Bolivia–United States relations

Bolivia–United States relations were established in 1837 with the first ambassadorial visit from the United States to Peru–Bolivian Confederation. The Confederation dissolved in 1839, and bilateral relations did not occur until 1848 when the United States recognized Bolivia as a sovereign state and appointed John Appleton as the Chargé d'Affaires.

While opposed to other self-identified "revolutionary" governments, the United States engaged with the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR) following the country's 1952 Revolution in an effort to encourage to move its politics to the right. In 1971, the US government viewed President Juan Jose Torres as anti-American and funded military officers plotting to overthrow him. General Hugo Banzer took power later than year and had cooperative relations with the United States. However, under the Jimmy Carter administration, the United States supported a transition to democracy and opposed the 1979 and 1980 coups by Generals Alberto Natusch Busch and Luis García Meza, respectively. The United States supported the 1985 shift to neoliberaly economic policies under the government of Víctor Paz Estenssoro, who had also led Bolivia after the 1952 Revolution.

From the 1980s onwards, the US became heavily concerned with stopping the growing and trafficking of coca leaves, a precursor to cocaine, in Bolivia. The US supplied training and equipment for an eradication campaign focused on the Chapare coca region. However, in 2005, coca grower leader Evo Morales was elected to the presidency as the leader of the Movement Towards Socialism. Morales was publicly critical of US policies and brought Bolivia closer to Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, and China. Morales severed diplomatic relations following the 2008 political crisis, and expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration and USAID. Subsequent negotiations between the two governments were unsuccessful at restoring them. Following Morales' resignation in November 2019, under pressure from protests and the Bolivian military, the United States renewed USAID assistance, but as of February 2025 the countries have yet to exchange ambassadors.

According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 34% of Bolivians approve "the job performance of the leadership of the U.S.", with 26% disapproving and 40% uncertain. In a 2013 global opinion poll, 55% of Bolivians view the U.S. favorably, with 29% expressing an unfavorable view.