Bolivia stands on a cliff-edge. Politicians have manipulated the public's legitimate concerns over the use of concentrated wealth for illegitimate ends; but when the protests abate, Bolivia faces the same economic challenges, only with a more polarised electorate, damaged institutions and a tenser investment community.

This is the state of Bolivia today. It was a similar climate two years ago, when political manipulation forced me into the ranks of democratically elected Latin American leaders pushed out of office. Carlos Mesa, Bolivia's recently deposed president and my former vice-president, has now joined this group of ousted leaders.