OPINION: Morales is One of Many

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has governed with a heavy hand over Egypt, befriending other autocratic leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as well as Donald Trump. (Kremlin)

Evo Morales stepped down as president of Bolivia on November 10 after facing pressure from protesters and the military. Some political commentators have deemed the dizzying chain of events a coup due to the military’s involvement in ushering Morales out of office. 

Right-leaning governments around the world have lauded Morales’ reluctant decision to step down. President Donald Trump called the resignation a “significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere,” even applauding the military for its role. 

Part of U.S. hostility toward  Morales originates from his left- wing politics, but the official  narrative aims at the leader’s constitutionally questionable extension of term limits and consolidation of power. While these are valid concerns, there are countless countries across the world governed by brutal, power-hungry tyrants. On the African continent, leaders from Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza merit U.S. condemnation. Yet, it is Morales— under whose leadership Bolivia has seen its middle class grow, average wages increase, and life expectancy and education improve markedly— who has earned U.S. ire. Some U.S. politicians have even hinted that the CIA had a hand in expediting Morales’ abrupt exit from power. 

Meanwhile, African presidents who are guilty of the same power consolidation as Morales, including leaders in Togo, Chad, Uganda, and Eritrea, remain safely seated in their halls of power, often overseeing brutal human rights violations. 

Under el-Sisi, for example, human rights activists have experienced extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detention, and restrictions of freedom. Meanwhile, Trump referred to the Egyptian president as a “great leader.” 

This is U.S. policy toward dictators in Africa. Despite the high-minded democratic rhetoric on the Bolivian crisis, U.S. leaders would do best to remember that when democracy and rights are under siege by non-leftist leaders, the U.S. is in no hurry to take action.