bolivia’s political
system has been marked by instability for much of the
country’s history. Political turbulence and polarization have
continued under current President Luis Arce, elected in
October 2020 after the resignation of populist President Evo
Morales (2006-2019). Ahead of a presidential election to be
held by October 2025, Arce and Morales are competing to
represent the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party
against a weak political opposition. Although rich in natural
resources, including natural gas and lithium, Bolivia is
experiencing an economic downturn, which has spurred
popular discontent. Some Members of Congress have
expressed concerns about the Bolivian government’s
increasing ties with China, Russia, and Iran, among other
challenges in U.S.-Bolivia relations.
Chronic political instability, poverty, and deep ethnic and
regional divides have stymied Bolivia’s development.
Bolivia declared independence from Spain in 1825 and has
experienced multiple military coups and periods of
authoritarian rule. The country reestablished democratic
civilian rule in 1982 after a period of military dictatorships
that started in 1964. Bolivia’s population is among the most
ethnically diverse in South America, with large highland
Indigenous (Quechua and Aymara) populations.
During three presidential terms from 2006 to 2019, former
President Morales, Bolivia’s first Indigenous president,
enacted far-reaching reforms, geared largely toward
assisting and expanding political representation for poor
and Indigenous populations. Morales increased state control
over the economy, used growing natural gas revenue to
expand social programs, and enacted a new constitution
(2009) protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. His
government also pursued judicial proceedings against its
political opponents, dismissed hundreds of judges, and
restricted press freedom, which drew concerns from the
U.S. government, among others.
