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The John Batchelor Show

S8 Ep1108: Bolivia's Instability and US-Mexico Trade Leverage. Evan Ellis. Bolivia remains on "borrowed time" as Evo Morales leads blockades from his coca-growing stronghold. Simultaneously, the U.S. uses the USMCA's renewal uncertainty as leverage to ensure Mexico'

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Arts, News, Books, Society & Culture

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2026

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Bolivia's Instability and US-Mexico Trade Leverage. Evan Ellis. Bolivia remains on "borrowed time" as Evo Moralesleads blockades from his coca-growing stronghold. Simultaneously, the U.S. uses the USMCA's renewal uncertainty as leverage to ensure Mexico's cooperation on migration and drugs. This strategy risks long-term investment but forces immediate strategic compliance from the Mexican administration. (7)

Transcript

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0:00.0

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This is a high risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. I'm John Batchelor, New World Report, Professor Avanellis, U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, before the blockades in Bolivia, before the challenge by

0:56.8

Evo Morales versus the elected legitimate government, the professor was visiting in Bolivia,

1:03.1

and the turmoil was already obvious.

1:06.0

These many weeks later, it is not so obvious, so the question is what to make of the present state in Bolivia,

1:12.4

Evo Morales remains in his armed camp of cocoa growers, that is, the cocaine trade, and the

1:20.8

president remains in the capital. The blockades may or may not be lifting. What is to be done

1:26.9

to secure Bolivia?

1:28.9

Is there one answer, Professor, or are we looking at people being numb with these weeks of shortages?

1:37.6

John, my sense is that Riga-Pas has escaped the current crisis after two months of nationwide protests, but for the coming year,

1:46.8

he is arguably living on borrowed time. And so once he was able to get through a law, giving

1:53.1

the military more protection and more latitude to act, and then implement a state of emergency,

1:58.8

even though previously when the police had tried to dislodge some of those blockades that relatively well-financed, well-armed,

2:07.8

you know, protesters had, you know, put around major urban areas, including the capital, La Paz.

2:13.4

Previously, they were ambushed, including with dynamite from elevated positions.

2:18.0

The Minister of Public Works literally was almost captured and killed in the capital city.

...

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