Ecuador

Conflict Spills Over

The episodically fiery relations between Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador once again flamed as a result of Bogotá ordering its forces to covertly penetrate Ecuadorian territory in an effort to destroy a unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). A small group of its members, led by second-ranking officer Raúl Reyes, had encamped one mile from the Colombian border. Bogotá’s actions exacerbated already long-standing tensions with its immediate South American neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even though its resort to arms angered almost all of its South American peers as well as violated the territorial sovereignty of Ecuador, the incursion could be seen as a tactical victory for Bogotá. However, the coup came at the expense of the country’s standing in the rest of the hemisphere. Colombia’s forces not only managed to kill FARC leader Raúl Reyes, but its military units were also able to recover four laptop computers allegedly containing vital information regarding the inner workings of FARC, their political agenda, and links between Venezuelan and Ecuadorian authorities and the guerrilla organization.

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• Uribe tries out for The Dick Cheney Role
• A Narrow Escape from Brinkmanship
• No victors, but Uribe clearly is a loser

As last week’s diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Colombia demonstrates, Chávez has once again sought to appropriate historical symbols in an effort to score political points. Employing explosive language, Chávez remarked “Some day Colombia will be freed from the hand of the (U.S.) empire. We have to liberate Colombia.”

At its peak, the political battle lines of the triangular confrontation embracing Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador had been drawn. On the one side was Colombia, a key U.S. ally headed by rightist Álvaro Uribe. On the other side was Chávez, who seeks to turn Venezuela into a powerful regional player that may serve as a counterweight to Washington’s desire to project its authority. Ultimately, Chávez seeks to plant his socialist economic agenda fused with a parliamentary democratic political system throughout the region and to this end he has been able to recruit key allies such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and, or course, Cuba.

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• Latin Business Chronicle's malpracticing prescription
• Chávez is very different from Morales and Correa, though they all may face similar challenges.
• What does the Uribe-Chávez flap portend?

The rise of what some call the "New Left" in Latin America has become an increasingly hot topic over the last decade. But what does it really signify for the hemisphere? While some claim that these left-leaning nations reflect just an aberrant phase in the democratization process, others insist that this development is leading to the very embodiment of enhanced freedom, where citizens have the opportunity for their voice to be heard, an education as well as a job paying a living wage. The New Left movement seems to be taking a solid hold in the region: close to 60 percent of its population live under an elected leader who leans or is committed to the left of the political spectrum. While Venezuela's Hugo Chávez may be attracting the most media attention, Bolivia's Evo Morales and Ecuador's Rafael Correa are following close behind the ideological tenacity that they bring to governance and as a result, the region is witnessing transformative changes which seem to be more real than ephemeral.