Grounded by Snowden?
We look at the political fallout after the US hunt for Snowden leads to the Bolivian president’s plane being diverted.
There was outrage in the streets of Bolivia after a plane carrying the country’s president was re-routed over Europe after being denied permission to refuel in several countries.
This matters in South America, this matters to the social movement which supports the Bolivarian community, so this provides a real rallying point for them but will this last, has this got long-term significance? I doubt it.
Evo Morales eventually landed in Vienna but during the 14 hour layover, the Spanish ambassador to Austria demanded to search the plane on suspicion that NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, might be on board.
Bolivia has called the “kidnapping” of its president an act of aggression and a violation of international law.
Several Latin American leaders gathered for an emergency meeting in Bolivia on Thursday to demand answers.
Thousands of Bolivians have rallied behind President Evo Morales, saying they want his dignity restored.
What does the incident tell us about the United States’ relationship with its neighbours to the south?
Inside Story Americas, with presenter Shihab Rattansi, discusses with guests: Diana Villiers Negroponte, a senior fellow focusing on Latin America at the Brookings Institution; Keane Bhatt, a writer for the North American Congress on Latin America; and Gerardo Munck, a professor of Latin American politics and the author of four books on Latin American democracies.
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“I do see this as not toothless at all, in fact Bolivia has made two complaints within the United Nations to demand an actual investigation into this breach of international law.” Keane Bhatt, a writer for the North American Congress on Latin America |