Mario Argollo and Donald Trump: Parallel (Wasted) Lives
There is a critical parallel between Mario Argollo, leader of the Central Obrera Boliviana, and Donald Trump, in that both have undertaken destructive social and geopolitical conflicts driven by questionable motivations and using similar strategies. After failing in their initial objectives and encountering unexpected resistance, both figures are seeking a negotiated exit to preserve their own political survival in the face of the attrition of their respective conflicts.
The Red Lines of Social Conflicts
In the social conflict currently ravaging Bolivia, the government seems to have paradoxically opted for non-violence in the face of the extreme aggression of the mobilized sectors. Given Bolivia’s experience in this matter, it seems sensible to set some “red lines” for protest. If these red lines are crossed, the weight of the law, through trials and compensation for damages, must fall with full rigor upon those responsible for overstepping them.
Pope Francis: His Legacy One Year After His Departure
My tribute to Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, through this column that synthesizes the lecture I gave at the Saint Jerome Seminary in La Paz. Francis was a pontiff who profoundly renewed the life of the Church and provided fundamental guidance to humanity.
Black Legends and Virtuous Histories of the Americas
The story of the arrival of the smallpox vaccine in Hispanic America is fascinating, as is the life of the heroic group that carried out the life-saving mission. Furthermore, it stands in stark contrast to the biological warfare of the British army in the Great Lakes region and serves to stop fueling “black legends.”
Four Years of Energy Terror
In the war sparked by the invasion of Ukraine four years ago, Russia employs energy terror by destroying the Ukrainian power grid, causing massive blackouts and a humanitarian crisis in -20°C winters. Ukraine responds with drones targeting Russian refineries, reducing oil production and worsening their fiscal deficit. Energy is a human basic need; energy terror should be outlawed as a crime against.
Paradoxes of “Dignified Death”
There are several contradictions within the debate on euthanasia, contrasting modern medicine’s success in prolonging life with the contemporary tendency to seek assisted death in the face of suffering. Examples include therapeutic obstinacy versus the desire to control the end of existence, and the dehumanization inherent in comparing a dignified death to the putting down of animals. Likewise, caring for the elderly and the terminally ill offers an opportunity for spiritual and human growth. Finally, concepts such as “quality of life” are relative to each culture and, from a Christian perspective, the natural process of dying and the mystery of pain hold a profound value.
Rebaptizing the State
The column suggests that Bolivia should be re-baptized in order to overcome the present and chronic crisis .
The re-baptism has two times: the exorcist time of “renounces” and the healthy time of “beliefs”.
The Order of Love
About the interpretation by US Vice President JD Vance of the theological concept of “ordo amoris” -the order of love- and its application to migrants deportation.
The national sport
Every country has a national sport: cricket in India, rugby in New Zealand, the gangs of El Salvador (it had it and got through it), football in Brazil and the blockade of Bolivia. The sport of blockades is all about preventing vehicles of all sizes from crossing a road, allowing only pedestrians with their belongings […]
What the MAS neglected
According to President Luis Arce, the disaster of the MAS’s energy policy is due to the fact that “nationalization has been neglected.” In fact, the president criticized the governments that preceded him (omitting that he was the “super minister” of the economic area) who devoted themselves to monetizing the gas reserves inherited from liberal governments, […]