'Resign or be removed...': Furious Bolivia protesters shake capital as streets descend into chaos

Bolivia has entered its second straight week of chaos as anti-government protests intensify across the country. Protesters and riot police are clashing in the streets, roads have been blocked nationwide, and pressure on President Rodrigo Paz Pereira is mounting rapidly. What began as anger over inflation, fuel shortages, austerity measures, and a worsening dollar crisis is now turning into a wider political battle involving regional powers and the United States. Washington has openly backed Bolivia’s government, with U.S. officials even calling the unrest an “ongoing coup d’état.” At the same time, tensions with Colombia have exploded after President Gustavo Petro called Bolivia’s leader a “puppet of the U.S.” Bolivia expelled the Colombian ambassador, and Bogotá responded by recalling its own envoy. As economic pain deepens and accusations of foreign interference grow louder, Bolivia is increasingly becoming the center of a larger geopolitical confrontation in Latin America. Is this simply an economic revolt? Or is Bolivia becoming the next major regional flashpoint?