Description: US charge d’affaires Debra Hevia and Bolivian Foreign Minister, Fernando Armayo, signed a cooperation agreement at the Bolivian Foreign Ministry for enhancing efforts to reduce drug trafficking in the country. According to the initial announcement, the US would provide Bolivia with $20 million to train and equip Bolivian forces in countering drug cartels and organizations and disrupting drug trafficking networks in the country and the region. In Mar, Bolivia officially joined the US – led security initiative called Shield of Americas for countering drug trafficking in the Americas. The cooperation agreement arrives in the midst of large – scale popular uprising the country which was initiated by dissatisfied citizens with the policies of the newly elected President Rodrigo Paz.
Impact: The cooperation agreement would likely increase US influence over Bolivia and likely demonstrates that security cooperation would be the primary mean through which US foreign policy would be conducted in order to reestablish soft power over the South American continent. Bolivia’s further leniency towards the US could likely reflect negatively on the President’s political standing, as the protest continue to extend the civic crisis. The US highly likely would continue with regional security cooperation supported by financial incentives in order to reestablish control over South American governments while Bolivia benefits exclusively in the security sector while risking further public political criticism.