Bolivia and the United States: A Limited Partnership (review)
This comprehensive, articulately written book narrates the historical relationship between the United States and Bolivia over the last two centuries. Kenneth D. Lehman takes the story of the nexus between the two nations back to its roots. By the early 1800s, Lehman notes, the United States and Bolivia were on totally different trajectories in their historical development. This proves to be a key point. For their part, norteamericanos (a label commonly used in Latin America to denote members of U.S. society) rapidly established successful economic, political, and social institutions. Bolivia, on the other hand, was mired in long-term economic, social, and political crises which produced a deeply rooted, self-critical pessimism. From these very divergent beginnings, Lehman deftly articulates how a patron/client nexus ensued between the nations. There are many elements to this dependency. A critically important aspect of such a relationship has been Bolivia's reliance on U.S. economic and military assistance.