Interesting times in Latin America

From the beeb:

"With the full official results not due for some days, it became apparent early on that Evo Morales had won a convincing victory and will next month become Bolivia's first indigenous president."

Yuppie coke-heads in the US must be feeling ambivalent about the election of this left-wing former leader of the coca growers' union. They better face up to the fact that the narcotics trade is more beneficial to the Bolivian economy than NAFTA and that it is American domestic consumption that is the driving force here, rather than pretending this is an evil that is being unwillingly inflicted on them.

I'd have to say, apart from any other consideration, I find the impact that any change in government has on the US and European drugs markets about the weakest, most self-indulgent basis on which to criticise a regime. Like people who cite increased opium production as a reason for not overthrowing the Taleban.

As if the need to avoid putting our domestic drug users in temptation's way trumps democracy. Get over yourself.