The administration of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, eliminated Bolivia from the list of countries that fight drug trafficking for having “manifestly breached” its international commitments on the matter, according to a statement from the State Department.
Washington warned that countries that do not meet their responsibilities as places of origin and drug traffic “They will face serious consequences.” However, he clarified that he maintains as “vital” the assistance to Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Burma within the framework of anti -narcotics cooperation.
Regarding Bolivia, the report recognized “positive measures” in seizures and collaboration with the US justice, citing the case of former anti -drug chief Maximilian Dávila. But he stressed that the country “It still has a lot of work ahead to guarantee that is not a shelter for drug traffickers. ”
Certification is a mechanism that Washington applies since 1986 to Evaluate the performance of more than 20 producing countries and drug traffic.
Economic and political impact for Bolivia
From the set of I chooseThe duty had a panel of opinionrs who shared his analysis. Rodrigo Lema, correspondent in Mexico, explained that This decision, although predictable, should not be underestimated In the current context of economic crisis and political transition that Bolivia lives.
“The most immediate impact of descertification is economical: The US Foreign Assistance Law establishes that a country that breaches its anti -narcotics commitments cannot access a significant part of bilateral cooperation. Although in recent years this help has not been central to the Bolivian budget, it limits cooperation in areas of strategic interest, ”he told El duty.
Indirectly, he added, the consequences are more severe because The United States has decisive influence on multilateral organisms as the World Bank and the IDB. “A negative signal from Washington can translate into greater scrutiny or even opposition to the approval of new credits for Boliviaraising the perception of country risk and away from potential foreign investors, ”he said.
Motto warned that The international image of Bolivia is deteriorated by perceptions of being a “sanctuary” for criminals Lining by international justice, as evidenced in the cases of Uruguayan Sebastián Marset and other foreign drug traffickers who found refuge in Bolivian territory, especially the PCC and the Balkan mafia.
“Annoy in the region that Bolivia appear at the same level as Burma or Venezuela, And worries that actors linked to the Los Soles poster – with Nicolás Maduro at the head – have direct links with the current Bolivian administration, ”he said.
The correspondent compared the situation with Mexico, where the pressures of the White House They led to extraditions of bosses and the deployment of thousands of troops on the border. “We will have to see what the US pressure will now exert over Bolivia to respond effectively in the anti -drug fight,” he said.
Ineffective criminal policies, according to lawyer
Wálter Suárez, a criminal lawyer, contributed a look from the legal scope by pointing out that the repeated binding of Bolivia – 18 times since 2008 – reveals the Lack of efficacy in criminal policies assumed by the State.
“Drug trafficking is a transnational crime and requires clear and effective policies. If the US continuesthat means that The applied measures have neither effective nor sustainable. Laws are not enough on paper: they must be applied in practice, ”he said.
Suarez observed that the Bolivian State has regulatory tools that are not executed properly, such as Law 913 of 2017, which incorporates the Figure of the “effective collaborator.” “In countries like Peru, Argentina or Colombia, it has allowed dismantle criminal organizationsbut in Bolivia it does not apply in a real way. We have criminal, but ineffective policies because they are not fulfilled in judicial processes, ”he added.
Regarding the real impact of descertification, the penalist considered that not only affects the economic, but also generates a sense of generalized legal insecurity. “Criminal law seeks to prevent and punish. The State does not rigorously apply the prevention tools And punishment, social perception is impunity, and this encourages organized crime”, He explained.
In addition, he questioned simplistic proposals such as increasing penalties or building more prisons: “It is shown that hardening sanctions does not reduce crime. What is needed are effective procedural laws, real international cooperation and an effective application of existing regulations ”.
In the face of November’s presidential elections, analysts agree that The next government will face a double challenge: Rebuild international trust and demonstrate with facts that Bolivia can be a reliable partner in the fight against drug trafficking, while responding to the demands for foreign direct investment that have been part of the campaign promises.
“The task of the new president will be monumental: inherit An internal economy in crisis and a relationship with the US marked by distrust. Not only should it negotiate with Washington, but also show internal results with effective criminal and judicial policies, ”Suárez warned.
