This book explains events in Bolivia today since the 2006 election of Evo Morales, the first indigenous president in the history of Latin America, as his government attempts to set itself a new, independent course. It reviews the crisis provoked by the separatist movements in the wealthy, resource-rich states, the increasing role of indigenous peoples in all levels of government through the creation of their own political instruments, and the confrontation between the traditional bourgeois ruling class and the popular sectors defending Bolivia’s national interests and natural resources in their effort to create a new Bolivia.