_New Internationalist_ is following with interest the progress of newly elected Bolivian President Evo Morales who has (amongst other things) pledged to nationalize his country’s gas reserves and reject harmful free trade policies. The article _Behind the Victory_ (*NI 386*) reported how the US is already trying to destabilize his new Government. President Morales was furious when he recently discovered that – just four weeks before his election last December – 28 Chinese HN-SA shoulder-launched missiles were smuggled out of Bolivia and into the US, where they were destroyed. He says the missiles were the country’s only defence against air attacks. The US Government has refused to comment on how the missiles were transferred but said it had complied with a request to dispose of outdated arms. The former Bolivian Defence Minister, a general and the former President may face treason charges as a result.

This article is from the May 2006 issue of New Internationalist.
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