The actions of militant social movements in Bolivia over the past ten years, which led to the election of indigenous president Evo Morales, have heartened many radicals in Latin America and beyond. But what if Morales, and his Movement Toward Socialism, represent not a break from the past quarter-century of neoliberalism, but a reconfigured version of it? Marxist scholar Jeffrey Webber makes that assertion, tracing the recent political economy of Bolivia and analyzing the trajectory of social movements toward the ballot box.

Mass protests over the handling of Bolivia's oil and natural gas resources have toppled two presidents since 2003. Gretchen Gordon recounts the role played by social movements in efforts to nationalize that nation's energy industry. And in his play Betrayed, George Packer investigates the plight of Iraqis who took jobs with the US occupiers.