Bolivia Is At A Political Boiling Point - Explained

THE BRIEFING 

Here’s what’s happening in geopolitics today.

Global geopolitics is in full swing today, with Xi Jinping balancing high-level diplomacy as he hosts both Trump and Putin within days, underscoring China’s growing role at the centre of global power plays.

In the US, Trump is tightening his grip on domestic politics after a key Republican primary victory in Kentucky, while simultaneously managing multiple foreign pressure points from Cuba to Iran. Elsewhere, instability continues to ripple across the globe, from mass protests in Bolivia and a worsening Ebola outbreak in Congo to Venezuela’s latest prisoner release announcement.

Today we provide context to a political crisis that is unfolding in Bolivia, a country with a long history of political instability.

THE LAST 24 HOURS IN GEOPOLITICS 

1. Jinping and Putin meet in Beijing less than a week after Trump visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing less than a week after hosting Donald Trump, underscoring China’s effort to maintain ties with both Washington and Moscow amid rising global tensions. The talks focused on expanding energy cooperation, trade and strategic coordination, including discussions around the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline and broader alignment on international security issues. The meeting comes as Beijing positions itself as a key diplomatic power broker while managing increasingly complex relationships.
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2. Trump scores major victory with Massie’s primary defeat in Kentucky
Trump scored a major political victory in Kentucky after Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein defeated Republican Congressman Thomas Massie in one of the most closely watched primary races of the 2026 election cycle. Massie, a longtime libertarian-leaning Republican who frequently clashed with Trump over spending, Iran policy and internal party issues, was heavily targeted by Trump and allied political groups during the campaign. The result is being viewed as another demonstration of Trump’s continued influence over the Republican Party ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
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3. Thousands of protesters demand President’s resignation in Bolivia’s La Paz
Thousands of protesters marched through Bolivia’s capital of La Paz demanding President Luis Arce resign amid a deepening economic crisis marked by fuel shortages, rising inflation and growing public anger over government policies. Demonstrators, including opposition groups, transport unions and supporters of former president Evo Morales, clashed with police near key government buildings as security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds. The unrest highlights mounting political instability in Bolivia ahead of next year’s elections, with divisions inside the ruling socialist movement continuing to widen.
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4. Ebola deaths in Congo rise to 131 as outbreak spreads  
Deaths linked to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have risen to at least 131 as health authorities and the World Health Organization warn the virus is spreading rapidly across multiple regions. Officials say the outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine, raising concerns about containment efforts in densely populated and conflict-affected areas near the Ugandan border. The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, with neighbouring countries increasing border screening and emergency response measures amid fears of wider regional transmission.
read more

5. Venezuela to free 300 prisoners this week, top lawmaker says  
Venezuela plans to release 300 prisoners this week, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, in what officials described as part of an ongoing process tied to recent political reforms and reconciliation efforts. The group reportedly includes elderly inmates, prisoners with medical conditions and several former police officers who have been detained for more than two decades, though authorities did not specify how many are considered political prisoners by rights groups.
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CONFLICT TRACKER

South America

La Paz has been under siege for two weeks. Road blockades set up by miners, farmers, teachers and unions have emptied out markets, cut off hospital oxygen supplies, and blocked ambulances from getting through. Three people have died because emergency vehicles couldn't reach medical centres. The economy is losing over $50 million a day and around 5,000 vehicles are stranded on highways across the country.

So what actually caused this?
 
To be honest, I am not surprised as Bolivia is widely considered one of the most volatile countries in modern history. A complicated, bloody history.

The spark was a land law. In April, President Rodrigo Paz's government passed legislation that allowed small farmers to use their land as collateral for bank loans. Sounds reasonable on paper, but the catch was that it stripped those same plots of their legal protection from seizure. For indigenous and rural communities, land isn't just an asset, it's the thing you don't lose. The law read to them as an open door for banks to eventually take it. Paz repealed it on May 13th. The protests kept going anyway.

That's because the land law was really just the thing that broke it open. Bolivia has been in a slow economic deterioration for years. Fuel shortages, inflation around 20% last year, declining energy production, a shrinking dollar reserve. Paz came into office last October on a reform platform but he's a business-friendly centrist with no legislative majority and a pretty thin political base to work with. He inherited a mess and hasn't moved fast enough for people who are already struggling.

Then Evo Morales, former president and still enormously influential, started marshaling marches from a remote hideout in the tropics where he's been lying low for a year and a half. His supporters joined the blockades in La Paz on Monday, clashing with police near the presidential palace. The demands have now shifted beyond the land law entirely. People are calling for Paz to resign.

Bolivia has a long history of governments being brought down by street pressure. This one is only six months old.

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THE BASEDMENT COMMUNITY IS ENTERING A NEW AGE
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TODAY IN HISTORY

(May 20, 1902): Cuba gained its independence from the United States, which had taken control of the island in 1899 after defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War.