Bolivia, U.S. mend weak ties

For the past few years relations between Bolivia and the U.S. have been contentious and weak. The lowest point of their bilateral relations was the expulsion of ambassadors from both countries in September and included the Bush administration cutting key trade benefits to the Andean country.

Recently, however, both countries have gradually improved their diplomatic ties. In March, Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Hugo Fernandez proposed normalizing relations with the U.S. Last week’s visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon to meet Bolivian president Evo Morales may have served as the next step in improving affairs:

Bolivia and the United States have signaled a willingness to restore ties after nearly three years of diplomatic spats following a two-day visit here by a top US diplomat…

Morales said the Bolivian government wanted to "improve relations" with Washington, but stressed he wanted to see "cooperation without pre-conditions."

Shannon said he believed the Bolivian government had shown a sincere desire to improve relations and move to a new stage in diplomatic ties.

Shannon thus became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit La Paz since relations hit its weakest point eight months ago. As a Reuters article noted, Shannon’s visit symbolized “the Obama administration's drive to improve ties with leftist leaders in Latin America who have been highly critical of U.S. foreign policy.”

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- Reuters, The Latin Americanist, AFP