The rise of of Evo Morales and the Movement Toward Socialism is another exhibit in the case for permanent revolution. According to Morales' Vice President, Álvaro García Linera, the Movement Toward Socialism for the time being is a movement toward 'Andean Capitalism'. Well I never. Then again, the slogan of Nepal's Maoists in government has been make Nepal the Switzerland of Asia, an odd phrase, but the intent is clear.
If you don't want to break with the system of global capitalism, and that would be a daring thing to do in a place like Bolivia, then you have to accommodate yourself to it. There is a political row going on in Bolivia at the moment, over the building of a freeway through protected land. Morales natural supporters are going up against his government, using the old tactics of roadblocks and strikes.
Morales championed a new constitution in 2010 that granted Bolivia's 36 indigenous groups an as yet ill-defined autonomy. He promised to protect indigenous people from industry and developers.
But since winning election in December 2005 the president has been forced to weigh development against environmental protection. His "revolution" reached a crossroads last year when he decided to pursue a 190-mile (300km) jungle highway funded by Brazil through the Isiboro-Secure Indigenous Territory National Park, or TIPNIS, in the eastern lowlands state of Beni.
Quibbles about silly quotemarks aside ("revolution"? Why the ironic reference? Has Evo Morales forgotten to send off to OffRev for the right to call himself a revolutionary? We're back onto "self-styled" again) the important thing to note is Brazil. The slow decline of American power has left room for others to manoeuvre. The protesters suspect, rightly I think, that this development is to satisfy Brazillian capital, rather than indigenous need.
The trouble is, outside of the moment of primitive accumulation, only capital begets capital. Nothing will come from nothing. If the Bolivian government wants to initiate 50 years of Andean Capitalism it will have to go cap in hand to someone. The most rational calculations are sometimes self-defeating. Maybe who dares wins after all.
But one final note before we get too high and mighty:
About 1,000 people began a march on La Paz in mid-August from Beni's capital, Trinidad, to protest against the highway they say is an open invitation to loggers and coca-planting settlers and a threat to park inhabitants. That march was broken up on Sunday by riot police who used teargas and truncheons, arresting several hundred marchers but later freeing them under pressure from local people.
Bolivia's defence minister resigned immediately in protest at the crackdown and the interior minister followed, accepting responsibility for police actions. Morales announced on Monday that he was suspending the highway project and would let voters in the affected region decide its fate in a referendum. The original protesters against the highway have promised to resume their own march.
Can you imagine something like this happening in Britain, a government taking responsibility for its errors and trying to correct them? Of course not. Bolivia is a more democratic society than Britain.