The Case of Ecuador: Where Sovereignty is Serious Business
July 17, 2015
The Case of Ecuador: Where Sovereignty is Serious Business
by Carmelo Ruiz
Sovereignty is an often mentioned subject in Latin America today. This is especially true in Ecuador, the country where I currently live. Sovereignty occupies a central place in the speeches of president Rafael Correa. His political party, Alianza PAIS, has Ecuadors sovereignty as one of its programmatic pillars.
For Americans and Western Europeans, citizens of the global North, the so-called developed countries, the constant reference to sovereignty in the Latin American political discourse could seem fastidious and irritating, evidence of an alleged inferiority complex and paranoia on the part of intellectuals and rulers of backward countries. But the citizens of the North live in countries that are historically accustomed to having their way, which is why the word sovereignty does not arouse their passion. But those of us who live in the South of the world, the so-called third world, the periphery of the world system, sovereignty is an essential and most sensitive issue.
Lets see the case of Ecuador.
A very dramatic and educational case of how Ecuadorian sovereignty has been stepped on and infringed upon is the story of Philip Agee. A US citizen, Agee was an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 1960s. He worked for the Agency in Ecuador, then in Uruguay and finally in Mexico. From 1960 to 1963 he was in Ecuador, undermining the government of president Arosemena and trying to get the country to break off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
After much reflection, Agee concluded that the CIAs actions in no way strengthened democracy or contributed to the real security of Americans, and resigned. But later, in the 1970s, he decided that resigning was not enough, and took the bold step of going public with all he knew about the Agency.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/07/17/the-case-of-ecuador-where-sovereignty-is-serious-business/
Good reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016127925