Sat, 28 May 2005

Bolivia admiral denies coup plan

Bolivian Naval EnsignThis little piece caught my eye the other day, not because of a supposed coup plot, but because of the military rank designation of the alleged plotter. Why does landlocked Bolivia have an admiral, and therefore, a navy?

Not only does Bolivia have a Navy, it has a Naval Ensign (shown above), which flies on it's patrol craft plying Lake Titicaca and nearly 10,000 miles of rivers! But there's an even more interesting tale behind the scenes, so to speak:

This is a good example of a flag being used to maintain a geopolitical claim. Bolivia had access to the Pacific until 1884 and getting it back has been one of the dominant trends of Bolivian domestic and international politics ever since. To cut a long and complicated story short, in 1879 Chile declared war on Peru and Bolivia which had, in alliance, seized various territories, including valuable nitrate mines, along the Pacific coast. The Bolivians and Peruvians lost. In 1904 the Chilean control over the coastal access lost by Bolivia was confirmed by treaty, the deal being that Bolivia should have access to the port of Arica via a railway to be built at Chilean expense. This was completed in 1913, but the Bolivians renewed their territorial claim in 1918. In 1932, Bolivia tried to gain access to the Atlantic by going to war with Paraguay. (Quite how this was supposed to work, given that Paraguay is itself landlocked, is something I've not seen satisfactorily explained.) Anyway, Bolivia lost disastrously, and Paraguay annexed about a third of Bolivia’s territory. In 1962 the whole business flared up again and Bolivia broke off diplomatic relations with Chile. In 1975, Chile suggested a land swap as part of a package which would give Bolivia sea access, and a year later Peru came up with further suggestions. The stalemate continues, although discussions were held between Chile and Bolivia in 1991. The meeting, held between 18-22 March, coincided with Bolivia’s 'Day of the Sea' the timing and symbolism of which were fairly obvious.

from Flags of the World

The head of Bolivia's armed forces denies rumours of a coup plot, as protests over the new energy law continue.

(link) [BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition]

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