Bolivia, the poorest of the South American countries, is on the verge of civil war. After centuries of oppression, the Indian people are now demanding their rights. Indigenous people are in the majority, representing 60 per cent of the population. The Aymara and the Quechua in particular are demanding more power, a better living standard and more respect but also the nationalization of Bolivia s natural resources, especially natural gas. Due to a well-organized protest by over one million dissatisfied Indians, the government resigned and the president fled abroad. Plans for selling natural gas to the United States ignited mass riots that took almost seventy lives. The ruling elite of Bolivia has been shocked by the marches and the blockades of big cities.It is unlikely that interest groups in the U.S. will just stand by and watch. "The worst case scenario is that the unrest in Bolivia will be seen as a threat to the stability of the entire South American continent. And that may lead to foreign occupation of Bolivia," says sociologist Alvaro Garcia Linera.