The tension of Development vs Indigenous Rights

Conflict in Bolivia: Road Development vs Indigenous People's and Ecological Rights
   The issue of "development" will always always conflict with the rights of indigenous persons and the struggle to preserve nature. This is not new. The story of the USA is filled with these conflicts going back to the original invasion of the European colonizers. Our own perspective from Kansas and the High Plains is very similar. After the Civil War various railroads began construction across the territorial lands of various indigenous peoples ("Indians") who were nomadic. Many of these had traditionally followed buffalo herds. The arrival of the iron horse was a challenge to their way of life. Sadly they lost that way of life and many lost their lives in the change from nomadic to sedentary life.
   What was missing then was modern communications and the notions of indigenous rights as well as protected natural areas. One can only imagine what it would have been like for national and international news organizations to show up at the conflicts between the High Plains Indians and the railroad developers. Or what it would be like for the United Nations to send their observers of the situation. And what if Greenpeace had been there to protest the invasion of the iron horse of the pristine High Plains?
  That is probably the biggest difference between what is going on in Bolivia with the TIPNIS and what happened over a century ago in the USA: modern mass communications and non-profits who publicize the conflict.
   My own perspective is that of many who argue that one of the primary ways for a country to climb up the economic ladder is through the construction of roads. One can argue "where" the road needs to be placed, can it be located to minimize damage to native peoples and the ecology? Etc. Jeffrey Sachs in "The End of Poverty" argues for land transport infrastructure among other things that are pivotal to national development. Left unsaid in his book is "how?" to balance the claims of native people and ecology. For Bolivia there is no alternative to roads. Roads going more places, roads that are all-season, roads with enough capacity to carry the load, secondary and tertiary roads.
    So, dear reader, create a bookmark or RSS feed or whatever to follow this story. The TIPNIS natives will probably lose this fight to keep the road out of their territory. History is not on their side: native people almost always lose out to development. The fine point is if the Bolivian government can accomplish this with a minimum of damage politically and ecologically. Stay tuned....