India, May 20 -- A massive wave of social and political unrest has brought Bolivia to a near-total standstill, triggering a critical humanitarian crisis and prompting a fierce international firestorm. Weeks of intensifying nationwide protests, riots, and highway blockades erupted into violent clashes in the administrative capital of La Paz on Monday, with tens of thousands of demonstrators demanding the immediate resignation of centrist President Rodrigo Paz Pereira.

As smoke engulfed the capital and supply routes were choked off, the United States government stepped directly into the fray, formally accusing opposition forces of attempting to illegally unseat the democratically elected leader. The escalating turmoil comes just six months...