Evan Ellis - Bolivia's Governance Crisis Under Rodrigo Paz

Dear Colleague:

For those celebrating the 250th Anniversary of U.S. Independence, my best wishes to you and your loved ones, for a day spent with family and friends.

For me, this day is a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of those, who fought our nations wars, and also those who, in other ways, have made it possible for us to enjoy the freedom and prosperity of the place, and the idea which is the United States of America.

Although what our country is, has different meanings to different people, for me, what makes it special, and what binds us together, is a number of sacred, albeit sometimes fragile, ideas: The liberty and empowerment of the individual to pursue his or her own beliefs and initiatives, protected by a framework of law which (albeit imperfect) in principle affords equal protection to us all. Importantly, that protection and empowerment of the individual imply the judicious limitation of government, as well as the freedom of expression.

In our country, we celebrate our ability to express ourselves—without fear of reprisal, from other groups, and especially, from the government itself, whether through judicial, economic, or other means. We celebrate that in our country, we are free to associate in community, and at the same time, to be secure in—even celebrate—our diversity.

We are blessed, that ours is a country whose capabilities and wealth and power allows us to protect that which we cherish…yet we do not celebrate our ability to dominate and coerce others…but rather, we celebrate the best in ourselves, including what and who keeps us safe.

My very best to each of you, who are celebrating this week, for a good and blessed 4th of July, with loved ones…and that we may never forget what we are celebrating, or its fragility when defending those principles become uncomfortable or inconvenient, or when we confuse celebrating our power over that which it protects

Beyond these thoughts, with the present email, I am pleased to share with you my new work on the dynamics and background of the governance crisis paralyzing Bolivia during May and June 2026. The work, the third of my series of three on the situation in Bolivia, was just published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). It is a reflection of more than 40 interviews I conducted in Bolivia as the crisis unfolded, as well as supporting underlying research.

Although the crisis now ebbing, there are serious reasons to be concerned for the future, due to the unresolved causes of the crisis, the lessons taken from all actors, and the financial and other implications of compromises taken to ameliorate tensions in the moment. It is my hope that this work will serve to illuminate the continuing challenges of a country whose geographic location and dynamics make it strategically central to South America, particularly by Washington D.C., but who's political, security and other challenges are often overlooked.

The ENGLISH-language work is available for download HERE:

The SPANISH-language work is available for download HERE:

The link to the article in ENGLISH is available at the CSIS website here:

• https://www.csis.org/analysis/bolivias-governance-crisis-under-rodrigo-paz

The link to the article in SPANISH is available at the Infobae website here:

• https://www.infobae.com/america/opinion/2026/07/01/la-crisis-de-gobernanza-en-bolivia-bajo-el-mandato-de-rodrigo-paz/

Podcasts and other Media Appearances

I would also like to share with you my latest podcasts, media appearance and radio shows. These include my latest segments on Latin America on the John Batchelor Show (June 24, 2026):

• Colombia: https://audioboom.com/posts/8920700-colombia-s-presidential-shift-toward-security-and-law-and-order-guest-evan-ellis-abelardo-de-l

• Peru elections: https://audioboom.com/posts/8920702-keiko-fujimori-and-the-return-of-the-fujimori-dynasty-guest-evan-ellis-keiko-fujimori-has-like

• Mexico: https://audioboom.com/posts/8920704-mexico-s-economic-growth-and-usmca-renegotiation-tensions-guest-evan-ellis-the-mexican-economy

• Bolivia: https://audioboom.com/posts/8920703-political-instability-in-bolivia-and-regional-alliances-guest-evan-ellis-president-rodrigo-paz

Website for all Publications:

As always, at my professional website you can access these, and past publications, webinars and podcasts:

• REvanEllis.com

Latest Book on China-Latin America:

My latest book, China Engages Latin America: Distorting Development and Democracy, is available through my publisher Palgrave-Macmillan, at:

• https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-96049-0

Please feel free to share this post with a friend or colleague. If you would like to be included in my (always free) distribution list, I welcome the opportunity to include you:

Thank you, as always, for your interest in my work.

Respectfully,

R. Evan Ellis, PhD

Latin America Research Professor

U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute

@REvanEllis

Website: https://revanellis.com