Ecuador's Correa calls for socialist Latin America

On January 15, Ecuador's new president, Rafael Correa Delgado, was sworn in, promising to build "socialism of the 21st century" to overcome the poverty and instability of the small Andean country.

The previous day, Correa attended an indigenous inauguration ceremony in Zumbahua, the small Andean town where he did volunteer social work in his twenties. The presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia — Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales — were present as special guests.

Correa, a 43-year-old economist, used his inauguration to call for a "citizens' revolution", using wealth to meet social and environmental needs, rather than maintaining the current "perverse system" that has led to over 60% of Ecuador's 13 million people living in poverty and forced more than 3 million to emigrate in search of jobs.

"The long night of neoliberalism is coming to an end", said Correa, "A sovereign, dignified, just and socialist Latin America is beginning to rise."

Ecuador: Washington frets over 'Bolivarian' candidate

The small oil-rich Andean country of Ecuador goes to the polls on October 15 to elect a new president. Normally, the US isn't too worried about who wins the presidential sash, as they usually end up dancing to Washington's tune. But this time things might be different.
 
Like most of its neighbours, Ecuador has experienced chronic levels of corruption and nepotism. But over the last decade, rather than tolerating this, the country has "lost" three presidents to popular uprisings. The Ecuadorian people have lost patience with politicians who spout rhetoric and "non-core" promises — so they chase them out of the country. 

The most recent in this line of ignominious hucksters was Lucio Gutierrez, who played a small role in the overthrow of President Jamil Mahuad in 2000. Sensing popular support for the progressive policies of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, a fiery critic of Washington, he styled himself as the Ecuadorian equivalent, got elected in 2002 — and then implemented US-friendly policies. 

In April 2005 this self-styled "dicto-crat" fled via helicopter from the roof of the presidential palace and protesters chased him down the airstrip. Simultaneously, the Congress "fired" him, only to find itself besieged by the same protesters chanting "they all must go". 

In such an unstable country, then, it may come as a surprise that a leading presidential candidate is not only campaigning to "re-found" the country via a referendum and constituent assembly — like Venezuela has done and now Bolivia is doing — but is arguing that it should be made easier to remove the president. 

L'altra guerra del petrolio di Washington

di Duroyan Fertl
Dopo quasi cinque anni, migliaia di persone uccise e scomparse e lo stanziamento di 7.5 miliardi di dollari, l'iniziativa Americana conosciuta come "Il Piano Colombia" - per porre fine alla crisi che caratterizza la Colombia, paese sudamericano dominato dalla violenza - è fallita, sia politicamente che militarmente.Iniziato nel 2000 il Piano Colombia fu apparentemente designato per portare la "guerra alla droga" direttamente ai produttori di stupefacenti.Gli Stati Uniti sostenevano che i guerriglieri marxisti dell'Esercito Rivoluzionario Colombiano (FARC) ed il meno importante Esercito di Liberazione Nazionale (ELN) come pure i paramilitari di destra, le cosidette Forze Colombiane di Auto-difesa (AUC), erano principalmente "narco-terroristi".Tuttavia, le motivazioni Americane sono ben diverse: anche se la maggior parte del paese non è stato ancora sfruttato dall' industria petrolifera, la Colombia é già il terzo maggior esportatore di pertolio in America Latina dopo il Venezuela e Messico. L'industria petrolifera incide per un terzo sulle esportazioni Colombiane e la maggior parte di esse sono verso gli Stati Unti.La Colombia siede sulla "cintura dell'Orinoco Venezuelano" la più grande capitalizzazione di idrocarburi del pianeta condivisa con il Venezuela e l'Ecuador e questi ultimi fanno parte, come in gran parte del continente Sudamericano, della rivolta di sinistra contro le poltiche neoliberiste di Washington.In Ecuador una rivolta popolare ha recentemente rovesciato un presidente visto come troppo vicino a Washington, ed in Venezuela la rivoluzione capeggiata da Hugo Chavez ha riaffermato il controllo popolare sulle riserve petrolifere del paese e usato i proventi a beneficio della maggioranza più povera.Washington ha risposto a tali comportamenti ant-capitalisti con l'appoggio ad un fallito colpo di stato, un tentativo di chudere l'industria del petrolio ed un' implacabile propaganda contro Chavez, tutto ciò con scarso successo.Tale situazione fa sì che assicurarsi il petrolio Colombiano sia una priorità per gli Stati Uniti; la spesa militare e l'addestramento Americani sono infatti concentrate nelle aree Colombiane ricche di petrolio come Arauca e Putumayo, nel cuore delle zone di guerriglia.Una parte chave delle "ristrutturazioni" del  Fondo Monetario Internazionale (IMF) legate al Piano Colombia sono state cambiate a beneficio dell'idustria del petrolio: l'industria pertolifera governativa ECOPETROL è stata essenzialmente privatizzata per "incoraggiare" investimenti stranieri nell' industria petrolifera; le royalties sono state tagliare dell 8%, contratti di leasing estesi a data indeterminata ed il governo Colombiano adesso acquista il proprio petrolio da industrie straniere quali la Occidental Petroleum basata in California a prezzi di mercato.La Colombia è inoltre importante per gli Stati Uniti come contrappeso alla crescita di governi di sinistra anti-imperialisti e movimenti attraverso tutto il Sudamerica che stanno minacciando gli interessi di Washington.

 

ECUADOR: 'Lucio out! Democracy yes! Dictatorship No!'

On April 13, thousands of Ecuadorians protesting in the capital Quito were violently attacked by riot police with tear gas. The protesters, led by unionists and students, blocked roads with burning tyres and shut down the centre of the city, demanding the resignation of President Lucio Gutierrez and the reinstatement of the Supreme Court judges sacked by the president last December.
Quito Mayor Paco Moncayo, leader of the opposition Democratic Left Party (ID) and an organiser of the protest, ordered the closure of public transport, municipal offices and schools, as protesters shouted "Lucio out! Democracy, yes! Dictatorship, no!"

About 800 fully armed police and soldiers occupied the two blocks around the presidential palace, erecting metal barriers and barbed wire fencing across roadways.

This is just the latest in a wave of protests. On April 11, a group of about 100 protesters from various social movements occupied the nearby Metropolitan Cathedral. Despite being denied food and water, they are refusing to leave until the former Supreme Court is reinstated.

The prefect for Pichincha province, which covers Quito, ID member Ramiro Gonzalez, declared an indefinite strike from April 12, closing roads — including the Pan-American Highway — businesses and the local airport.

Roads were also blocked by demonstrations in the regions of Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Loja, Azuay and Canar, and the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE) occupied the education ministry building in Quito.