The coca diplomacy as the end of the war on drugs. The impact of international cooperation on the crime policy of the Plurinational state of Bolivia

Abstract

This study analyses the way social problems evolve, and could be overcome by policy decisions, taking Bolivia as a case study. The international cooperation that began with the Single Convention of 1961 opened the door to the militarization of Bolivian crime policy, inspired by the “war on drugs” US paradigm. Foreign intervention weakened Bolivian institutions, creating an opportunity for social movements in defence of the coca leaf in rural areas. Policy change started in 2006 after Evo Morales’ election as President. A new policy paradigm was adopted and the “coca diplomacy” was deployed allowing the government to avoid the repressive foundation of international law and, at the same time, to nourish a new national narrative. The latest step on the “nationalisation” of crime policy was the criminal law adopted at the end of 2017 and abrogated a month later showing the limits of the impact of the “coca si, cocaina no” paradigm.