Hello, my name is Federico Fuentes. I've been following politics in Latin America for the last two decades with a particular focus on Bolivia and Venezuela.

I've reported on events in those countries for a number of

media outlets, primarily Greenleaf Weekly and Australian-based newspaper. I also

co-offered a book on the rise and history of the movement towards socialism,

Evo Morales' party, based on extensive interviews with a number of party leaders

and leaders of social movements affiliated with the party.

I also for a while maintain a blog, Bolivia Rising, based largely on translations of documents

and articles from social movements in Bolivia. So, In order to understand the rise of the Mass Party of what Ever Morales's presidency

represented for Bolivia, it's important to put it in the context of Bolivia's history, a history that has

been largely defined by two factors. The first is the oppression of its indigenous population.

The second being the role or the subservient dependent role that

Olivia's economy has always played in a globalized in a global economy. For more than 500 years,

Bolivia, which has been a majority indigenous country, has essentially been ruled in one form or another by its white minority elite,

starting from colonialization and then continuing through the period of independence.

Even then following the 1952 National Revolution that while successful in this lodging, that traditional oligarchic aligned elite

replaced it with a new white or predominantly white middle class elite.

Throughout all of that time,

whilst there have of course been some improvements

or some achievements, some gains made by the indigenous movements, by indigenous communities,

indigenous nations in Bolivia in terms of their struggles for their rights.

All of that period of time has seen its majority indigenous

population largely relegated, marginalized, and in the best cases of scenario, seen as essential, essentially as foot soldiers for a political process headed by others, whether that be middle class, sections of the middle class, liberal elites or segments of the

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