Hat tips to Tyler Cowen on Marginal Revolution and to The Economist for pointing out this interesting scenario that's garnering very little media attention. Bolivia's government is apparently on the verge of complete disintegration, with several states threatening to declare independence. For those who don't know geography, Bolivia is one of the two landlocked countries within South America (see Google maps here). About a year ago Evo Morales, a seemingly radical socialist revolutionary, was elected president (more on political history here at Wikipedia). His allies are trying to put in a new constitution, which seems to go against the previous democratic grain of the country. Socialism isn't new to South America by any means (e.g., Marxist Che Guevara was immortalized in the 2004 movie The Motorcycle Diaries).
It's interesting to see the ongoing struggles in countries like Bolivia as the pendulum swings back and forth. Many of these countries have the same problems as African countries in terms of building and maintaining a stable government, fighting corruption, and so on. If they find any solutions for corruption, perhaps the US will be able to learn a thing or two, rather than to continue institutionalizing it (thanks Bushies).
