Befriending Bolivia: We should improve relations this poor South American land

And Bolivia is a poor country, ranking in Latin America just above Haiti and Nicaragua. Asking Bolivian farmers to forgo coca cultivation requires offering them other options.
Finally, in Bolivia's important mining industry workers extract zinc, lithium and other minerals in some of the grimmest conditions I have ever seen. They chew coca leaves just to endure the work.
The continued interest of American oil and gas and minerals companies in Bolivia, the spectacular beauty of the Andean mountains, a fascinating history that combines Indian and Spanish colonial heritage, and the charm of the peoples of Bolivia in my view require the United States to maintain good relations with this challenging, landlocked, lesser known South American country. It seems that we are once again on a positive track, one to be pursued carefully but enthusiastically.Dan Simpson, a former U.S. ambassador, is a Post-Gazette associate editor