Bolivia And Nato: Allies Or Not?

Bolivia is not a member of NATO. The Latin American country has even condemned Colombia's interest in joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As of 2024, NATO has 32 member countries, all of which are sovereign states that come together to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus.

Bolivia is not a member of NATO

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is a military alliance of sovereign states from Europe and North America. It was formed on April 4, 1949, by twelve founding members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since then, 20 more countries have joined NATO through ten rounds of enlargement, bringing the total number of member countries to 32.

Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which established NATO, states that membership is open to any "European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area." Any decision to invite a new member is made by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's principal political decision-making body, based on consensus among all current members.

While Bolivia is not a part of NATO, it has been engaged in various international organisations and treaties to promote its foreign policy goals, particularly those related to economic development, sustainable development, and the empowerment of indigenous people.

Bolivia is a member of the UN

Bolivia, or the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a member of the United Nations (UN) and several of its specialized agencies and related programs. As one of the founding members of the UN, Bolivia has been actively involved with the Intergovernmental Organisation. In 2008, the Bolivian contingent of UN peacekeeping troops with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was relocated for their safety. Bolivia has also served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, with a two-year term ending in 2018.

Bolivia's involvement with the UN extends to other areas as well. The country is a member of the UN's International Criminal Court and has a Bilateral Immunity Agreement for the protection of US military personnel. Additionally, Bolivia has participated in the Universal Periodic Review, a process that involves a review of the human rights records of all UN member states.

The UN has also been active in Bolivia through various initiatives. For example, the UN Human Rights Office in Bolivia provided support and assistance to Bolivians in a quarantine camp along the border with Chile, in collaboration with other UN agencies. Furthermore, the UN has offered anti-racism training sessions to members of the armed forces, police, judges, prosecutors, and teachers in the country.

Bolivia's engagement with the UN demonstrates its commitment to international cooperation and its active participation in global affairs as a member of the organization.

Bolivia's neighbours include Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Paraguay

Bolivia is a landlocked country in western South America. It has maintained diplomatic relations with all neighbouring countries except Chile. Bolivia's neighbours include Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Paraguay.

Brazil

Brazil is the main destination for exports from Bolivia. In 2007, Brazil bought 35.7% of the products that Bolivian companies sold to other countries. Brazil was also the main exporter to Bolivia, sending 24.7% of products imported into Bolivia. Brazil and Bolivia have been working to expand and diversify trade between the two countries.

Peru

Peru and Bolivia established diplomatic relations in 1826. Peru is the second-largest cultivator of coca in the world, after Colombia.

Chile

Bolivia and Chile have had strained relations since Bolivia's defeat in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), which resulted in Bolivia losing its coastal province of Atacama and becoming landlocked. Relations were severed from 1962 to 1975 due to a dispute over the use of the waters of the Lauca River and were broken again in 1978 over the inability of the two countries to reach an agreement on the Atacama border dispute. Bolivia has wanted sovereign access to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile. Chile and Bolivia have maintained only consular relations since 1978 when territorial negotiations failed.

Paraguay

In 2009, Bolivia and Paraguay signed an agreement settling a border dispute that led to a war in the 1930s.

Bolivia is not a member of NATO.

Bolivia has a history of strained relations with Chile

Bolivia is not part of NATO. However, it does have a history of strained relations with Chile.

The dispute between Chile and Bolivia dates back to the early 19th century when both countries gained independence from Spain. The disagreement centres on the Atacama border, with Bolivia claiming access to the sea at the port of Cobija, and Chile disagreeing. This dispute led to the War of the Pacific (1879-1884), in which Chile defeated Bolivia and annexed its coastline, leaving Bolivia landlocked. The war was fought over control of natural resources in the Atacama Desert region, including nitrates, sodium nitrate, and copper. Bolivia has never given up on regaining its access to the sea, and the loss of the Litoral province remains a traumatic event for the country.

In the years following the War of the Pacific, Bolivia and Chile made several attempts to improve their relations and resolve their border dispute. They signed treaties in 1866 and 1874 to establish a boundary and share tax revenue on mineral exports. However, these treaties failed to resolve the dispute, and relations between the two countries remained strained. In 1904, Bolivia and Chile signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship, agreeing that the territory taken by Chile during the war would be Chilean in exchange for a railroad being constructed between Arica and La Paz at Chile's expense, and Bolivia being granted free trade rights at Chilean ports.

Despite this agreement, Bolivia has continued to seek sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. In the 1970s, Chile and Bolivia agreed to a territorial swap with the Charaña Accords, but this proposal was rejected by Peru, which had a claim on the land involved. Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Chile in 1978 and the two nations have maintained only consular relations since then.

The lack of access to the sea is a significant issue for Bolivia, both politically and economically. It is estimated that the lack of a coastline deprives Bolivia of 1.5% in annual economic growth. Bolivia is also dependent on Chile's political will and the functioning of its ports for its foreign trade. In recent years, there have been some attempts at rapprochement, such as the agreement of a 13-point plan to resolve mutual differences. However, relations between the two countries remain poor, and the dispute over coastal access continues.

Bolivia has a history of positive relations with Cuba

Bolivia is not a member of NATO. However, it does have a history of positive relations with Cuba.

Bolivia and Cuba first established diplomatic relations on 10 June 1915. Relations were severed in the 1960s following Castro's rise to power, but resumed in 1985 under the Paz Estenssoro Administration. Relations were further strengthened in 2006 when Evo Morales rose to power in Bolivia. Morales shared the position of his left-wing allies in Nicaragua and Venezuela that Fidel Castro was a "humanist and beloved icon of resistance to US hegemony in the Americas". Bolivia and Cuba became staunch allies, and Bolivia joined the Cuba- and Venezuela-founded trade bloc ALBA. Bolivia also became a long-time recipient of aid from Cuba, especially in the form of Cuban medical internationalism. In 2013, the Cuban ambassador to Bolivia, La Paz Rolando Gomez, characterised relations between the two countries as "excellent".

However, relations between Bolivia and Cuba deteriorated after Evo Morales was ousted in November 2019. The country's new interim president, Jeanine Áñez, sent 700 Cuban doctors back to Cuba, accusing them of protesting against the new government. In response to these actions, Cuba's foreign ministry said it was terminating its medical mission, citing mistreatment and slander by Bolivia's conservative interim government. In January 2020, the interim government suspended relations with Cuba, but after Luis Arce was elected President of Bolivia in October 2020, he announced the restoration of ties with Cuba.

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