Our Brand Is Crisis

It seems that the point of Our Brand Is Crisis, shows how even when the United States manipulates situations in foreign countries, it doesn’t always turn out for the best. Despite top political advisors and consultants helping Goni, a once-elected President of Bolivia seeking re-election, their efforts seemed doomed to fail. Goni did win the election, but with only 22% of the vote, narrowly beating out his toughest competitors, like Evo Morales and Manfred Reyes Villa.

Bolivians wanted a social change. There seemed to be a great social divide in Bolivia, with some being really rich and others, including many elderly, living in extremely poor conditions. Bolivia appeared to have benefitted the United States with their natural resources, and their indebted state to the U.S. probably caused most of their poverty. In Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, it states:

“The fact that the debt burden placed on a country would deprive its poorest citizens of health, education, and other social services for decades to come was not taken into consideration” (Perkins 18). It appears that countries which owe the U.S. money don’t take time to consider the repercussions on their own citizens in the long run. Although many Americans, like Greenville, Carville, and Shrum, often think they are helping impoverished foreign countries with their education and intelligence, they often set those countries back and hurt the native citizens and resources (Perkins 240). And even though the consultants seemed interested in helping the country’s needs, they also seemed desensitized to Bolivians’ reactions after the elections when people were revolting in the street. Americans (citizens of the United States) don’t know how to react to such situations (Perkins). When a translator tries to tell Shrum she has never seen people revolt like this, obviously shocked at what’s happening, Shrum seems indifferent and distant. This is because it’s not his country so why should he really worry with their well-being. According to Perkins, it’s hard for us as Americans to really feel the devastation and hopelessness that so many Latin Americans feel when their government and land are being manipulated, hurting them in the long run.

The U.S. has helped Bolivia form a capitalism type of government, and other countries praise this effort while Bolivia reaps the limitations. There are few jobs to be had after most funds are given to petroleum or mining or agriculture (Cypher 49). This seems to be the main concern of citizens, and being fed up at the lack of employment, they revolt against Goni’s government with Evo Morales as their leader. And the farther the Bolivian government falls, the more the United States seems to benefit from their fall (Cypher). All the work of the United States to sit as a great world power leads to much political unrest in the Latin American countries and beyond.