Is 'Death to Yankee Imperialists' the answer for Bolivia?

Words and photos by Gregory Spira, a learner in the master's in professional communication at Royal Roads University. Spira witnessed history while in La Paz doing work on his M.A. thesis. Spira's research involves facilitating a "photo voice" for residents of a small remote indigenous community in the Bolivian Andes mountains. The account below was the result of his own interest in the presence of Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Bolivian capital, La Paz and the subsequent signing of an agreement between the two nations.

Oct. 3, 2007

Last week, the controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inserted himself into the heated politics of the Bolivian capital of La Paz. His visit, coming after a failed attempt to win over New York audiences, reminds us that perceived abuses of U.S. hegemony are leading some nations to build alliances deemed ‘unsavoury’ by the governments in the north. While not blind to the political implications, many Bolivians see the Iranian President’s visit as just another means to accelerate their nation’s long-stagnant economic development process.

The economic spin-offs of partnering with Iran include both knowledge sharing and a one billion dollar inversion into the Bolivian petrochemical, mining, micro-enterprise, and agricultural sectors. However, will the Iranian economic fruits remain as palatable if relations with Western governments turn bitter?

As blood-curdling cries of “Death to Yankee Imperialists” rang out across La Paz’s main square, Ahmadinejad pranced along the red carpet in front of the Presidential Palace. Amidst the adulation, I and members of his elite security team were swept into the crowd where we received hugs, handshakes, and kisses. Despite having identified myself as Canadian, I was nonetheless mildly perturbed by the scene.

The cacophony of shouts and chants that washed over the several thousand spectators changed abruptly as leaders of the Popular Civic Committee saw an opportunity to take advantage of television cameras. “Andemos muchachos! Let’s go, Channel 2 is over there!” The pro-Iranian chanters, many having been paid to be there, shouted “Iran and Bolivia. One heart! One Soul!”, and surged towards their next date with the Press.

Realizing that some in the crowd might not truly be fervent supporters of the Iran-Bolivia partnership, I wondered how average paceños (La Paz’s residents), normally extremely politically astute, viewed the visit.

Cooler heads abounded in the crowd. Victor Cortez, vice-president of the Civic Movement of La Paz, welcomed the visit but declared, “We want constructive dialogue, not hatred.” Others showered the Iranian President with shouts of “Jallalla! Jallalla!”, a traditional Bolivian indigenous blessing of long life and health.


American commentators have condemned Ahmadinejad’s anti-American political pilgrimage to South America. Claudio, a thirty-year veteran shoe shiner, agrees with them. He declared that the Iranian President’s “made clear his intentions by visiting both Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.” Both are vehemently anti-American.

Other sceptical paceños doubted the economic focus of the assistance, fearing it served to advance aggressive middle-eastern political agendas. ‘Freddy’, a La Paz taxi driver, noted, “the Presidents say they are talking about economic issues, but Iran clearly comes with two objectives. They won’t talk about the political matters publicly because Bolivians don’t support Iranian international policies.”

While recognizing the political undertones, Susanna Balderramas, a Bolivian government training officer, declared, “What really matters is whether this money will help remove the weighty label of ‘developing nation’ from Bolivia’s shoulders.”

Likewise, Amparo Aguirre, a Law student, asked, “Does it really matter why Ahmadinejad is here? If working with Iran helps develop our country, then this is a good thing.”

It remains to be seen whether the billion-dollar investment will actually yield change for the 5.8 million Bolivians living below the World Bank’s poverty threshold. While many in La Paz want development at any price, most are not rushing to join Ahmadinejad’s anti-American crusade. La Paz’s politically astute residents clearly understand that the political costs must not outweigh the economic benefits.