Recently, the International Court of Justice in The Hague made a very important decision for a number of Latin American countries. He refused to allow Bolivia to return access to the Pacific Ocean. The longstanding dispute between Bolivia and Chile ended in favor of the latter state. Despite the fact that Bolivia's deprivation of access to the Pacific Ocean was the result of a war of conquest, the International Court of Justice did not take this circumstance into account. Of course, the Bolivian leadership, led by President Evo Morales, is extremely dissatisfied with the court's decision. After all, firstly, Bolivia really had reason to seek the return of the territories once seized, and secondly, the decision of the Hague court may have political implications - it is clear that it is easier for the West to deal with Chile than with Bolivia, where the odious Indian socialist Evo Morales.
Territorial disputes in Latin America are commonplace. Indeed, before the Latin American countries became independent, they were all colonies - Spain, Portugal or other European countries. The main part of the territory of South and Central America belonged to Spain. Accordingly, the colonial possessions of Madrid were divided into viceroyalty and captaincy general. The Viceroyalty of New Granada included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador. The Viceroyalty of New Spain was located on the lands that are now part of the United States (Florida, California, Texas), Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba. In addition, the viceroy of New Spain was subordinate to the Spanish colonies in the Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines. The Viceroyalty of Peru included the territories of modern Peru, Chile and Bolivia, and the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata included the lands of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
The end in the history of Spanish colonial rule in South and Central America was put by the national liberation wars that engulfed the region in the first quarter of the 19th century and ended with the emergence of new independent states. During the period of national liberation wars, several commanders emerged at once, who became iconic figures in Latin American history - Francisco Miranda, Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin, Antonio Jose Sucre, Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme and many others. Despite the respect that they all enjoy in Latin American countries, the first and most famous among them is Simon Bolivar. An entire South American country, Bolivia, is named in his honor. Over the two centuries that have passed since the height of the national liberation wars in South America, Bolivar's name has remained a symbol of the "Latin American Dream."
Bolivar's cherished goal was to create the United States of South America, which would become a powerful confederation capable of defending its interests and competing with North America and Europe. Bolivar hoped that the South American federation would include Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, La Plata and Chile. However, the project to create the South American states initially turned out to be a "stillborn child."
Simon Bolivar was unable to overcome the resistance of the Creole elites, who did not want to share power in the controlled provinces with anyone. As a result, a number of independent states appeared on the territory of the former Spanish possessions in South America, which were in very difficult relationships with each other. With a certain cultural similarity, linguistic unity, a similar ethnic composition of the population, many countries turned into real enemies during the 19th-20th centuries. repeatedly waged bloody wars with each other.
American and British capital played a role in this, which were interested in exploiting the natural resources and economic opportunities of South and Central America. Naturally, the United States and Great Britain, which replaced the weakened Spain in the struggle for influence in the New World, in every possible way obstructed genuine South American patriots and encouraged puppet regimes, for whose leaders their own power ambitions and financial interests were in the first place. In many of the bloody wars that took place on the continent, the hand of American and British companies was traced, competing for natural resources and markets.
The problem of Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean, which the International Court of Justice in The Hague refused to solve in October 2018, is rooted in the very division of Bolivar's “legacy”. In 1825, the independence of Upper Peru was proclaimed, which was renamed Bolivia in honor of General Simon Bolivar. From 1836 to 1839 there was the Confederation of Peru and Bolivia, which disintegrated as a result of the war unleashed against it, in which the confederation was opposed by the Peruvian opposition and Chile and Argentina, which came to its aid, were not interested in the existence of a large neighboring state.
By the second half of the 19th century, Bolivia was a major supplier of saltpeter to the world market. The production of saltpeter in Bolivian territory was carried out by Chilean companies, which worked closely with British capital. The influence of Great Britain in Chile at that time was very significant. However, on February 14, 1878, the Bolivian government canceled tax breaks for Chilean companies mining saltpeter in the country. The Chilean leadership, feeling the support of Great Britain, tried to put pressure on Bolivia. However, Bolivia, which was in allied relations with neighboring Peru and then still had access to the Pacific Ocean, threatened to completely confiscate Chilean enterprises.
The conflict worsened and led on February 14, 1879 to the capture of the Bolivian city - the port of Antofagasta by Chilean troops. The capture of the city was facilitated by the fact that the bulk of its population by this time were natives of Chile, so a Chilean detachment of 200 people managed to capture the port very quickly. In response, on March 1, 1879, Bolivia declared war on Chile, and soon Peru joined Bolivia, which had an alliance treaty with the country.
Given the complexity of the landscape of the Atacama and Tarapaca deserts, which were located on the border of Bolivia, Peru and Chile, the first phase of the war took place mainly at sea. On April 5, 1879, the Chilean fleet blocked the port of Iquique in Peru. However, on May 21, the Peruvian monitor Huascar sank the Chilean corvette Esmeralda, and on July 23, 1879 captured the Rimac steamer, which was carrying an entire Chilean cavalry regiment. But on October 8, 1879, in the naval battle at Cape Angamos, the Chilean fleet was still able to defeat the Peruvian ships. Although the Peruvian corvette "Union" managed to escape from the Chileans, the monitor "Huascar" was captured and then converted for the needs of the Chilean fleet.
