Bolivia's ousted president Evo Morales leaves after a ceremony where he was recognized as a distinguished guest, outside the town hall in Mexico City, Mexico, November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
Gram Slattery, Reuters: How Evo Morales lost control of Bolivia
LA PAZ (Reuters) - Last Friday night, with Bolivia’s most important city paralyzed by demonstrations against leftist President Evo Morales, the police unit tasked with securing the presidential palace met to help decide the nation’s future.
Bolivia for weeks had been gripped by violent protests after Morales declared victory in a disputed election that appeared to give him a fourth straight term. Election monitors said they suspected fraud.
Members of the Police Operations Tactical Unit, known as UTOP, had repeatedly clashed with anti-government protesters armed with sticks, rocks and makeshift bombs. In the courtyard of the unit’s compound that evening, dozens of assembled officers made a decision: They would cease defending Morales and join demonstrators in calling for his resignation.
By Saturday, UTOP forces had abandoned their posts.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 14, 2019
Bolivia’s Crisis Lacks a By-the-Books Solution -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg
Bolivia's Evo Morales resigns: What prompted it and what's next? -- Jihan Abdalla, Al Jazeera
What Do Lula’s Release and Morales’s Ouster Signal for Latin America? -- Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker
More accurate attacks on Israel could lead to war -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times
As Gaza truce begins, Israel could face questions on tactics -- Fares Akram and Josef Federman, AP
Islamic State: What happens to those expelled by Turkey? -- BBC
Was politician's killing a turning point in Lebanon's protests? -- Leila Molana-Allen, Al Jazeera
Trump Isn't Serious About Removing U.S. Troops from the Middle East -- Daniel R. DePetris, National Interest
Erdogan's AKP basks in glow of think tank financed by influential family, DW finds -- Elmas Topcu, DW
North Korea’s Deadline Logic -- Khang Vu, RCD/The Interpreter
America’s Feeble Indo-Pacific Strategy -- Brahma Chellaney, Project Syndicate
Lack of info on Afghan vote recount raises eyebrows -- Kambaiz Rafi, Asia Times
Russia Is Intervening in Libya. Should We Care? -- Emily Estelle, RCD
Intel: What Russia’s defense minister is up to in Egypt -- Maxim A. Suchkov, Al-Monitor
Change of guard as Velvet Revolution turns 30? -- Tim Gosling. Al Jazeera
Why is the world losing the fight against history's most lethal disease? -- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, The Guardian
