Latin America has undoubtedly become one more front in the global struggle for power and dominance between Superpowers, an effect of which is the systematic and growing interference by the United States throughout the entire American continent. Having for its effect several countries in the region that gradually, as the ideological pendulum has been tilted towards right-wing governments, which without further ado, give in to the geopolitical interests of the United States with a clear and evident surrender.
Such is the case of Ecuador, whose current ruler, the banana magnate Daniel Noboa, son of the richest man in Ecuador, for almost a year after his re-election, this after a brief interim government, has highlighted and strengthened a trend in Ecuadorian Foreign Policy that for nine years has been getting closer and closer to Washington. this in great contrast to the long period of a decade when Rafael Correa governed the country, always sustaining a foreign policy based on sovereignty, the brotherhood of peoples and Latin American integration, even reaching Quito, to become the capital of the practically extinct Supranational Organization of UNASUR.
Today there are other winds that sweep Ecuador and the entire American Continent, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, a second reconfigured and reinforced version of the pernicious and catastrophic MONROE DOCTRINE has been dusted off and revitalized, with this Washington has made it clear that the east is its hemisphere of undisputed natural domain that goes from Greenland to Patagonia.
Returning to the Ecuadorian case and after this brief context, the Ecuadorian government presided over by President Daniel Noboa has made a series of decisions that make clear the submission of Quito to the national interests of the United States, thus eroding the historic and close friendship, solidarity and cooperation with sister nations. A couple of emblematic cases are those that occurred with Colombia and Cuba.
Noboa has become a vector of U.S. influence, as well as Xavier Milei in Argentina, opening sources of friction with his peers of different ideology, in this sense, President Daniel Noboa has unleashed a tariff war with Colombia, imposing a tariff that was initially 30%, and today reaching up to 50% of the tax rate, affecting bilateral trade and directly the border economy, also generating several crossings and friction in mutual statements with Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia.
The most serious and recent thing has been the rupture of diplomatic relations with Cuba, bringing down more than 50 years of bilateral relations of cooperation in health, education, and solidarity between brother peoples. Last Wednesday, March 4, when the Ecuadorian Government declared the Cuban Ambassador to Ecuador Basilio Gutiérrez and the entire diplomatic mission persona NON GRATA, indicating that they have 48 hours to leave the country, as well as withdrawing the Ecuadorian Ambassador José María Borja from Havana. Once the indicated period had expired, it was declared that the place where the Cuban Embassy in Quito had operated until then was no longer a diplomatic headquarters. This act has been declared “Unfriendly and hostile” by the Cuban government.
This in the light of Public International Law, and in accordance with what is indicated in Article 9 of the Vienna Convention, which has to do with diplomatic and consular relations, indicates that in effect the host State may at any time declare the representative of a diplomatic mission as “persona non grata” and this without explaining the reasons. Consequently, neither the Presidency nor the Foreign Ministry have provided statements on the matter, without knowing so far the reasons for such a radical decision.
What is clearly behind it here is the interference, instruction and pressure from the United States for the Ecuadorian government, very aligned with U.S. foreign policy, in parallel with the pressure and threats that Washington increases on the island.
Another of the spaces where the irruption and interference of the United States in Ecuador is evident is around the issue of security, using the usual discourse, the eternal fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. At present, Ecuador has become a central axis for Latin America in the execution of the objectives for the high national interests of the United States. During the last decade, unfortunately, a terrible reality has been established in the country, the extreme violence that has been unleashed in the country, as a result of the increase in criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking. As structural root causes, they have to do directly, the deterioration of the quality of life, the institutional disruption, the reduction of the size of the State, the corruption permeated in almost all levels of the State by drug trafficking, led to Ecuador now going from being a country of passage, to a country of storage and distribution of drugs. being the main exporter of cocaine worldwide, leaving its ports around 70% of the cocaine consumed in the world, having surpassed Colombia.
After this brief and necessary historical recapitulation, we will proceed to expose how for Washington to raise the fight against this scourge is the perfect excuse for US interference in the country to take hold in the figure of “cooperation”. The importance that the United States has given to strengthening ties with Ecuador is reflected in Washington’s permanent intelligence and military assistance for the Ecuadorian national police and armed forces, the visit of the different Chiefs of the Southern Command to Quito, as well as the current Secretary of State of the United States. Senator Marco Rubio.
The constant intention of trying to install U.S. military bases in Ecuador has been one of the main objectives of the Noboa government, this under pressure from Washington naturally, entailing regulatory reforms and a popular consultation in which citizens were asked if they would agree with the possibility of allowing the establishment of foreign bases in national territory. this popular consultation was carried out because the current Constitution of Ecuador in its Article 5, sets forth the prohibition of establishing foreign military bases and ceding national military bases to foreign forces. To this consultation last year, the citizens said a resounding NO to this possibility, but the Noboa government has seen ways to prosper with this requirement from Washington.
Disrespecting the will of the people, President Noboa has allowed U.S. military forces to arrive to begin joint operations with the Armed Forces of Ecuador, having published a few days ago the Southern Command a promotional video about these operations, but without specifying whether such an agreement includes the permanent presence of U.S. troops. what military equipment will be used and what results are expected.
Thus, the United States has launched its operation against drug trafficking in Ecuador, as exposed, operations have already begun, the Ecuadorian Government also announced that a curfew will be imposed in four Ecuadorian provinces from March 15 to March 31. Washington emphasizes the need to (install military and intelligence conditions) pointing to Ecuador as an example of effective hemispheric cooperation.
In summary, the strategy of gradually increasing US interference in the region is more than evident, and Ecuador is an example of this, and how the United States takes advantage of the opening of governments aligned with its foreign policy to promote its global geopolitical strategy of regaining power in its natural zone of influence and at the same time preventing competition from the other two Superpowers such as Russia and China in the region. The United States has set out to control the entire hemisphere to resist the developing global struggle for the change from the Unipolar to the Multipolar world system.
