Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at anti-government protests in Bolivia, Iran threatening to expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf, and Russia’s failure to clinch big gas deals with China.
‘Ongoing Coup D’état’
Bolivia’s political capital may be named for peace, but for the past two weeks, sweeping anti-government protests have paralyzed the city of La Paz, plunging Bolivia into one of its worst political crises in decades.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at anti-government protests in Bolivia, Iran threatening to expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf, and Russia’s failure to clinch big gas deals with China.
‘Ongoing Coup D’état’
Bolivia’s political capital may be named for peace, but for the past two weeks, sweeping anti-government protests have paralyzed the city of La Paz, plunging Bolivia into one of its worst political crises in decades.
Upon taking office just six months ago, center-right President Rodrigo Paz vowed to enact “economic shock therapy” to reverse the country’s rising inflation rates and devastating fuel shortages. Among his signature austerity measures, Paz ended a 20-year fuel subsidy program, arguing that a free market would bring higher-quality crude to Bolivia. Instead, though, shortages continued. Even worse, it was discovered that millions of liters of imported fuel had been adulterated, producing “junk gasoline” that transport operators said damaged their vehicles.
Since then, protesters—led by some of the country’s most powerful unions—have called for Paz’s resignation while demanding higher wages and a steadier fuel supply. The result has been catastrophic for Paz’s government, which holds a minority in parliament, as it has reinvigorated calls for former President Evo Morales to return to office.
“As long as structural demands—such as those concerning fuel, food and inflation—remain unaddressed, the uprising will not be quelled,” Morales wrote on X. The former president is believed to be hiding in Bolivia’s Chapare province to evade an arrest warrant for refusing to appear in court to face charges related to his alleged sexual abuse of a minor. Morales denies all charges and says they are politically motivated.
During a special session of the Organization of American States on Wednesday, Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo accused demonstrators of “creating conditions for institutional destabilization, weakening the government … and disrupting the democratic order.” This came one day after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the protests an “ongoing coup d’état.”
But not all regional leaders hope that Paz regains control. On Wednesday, the Bolivian president ordered the immediate expulsion of Elizabeth García, Colombia’s ambassador in La Paz. The order was in response to left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro reposting a video on Sunday claiming that Paz was a “puppet of the USA and the Bolivian oligarchs.” One of Paz’s first actions upon taking office was to restore relations with the Trump administration.
Bolivia’s foreign ministry said the expulsion was done to “preserve the principles of sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs.” But Petro denounced La Paz’s actions and claimed that Bolivia was “sliding into extremism.” Petro had previously called the protests a “popular insurrection” occurring as a “response to geopolitical arrogance.”
As of Wednesday, protests across the country have resulted in four deaths—one demonstrator killed in clashes and three others because roadblocks prevented them from receiving proper medical care—as well as dozens of injuries.
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What We’re Following
The spread of war? White House negotiations with Tehran are in their final stages, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, while warning that attacks on Iran could resume if a deal is not agreed to. “We’re going to give this one shot. I’m in no hurry,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We could do it either way.”
Tehran has not taken Washington’s threats lightly. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Wednesday after accusing Trump of plotting to restart active fighting. On Monday, Trump postponed a planned attack on Iran, scheduled for the following day, amid pressure from Persian Gulf states to hold off on an assault due to “serious negotiations” being underway.
It is unclear which countries outside of the region could be targeted if Iran chooses to expand the conflict. Critical infrastructure in several Gulf nations—including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—has already suffered heavy damage from Iranian attacks. And the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to wreak havoc on global supply chains.
Xi-Putin summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping signed more than 40 cooperation agreements with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in Beijing on Wednesday. Sino-Russian ties have reached “the highest level in history,” Xi said, with Putin adding that collaboration in the energy sector is the pinnacle of their successful relationship. Other areas of cooperation included trade, technology, and media exchanges.
China is Russia’s largest trading partner; despite Western sanctions, Beijing has purchased more than $367 billion worth of Russian fossil fuels since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022. Putin’s goal entering Wednesday’s summit was to finalize several deals that would bolster Russia’s oil and gas sectors, such as determining pricing for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline. But despite Putin repeatedly praising the two leaders’ close friendship, Moscow was unable to secure a breakthrough on the pipeline’s contract.
Still, Putin and Xi reached consensus on a slew of other issues. They condemned Trump’s Golden Dome initiative, accused the United States and Israel of violating international law by attacking Iran, called for a quick end to war in the Middle East, and outlined plans for further cooperation in artificial intelligence and animal conservation.
Undervalued exports. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto unveiled a sweeping plan on Wednesday to centralize some of the country’s key exports within three months. Danantara, a sovereign wealth fund, will oversee a new trading company tasked with managing exports of strategic commodities, such as palm oil, coal, and ferroalloys. More commodities may be added after the three-month deadline expires.
Indonesia is the world’s biggest exporter of palm oil, thermal coal, and nickel. By imposing tighter control over the sale and pricing of these resources, Prabowo hopes to boost government revenue to combat record-low currency rates. “I tell my cabinet, ‘Formulate prices for nickel, gold. Every price must be determined by us,’” Prabowo told parliament. “If they don’t support our price, then they don’t have to buy it. We can use it ourselves.” Prabowo claimed on Wednesday that Indonesia has lost as much as $908 billion because its exports were undervalued.
Also on Wednesday, Indonesia’s central bank raised interest rates for the first time in two years as part of Prabowo’s ambitious spending agenda. The increase rattled global markets; Jakarta’s main stock index dropped 3.5 percent on Tuesday ahead of the announcement and fell an additional 0.82 percent on Wednesday. In a letter to Prabowo last week, China’s Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia warned that these measures could drive up prices and threaten foreign investment.
Odds and Ends
Trump’s special envoy to Greenland did not receive the warm welcome he was hoping for. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry arrived in the capital city of Nuuk this week on a mission to “make a bunch of friends.” But animosity toward the White House lingers after the United States spent months threatening to seize control of the Danish territory.
Still, Landry has not given up hope. After offering MAGA hats to Greenlandic children, several of whom declined, Landry promised them “all the chocolate chip cookies you can eat” if they visit his mansion in Louisiana. “We have our red lines,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told local media. “And no matter how many chocolate cookies we get, we are not going to change them.”
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