Expat Community > Ecuador

boncur
Joined 2009
Posts: 1180

Ecuador Slides into Lawlessness?

13 years ago

I feel that this short, English article is a must-read to get an idea of what is happening here.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/05/27/jose-r-cardenas-ecuadors-slide-lawlessness/

It is a political indicator of the 'flavor' of Ecuador, these days. I think Correa is in 'unknown waters' and of course he is a very emotional person...

I see it as one extreme to the other. The IMF/World Bank/Gringos/United Fruit/Texaco, et al., were "duenos" (owners) here for so many years. They called the shots to their benefit and they were the 'enablers' of the corruption and its corrupt leaders at the time--keeping the citizens down. It's like now letting a starved kid into a candy store with a big bag.

This kind of colonialism or slavery or whatever you wish to call it, could not go on forever, and had to eventually change. The pivotal hinge in this historic change WAS our big player, Hugo Chavez. Anyone here who has Direct TV should check out his very own TV station (telesur)--very good indigenous documentaries, and of course, that other political view--ha, ha.

So what happens? From one extreme to the other. It took alot of "cajones" for this guy, a humble military servant, to actually be brazen enough to get rid of the 'loan sharks' as they were so affectionately called--and he certainly had no problem convincing the other South American countries of this as well. Argentina, proudly, despite its monetary problems, said NO to any further IMF and WB loans, as did others.

SO, along with this type of rebound, backlash, we have these people wanting TOO much control! I feel in time, it will stabilize and bounce back to a healthy 'middle' whatever that would be. I believe, on Wall Street, they call it an 'adjustment.'

South American countries have been treated as children for so long, and have been under the thumb of other greater conquerer nations, as in India in Great Britain; the Dutch in Africa, etc., so they now have to re-invent themselves without this domination. Of course, it will be a bit wobbly at first.

Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa are charismatic, and people here love facade, pomp and circumstance and the such! They welcome anything that was not like 'before.' Of course, the very rich despise him as well as the ultra rich in venezuela--we are getting a bit 'socialist' here, lately.

I will say and others have said as well, Hugo Chavez has to do more for his country, instead of being generous in other places (sounds a bit like the states, no?). In any case, for the time being, the guy has some 'palanca' in this continent. He continues to have great animosity for the USA, and I believe is trying to withhold oil sales. However, there are 3 or 4 bigger suppliers waiting in line.

This article defines the fact that Correa is really at the helm with Hugo backing him. Anything could happen here, but I think, in the end, these people are not evil, and will not do harm to their 'patrias,' as Simon Bolivar would not have done this!

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