Bolivia

Country Page: Bolivia

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====This article from Latinos Post is a about rising tensions between South American neighbors Bolivia and Chile. The Chilean Media is reporting that three Bolivian soldiers crossed the Chilean border and possibly fired shots in a nearby small town. No one is sure what mission they were on or trying to complete, but when the three soldiers were arrested they were caring military grade weapons. This is not the first time Chilean police have arrested trespassing Bolivian soldiers. In early 2012, 14 soldiers were arrested while completing a anti smuggling mission. When they soldiers returned they complained that they were miss treated by the Chilean authorities. The current events leave one to wonder if events like these continue will a conflict soon arise between these two countries?==== -Alex Mirling

[|http://www.latinospost.com/articles/10522/20130126/conflict-between-bolivia-chile-horizon-armed-bolivian.htm]



This is an article from //The Telegraph// about Bolivia’s battle with the United Nations on the country’s coca leafs. The United Nations, wanting to tighten down the drug trade is coming up with new rules for countries to follow as part of the 1961 Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs. The rule that Bolivia is having an issue with is the coca leaf. Bolivian officials an arguing the fact that coca leaf chewing has many medicinal purpose, despite being used for making cocaine, the coca leaf has been around in Bolivia and consider part of the age-old Andean culture. Some of the medicinal purposes are, it fights hunger and can alleviate altitude sickness, plus it is used in social and religious settings. This article caught my eye with the coca leaf headline but it ended up being about something totally different. I still thought it was an interesting article and wanted to share it because the Bolivia government has an honest argument __#|against the__ United Nations that deals with their history and cultures. Yapp, Robin. (2013, January 23). Bolivia renounces UN anti-drug convention over coca leaf controversy. //The Telegraph.// Retrieved from [|http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/bolivia/8610233/Bolivia-][|renounces-UN-anti-drug-convention-over-coca-leaf-controversy.html] 

- John Mayfield

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/0116/Good-news-from-Central-America-Homicides-fall-in-Guatemala-El-Salvador

This is a news article from Jan 16th talking about homicide rates in Guatemala and El Salvador, it relates how the homicide rates are dropping in those two countries. I decided to post this article because I have worked in high __#|crime__ areas of Guatemala and know first hand how bad it has been recently. However, I also know that the violence has fallen significantly in recent months, many of __#|my friends__ have related that the gangs in the areas they work in have been able to make peace treaties and there was a period of about 7 months without a single homicide, this is in one of the highest crime and lowest poverty area of Guatemala City, and there has not been this kind of peace in recent years so it is significant. This article goes into a broader focus of violence in the two countries but I thought it gave some good information about what is happening as far as gang violence in Central America.

-William Rainier