Bolivian charter to reject foreign bases
The draft Bolivian constitution approved by the country's Constituent Assembly in Sucre explcitly rejects foreign military bases on the national territory. "Bolivia is a pacifist State, which promotes the culture of peace and the right to peace, and seeks cooperation between the peoples of every region of the world," it reads. The document, yet to be ratified by popular vote, rejects war as a means of addressing international problems, while asserting the right of self-defense in case of aggression.
The text would also commit Bolivia to recover access to the Pacific, lost to Chile in the 1879-83 War of the Pacific. The two countries broke diplomatic relations over the question in 1978. "The Bolivian State declares its irrenunciable and imprescriptible right to the territory that accesses the Pacific Ocean and its maritime zone," the draft reads. (Notimex, Dec. 9)
See our last post on Bolivia.
Self Defence
What one defines "self-defense in case of aggression" is open for interpretation and can be easily misused by claiming that "Pre-Emptive Attack" is the best form of defence...
Srebrenica Genocide Blog
True, but...
It is still a sign of hope that the new constitution includes this measure. The similar measure in Japan's constitution (Article 9) is now more or less openly breached, but it is still better to have it there than not—it provides at least some resistance on the slippery slope towards militarism. Just like the Bill of Rights in the USA is at least there to fight for, even if the current government has betrayed all ten amendments.
Admittedly, the Bolivian draft's claims on Chilean-controlled territory could be cause for concern—but given this measure, the pacifist measure is doubly important...
In any case, Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, and is hardly in a position to launch a Bush-style "pre-emptive attack" on anyone.