After the battle at Cape Angamos, Chile managed to gain maritime supremacy, which contributed to a turning point in the war. Despite the advantage in the number of troops, Bolivia and Peru could not effectively supply their units, since the sea communications were now controlled by the Chileans. In November 1879, Chilean troops landed in the province of Tarapaca. On November 23, 1879, the Chilean troops captured the city of Iquique. In the period of autumn 1879 - spring 1880.the position of the Peruvian and Bolivian troops gradually deteriorated, as a result of which the Chileans managed to establish control over the southern part of the Peruvian coast, and on January 17, 1881, Chilean troops entered Lima. The President of Peru and the authorities fled to Ayacucho, intending to continue the guerrilla war.
Chile's success was largely due to support from the UK, which was interested in strengthening the position of its regional ally. Nevertheless, hostilities continued until 1883, and only on October 20, 1883, a peace treaty was signed with Peru, according to which the city of Iquique and the surrounding area withdrew to Chile. An armistice agreement with Bolivia was signed on April 4, 1884 in Valparaiso. Under this agreement, Bolivia gave Chile the province of Antofagasta, completely losing access to the Pacific Ocean, but in return received a compensation payment of 300 thousand pounds sterling and the right to free transit of goods through the ports of Chile. As for the peace treaty, it was signed between Chile and Bolivia only in 1904.
The deprivation of access to the Pacific Ocean had a very negative impact on the economic development of Bolivia. First, Chile took away from Bolivia the province of Antofagasta, where the main reserves of valuable resources - nitrates and guano - were located. Previously, the exploitation of the deposits gave significant income to the Bolivian state, and after the province passed under the control of Chile, the country was deprived of the opportunity for these incomes. Now in Antofagasta copper, silver, molybdenum, gold, lithium, iron, quartz, iodine are mined.
Second, Bolivian trade also came under the control of neighboring Chile, which may or may not permit the transit of Bolivian goods through its ports. As a result, Bolivia has become one of the most socially and economically backward countries in South America. Chile won, which received large and resource-rich territories, and Great Britain, which was one of the main partners of the Chilean republic.
For Bolivians, the return to the Pacific Ocean is a very important and painful issue. Despite the loss of the coast, Bolivia still retains a naval force based on Lake Titicaca. President Evo Morales has repeatedly stated that his country will do everything possible to achieve historical justice and regain access to the Pacific coast. Of course, this would be very good for the country, but only international structures represented by the UN and the Hague Court are unlikely to take the side of Bolivia in the foreseeable future.
Another example of Western intervention in political contradictions in South America is the famous Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay in 1932-1935. It was caused by the disputes between the two states regarding the ownership of part of the Gran Chaco region. Territorial conflicts appeared almost immediately after Paraguay and Bolivia became independent states. Indeed, at one time Madrid did not draw borders between the viceroyalty of Peru, which included Bolivia, and La Plata, which included Paraguay.
Since the Bolivarian project for the creation of a South American confederation was untenable, the countries began to argue over the ownership of the border territories. Since Paraguay became an independent state in 1811 and Bolivia in 1825, Paraguayan troops were stationed in the Chaco. But then Bolivia began to send military units to the region and build fortifications.
In 1928, information appeared that large reserves of oil could be hidden in the Chaco. The American company Standard Oil, belonging to the Rockefeller clan, immediately became interested in the area. But the British did not waste time either - Shell Oil, controlled by the Rothschild clan, showed interest in Chaco. So the two leading oligarchic clans of the planet clashed in the struggle for the South American oil fields. Standard Oil provided comprehensive support to Bolivia, and the British supplied Paraguay.
In terms of direct military assistance, the Bolivians brought in German and Czech military advisers and instructors. German officer Hans Kundt even headed the headquarters of the Bolivian army. Paraguay, in turn, took advantage of the help of Russian "white" emigrants led by Major General of the Russian army Ivan Timofeevich Belyaev, who in the Paraguayan army received the rank of divisional general. Subsequently, General Kundt recalled that he and his German associates underestimated the Russian officers who served in the Paraguayan army.
The Chak War was one of the bloodiest on the American continent. On the Bolivian side, more than 60 thousand people died and went missing, Paraguay lost 31, 5 thousand people killed and missing. The war lasted three years, but none of the countries managed to defeat the enemy. Although the Paraguayan army moved the fighting to the territory of Bolivia, it no longer had the strength to completely defeat the enemy. On July 21, 1938, Paraguay and Bolivia signed a peace treaty, according to which 3/4 of the disputed Chaco territory withdrew to Paraguay. But the presidents of Bolivia and Paraguay put an end to the dispute between the two countries only in 2009, when an agreement on the settlement of the state border was signed.
Repeatedly fought among themselves and Peru with Ecuador. The two countries are arguing over control over some of the territories in the Amazon Basin. Like previous conflicts, this territorial dispute has its roots in the South American struggle for independence. In the twentieth century, Peru and Ecuador fought three times - in 1941, in 1981 and in 1995. Only in 1998 was the border between the two countries settled.
Thus, although more than two hundred years have passed since South America fought for independence, the legacy of the colonial era is still reflected in numerous disputes and conflicts between the long-standing independent states of the continent. And, of course, the United States and Great Britain play an important role in inciting these conflicts, using the principle of “divide and conquer,” or rather, plunder natural resources.
