Related videos:
United States and the other member countries of the Shield of the Americas issued a joint statement supporting the government of Bolivia on Thursday, amidst protests and road blockades that, according to the coalition, seek to "subvert the constitutional order and destabilize the democratically elected government" of President Rodrigo Paz.
The statement, issued by the State Department on May 21, was signed by the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The statement warns that the blockades are preventing fuel and medical supplies from reaching many Bolivians, and it confirms that member countries have been providing humanitarian assistance to the Bolivian people.
The text calls on the demonstrators to express their demands "peacefully and to respect democratic institutions," emphasizing that "when demonstrators resort to violence, the government has a legitimate interest in the legal protection of public order."
One of the most compelling passages of the statement links the mobilizations to organized crime: "We cannot allow the overthrow of democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere, even when it is supported by criminals and drug traffickers."
The statement also defends Paz's management by noting that the president "is working to repair the damaged economy and the institutions he inherited after years of mismanagement," directly referencing the governments of the Movement for Socialism led by Evo Morales.
The protests in Bolivia began in early May, centered in La Paz and El Alto, driven by demands for a 20% wage increase, improvements in fuel supply, and opposition to Law 1720. However, they escalated to calls for the president's resignation.
Rodrigo Paz Pereira came to power after winning the presidential runoff on October 19, 2025, with approximately 54.5% of the votes, defeating Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga in the first runoff election in Bolivia's history.
Economist and former mayor of Tarija, Paz is the son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora and ran under the Christian Democratic Party with a speech focused on "capitalism for all," representing a shift towards center-right and a closer alignment with Washington.
The Shield of the Americas was launched by Donald Trump on March 7, 2026, at a summit held at the Trump National Doral Miami, with the stated objective of combating drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, curbing irregular migration, and countering the influence of China, Russia, and Iran in the hemisphere.
Bolivia, which in March captured the drug trafficker Sebastián Marset, is one of the founding members of the coalition, which reinforces the context of the fight against organized crime that shapes international support for the government of Paz.
The statement concludes by reaffirming the bloc's commitment: "The Shield of the Americas is committed to strengthening cooperation across the Western Hemisphere and to supporting democracy, security, and the well-being of our region."
Filed under: