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TechnoratiUS Base Is No Longer Welcome in Ecuador
MANTA, Ecuador - Mayor Jorge Zambrano pulled up to the Manta City Hall in his black Ford Explorer, expecting to find a rally in support of the American military outpost that runs drug-surveillance flights from this gritty port city.
He left an hour later behind a wall of riot shields and a cloud of Mace, as police fended off banner-waving protesters who crashed the event in March.
With 18 months left on its decade-long contract, the U.S. Forward Operating Location in Manta has few friends in this South American nation -- and fewer still who believe that the agreement has any hope of being extended.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has vowed not to renew the base's contract beyond its November 2009 expiration. And politicians drafting a new constitution have proposed banning the base or any other foreign military presence in the country.
If the Manta base closes, it would leave the United States shopping for a new airstrip for the radar-mounted AWAC E3s, and P-3 spy planes that ply the Eastern Pacific, looking for drug runners.
It would also be another dark turn for rapidly deteriorating U.S.-Ecuadorean relations.
The United States sees the Manta compound -- with its manicured lawns and staff of about 150 pilots and crew members -- as part of a multinational effort that helped block $4.2 billion worth of narcotics last year.
But in Ecuador, the Base de Manta is viewed largely as an affront to national sovereignty that threatens to drag the country into the regional drug war.
Tensions
The clashing views come as tensions between the nations are running high.
President Correa -- a staunch ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez -- has made the ousting of the Manta base central to his presidency, and he recently led a shake-up of Ecuador's armed forces, alleging that they were infiltrated by the CIA and too cozy with U.S. military advisors.
Colombia, a staunch U.S. ally, is accusing the Correa administration of sympathizing with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Colombia claims that a FARC laptop, seized during a controversial and bloody cross-border raid into Ecuador on March 1, revealed that Correa's election campaign took FARC money.
Colombia also alleges that MarÃÂa Augusta Calle -- a member of Correa's Alianza PaÃÂs party who is pushing constitutional changes that would ban the Manta operation -- allowed the FARC to use her bank account.
The commander of the Forward Operating Location in Manta, Lt. Col. Robert Leonard, admits that the United States is losing the public-relations battle.
''There is so much misconception out there as to what we do here and what's going on,'' he said. ``And as you get further away from Manta, those misconceptions grow.''
Soon after the Colombian incursion, which killed 25 people, including FARC leader Raúl Reyes and an Ecuadorean national, rumors swirled in Ecuador's press that it was spy planes from Manta that helped pinpoint the rebel camp -- and may have even carried the bombs for the strike.
The United States insists that the stories are fiction, and analysts point out that Colombia has little need for such help. But the rumors have found a receptive audience in Ecuador, and the government has called for an audit of Manta's operations.
What it will find, Leonard says, are a handful of unarmed aircraft, dedicated solely to looking for drug runners at sea and in the air.
The base is one of three in the region -- including El Salvador and Aruba-Curac¸ao -- that feed information to the Joint Interagency Task Force in Key West. JIATF South, as it's known, consists of different U.S. agencies and liaison officers from 12 nations, including Ecuador.
Wrong Message
Paco Velasco, a member of the Alianza PaÃÂs party, said that fighting drugs is a national priority, but that the Manta base sends the wrong message. ''A foreign military base here makes our armed forces look bad, and it makes our nation look like it's not capable of taking care of itself,'' Velasco said.
It also gives the appearance that Ecuador is helping U.S.-backed efforts in Colombia to fight the FARC -- a conflict that Ecuador has tried to stay out of, he said.
Responding to the opposition, the United States has said it is willing to abandon the airstrip and move its operations to the remaining Forward Operating Locations, or to new locations in either Colombia or Peru.
At the same time, however, Manta's command is in the midst of an aggressive charm offensive to win supporters and -- just maybe -- the chance to stay.
For the last few months, Leonard has been escorting journalists and politicians around the base, inviting them to ``open any door and look under any rug.''
On show is the $71 million investment that has helped turn this once tiny airstrip into an international airport, complete with a state-of-the-art fire station. The base's planes haul in tons of donations and emergency aid, and the base supports dozens of charities, including orphanages, schools for the handicapped and a beauty pageant.
The Manta operation pumps $6.5 million a year into the local economy and employs about 150 local staff members, Leonard said.
Those are figures that the government should be focusing on, said Zambrano, Manta's longtime mayor.
While the base is not the primary economic engine in this town of 250,000 that lives off industrial fishing, it does help, he said.
''The base not only creates direct jobs, but there are hundreds of small businesses that provide services to the base,'' Zambrano said.
Back in Quito, political analyst Simón Pachano cannot foresee a scenario in which the Manta base might be allowed to stay open.
Unlike his predecessors, Correa is enjoying unprecedented popularity. And his aggressive anti-American and anti-Colombian stance plays well in this nation accustomed to taking a back seat in regional politics.
In exchange for using the base free of charge for 10 years, the United States agreed to expand and update the airstrip, and cooperate with Ecuador on counter-narcotics initiatives.
The fact that the 1999 deal was never approved by Ecuador's full legislature -- only that body's International Affairs Committee -- has made it a political target, Pachano said.
''The Manta agreement has always been viewed as a mistake, and it's even less politically viable now,'' said Pachano, a professor at the Latin American University for social sciences.
As a cab driver in Manta, René Santana says he has mixed feelings about the base. While he appreciates the extra dollars he makes shuttling crew members or visitors to the airport, the extra money has its price.
''As an Ecuadorean, I can't go anywhere in the world without a hassle, but we let these U.S. military people come here like they own the place,'' he said. ``All human beings want their home to be respected. We all want national sovereignty.''
© 2008 The Miami Herald
42 Comments so far
Show AllI'm surprised how many people here take the "drug war" at face value. As some have pointed out, this "war" is a war on the people of the United States, who now have more people in prison than any other country in the world.
It is a war on the people of South America, to keep them "in their place" working for peanuts, and spraying their fields to keep them from feeding themselves.
It is a big money maker for the CIA and the US banks, who launder the billions for the drug suppliers.
It keeps the poor of america literally drugged. It is the opiate of the people, along with religion.
I do remember the planes flying cocaine in while Bush was vice-President, Galen. That was when Oliver North was running a drugs for guns terrorism ring out of the White House basement, and an Arkansas governor named Bill Clinton gave them Mena Arkansas to do with as they pleased.
And that is one reason why Hillary Clinton will be our next president.
I wonder what plans are in the works for the removal of Chavez, Morales, and Correa? You know the CIA, NSA, AEI, etc... must be brewing up something to protect the interests of the corporatocracy. It'd be a great turning point in history if they can no longer dictate events in South America. I don't know. I can only wait and see and hope.
The drug war is like the Iraq War! We have wasted billions on it and done literally nothing to curb the use and sales of illegal drugs. So why do they keep up the waste????? Because our leaders live in the fantasy world that is controlled by religion. So we keep throwing away billions annually and probably will continue. Because no one will ever get enough nerve to put religion back where it belongs! I never thought I would live to hear myself say this. But we need to make drugs legal and try to control them through taxation like we do liquor. Because it's clear the war on Drugs is not working and never will work!
The Us economy needs illicit drug money filtering through the system. For every $1 in accounts,$6 can be loaned out.
When the Taliban in Afghanistan burned the opium fields, the US economy stumbled, all because there was no more heroin money being laundered via bank loans into legitimate businesses.
The US invades Afghanistan, deposes the Taliban, installs former Unocal employee Hamid Kharzai as a puppet ruler, and heroin production jumps manyfold, and the US economy has a breif respite, right before the housing bubble burst, due to oil price inflation that was PREDICTED because of peak oil production.
The coming years should be very interesting to observe. But I would suggest doing it from the required minimum distance you want to be from a 10 kiloton nuke detonation...
I was at the doctor's office this morning, reading those magazines that they keep laying around forever. I picked up a copy of Time Magazine. It was the issue following Fidel's retirement [I was in Havana at the time, and missed any press reports from the US].
To my dismay and repugnance, the author was from Miami's Cuban community - about as unbiased as having Condi write the article directly.
I got so pissed, [and I hurt to start with, which makes me mad anyway] that I canceled my appointment and left. I was appalled that all there was to read was a bunch of warmed over Cold War rhetoric, especially as I tried to work my way thru the Medical Bureaucracy.
So tonite, I check out Common Dreams, and what do I find?
An article from the Miami Herald discussing US-Latin American relationships! Is it not possible to find a less biased source for this story?
It's degrading that a supposedly 'Progressive' web site publishes crap like this with no disclaimers. At least, I don't expect anything more of Time Magazine then Administration Propaganda.
As for the money pumped into the economy by the military, that is true enough - but it doesn't mean positive development for the community. Hawaii gets all kind of military bribes, and all it seems to do is make us a bigger target, as we fall ever further behind in cleaning up the environment.
D.U. anyone?
Biggest drug-runner in the world: the USA. Ecuador is probably one of the places they load the planes up, to sell in American cities.
Who here remembers that the CIA funded the Iran-Contra affair by using C-130 Hercules transports stuffed to the roof, nose to tail with coke destined to be sold in the US to the minority inner city poor?
And that former head of CIA George H.W Bush was Vice President at the time?
Just some things to make you think and go 'hmmmmmm....'
Ah yes, the "war on drugs." When did it start? About 74? And when will it end? Just because we can't control our own thirst for drugs doesn't mean that we need to attack those who feed our dirty little habits. Another waste of tax money and another "war" for Hillbilly McBush to support. I wish more countries would kick us out but it would be so much more noble to leave on our own.
If american citizens like to get high, how is it the responsibility of the american government to stop them?
Something tells me there will be a regime change in Ecuador soon. Thats an important base for when we attack Venezuela. Also, it will hurt our drug trade that finances black ops. All these bases and GWOT that monitors financial transactions and money laudering, etc, and yet the drug trade flourishes unabated.
Once our government intentionally bankrupts the country, we will sell our military assets and bases to the UN Global Police who will use it to enforce global government.
Before this we will already be under martial law. It is estimated by some we have almost 1 million UN troops in the US being trained for integrating our forces into one. Not sure how true it is, but there have been reports of military exercises with British troops being trained to take over cities in the US, since there are differences between US and UK cities and towns. Canada has also agreed to send us troops if needed. Us troops have been given questionaires since 1994 asking if they would be willing to obey orders to attack Americans in the US. Those who answer no, are soon weeded out, or sent to Iraq. The states National Guard has been devasted and has little left of the equipment it had prior to Iraq. Those being released from prison are given waivers and allowed to enlist. No general who has been promoted in the last 15 years has answered No. Northcom has now been given authority of the US since 2001. The pieces seem to be in place.
It's not if, but when. The power will still exist, but it will officially be in the hands of the UN neo-malthusians who want to depopulate the world to 600 million.
"War on Drugs, War on Poverty, War on this, war on that....." America's war profiteering leaders, including Congress, love war -- any kind of war.
Who pays for the unnecessary and bloated budget of the military-industrial complex? American taxpayers, of course. Our tax money doesn't go to higher education for students, health care, or anything else that would better our lives.
Military IC = white man's welfare
The US is viewed--correctly--as a declining power which has overextended itself. The rest of the world can see the writing on the wall that we in our hubristic blindness don't see. Our over 700 farflung bases will close down as imperial overreach bankrupts us ever more. It will be a blessing when American power is cut down to size. Right now is a particularly dangerous moment though, because when a great power has gotten itself into as much trouble as we have, it tends to act even more irrationally. And remember we still have 6000 nuclear weapons. Bush and Cheney have been an absolute disaster, but our decline began decades earlier than Bush/Cheney. A great power cannot remain a great power when it undercuts its own relative economic advantages as we have done.
Ecuador would do well to remember what happened to their Central American neighbor, Panama. And how the CIA and US military framed President Manuel Noriega (who was once a major CIA asset in Central America) on coke trafficking charges.
And how the CIA tried to overthrow and abduct Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Twice.
Ecuadorans haven't wanted US military or oil companies for quite a while. With the exception of a tiny minority in the ruling class. And they have mostly gotten wise too. Visit Ecuador and treat the people with respect and you will find that they are as fine a people as you would ever want to know. Use them for your own enrichment and they will turn their backs to you.
If the US government really wanted to stop drug runners and the flow of narcotics all they need to do is have the CIA infiltrate and arrest . . . THEMSELVES!
We need to bring ALL of the troops home. We need to close ALL 800-1000 military bases that exist outside of the USA!
we're spying,on everything and everyone no one trusts us. Do you blame them? Our word means nothing,we don't,and can't even believe our own government.
"War on Drugs" simply interpreted means U.S. forces guarding our "international" corporations who pay very few taxes to us from "foreign" (local) government interference. We can take their resources for a pittance and they can't stop us because of our military being within striking distance. We always seem able to drum up some "terrorist" excuse to defend our corporations. Don't mess with the bananas or oil. All at American taxpayers expense.
Imagine if every country kicked out the bases. I have read we have about 600 worldwide. How much money we would save! Then all those nice soldiers could come home and help build bridges and rescue people from floods and mentor children.
The War on Drugs has been a long-standing excuse to imprison Americans, making huge profits for the private corporations involved, and support right-wing governments. In Colombia, farmers have been displaced from their lands using defoliant spraying so that favored corporate interests could take control. Our government and its military is, more often than not, supporting corporate organized crime. That's the tragedy and the bottom line.
'And his aggressive anti-American'
why is it that any critic of the evil empire is described a 'anti-american'? Which makes it seem the critic is the one in the wrong.
Le me describe the Bush govt as anti-ecuadoran....
How can there be any misconceptions about what the evil empire does, when the article reports the US is trying to incriminate the ecuadoran govt with funding FARC!
When US wants to fund it usually lies its to do with the War on Drugs (Regd TM) or the War on Terror(Regd TM)
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MadCowBoy Bush has certainly "Branded" the United States, as the "Ugly Gringos". South Americans view us as colonial exploiters. The view the U.S. Wars on Drugs and Terror as proxy invasions by a colonial superpower.
In ten years they will emerge as economic and military powers that will stand up to a waning United States. Never has an Empire risen and fallen so fast.
George "Wacko" Bush is the worst President our nation has ever had..........a real disgrace !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Congratulations, felicidades, Ecuador. Get rid of the US air base. Send "el gringo" back home inside his walls to fix all of his opiate consumption problems there. Arriba! Arriba!
U.S. soldiers - throw away your uniforms, marry locals, and settle down. You will have no cause to complain of a lack of welcome then. But don't expect to feel welcome while wearing uniforms and carrying guns. These accoutrements have a peculiar way of offending people when you go to visit a foreign country. Strange why this should be so, since you are only there to help them, but there it is.
litt_wmn@yahoo.com
It is just one more country that now hates us because of that ass in the whore house, I mean White House
Drug addiction is a mental health issue. It can't be fought in a military fashion. It's about time the nations of South and Central America insist that we solve our drug problem at home and not turn their countries into proxy battlefields.
bubbasouth - I could live with that. Leave Germany, England, Japan, Korea, et al. Save the money... treat other nations like adults and let them defend themselves... and most importantly get off our moral high horse and stop policing the world.
-James
www.thePoliticus.org
Get your red, white, and blue arse outta town, and don't come back!
Gosh, and after all we have done for them! Why do they hate us? We show 'em. Close all bases on foreign soil. Make 'em beg and say sorry.
Stilba--what the hell are we doing there? What we always do: meddle where we don't belong, intimidate the locals under some false premise like the WAR ON DRUGS. It's great to see the people of Ecuador standing up to the hollow giant.
Hollow point's post was not far from the truth, which is really frightening.
The war of terrorism - prosecuted by terrorist methodology and ideology
The war on drugs - prosecuted on the drug of power
The war on poverty - on the backs of the poor
Bridges falling down, massive corporate fraud and flagrant irresponsibility by oil and other companies. People are learning from history.
Yea!!! I hope many nations will follow suit.
You can also sign a petition to oppose Plan Mexico. Just Google:
Global Exchange petition Merida Initiative
Thanks!
You can expect more of this now that Junior has torqued off more than half the world against us. The your either with us or against us cuts both ways. I thought he said he was a uniter not a divider. I guess that was one of the first of so many lies to follow that people have lost count.
Paul Revere, you are right about the U.S. establishing bases to protect investment dollars. With all this "war on drugs" rhetoric, the U.S. Congress is also currently debating the Merida Initiative, popularly known as Plan Mexico, a $1.4 billion package to fight the "war on drugs" there.
The majority of the money, of course, would be military aid. Mexican police and military law enforcement are well-known for their corrupt ties to drug cartels and for consuming the drugs themselves. On top of that they murder, torture, arbitrarily arrest, and rape Mexico's citizens (mostly indigenous activists) regularly with impunity.
Our tax dollars would only feed the corruption and abuse, and do little to reduce drug consumption. They would, however, be a great aid in repressing the local population that is protesting against expanding NAFTA and the various huge projects the multinationals are trying to force on local communities (mining operations, dams, and energy operations that displace local populations and force them to migrate up north).
Please call your congresspeople and tell them to oppose Plan Mexico.
OK, we have seen this before this is what will happen
some how in the next 18 months the USA will link Ecuador to good old AQ.
There will be an attack on top officials linked by the US to AQ with Ecuadors help.
Then a huge drug bust and the US will link this to the leaders of Ecuador. Who are using the money to help , you guessed it AQ.
A military base is not there to do anything but have a launching base to do what they do best.......
This will only be the beginning... in the coming years America will be asked to leave most nations we have bases in.
-James
www.thepoliticus.org
One of the most egregious myths: American bases in 130 countries in the world, are there to bring the people freedom and Democracy! Hubris,hegmony,and protection of the $ of corporations has nothing to do with it. Ron Paul has called for removing all U.S.bases in 130 countries around the world.
Yankee go home!!!
A good start, next is the irresponsible mining companies.
Good, one less base to waste money on an unwinnable drug war. One less base that threatens the sovereignty of another nation. One less base to suck from the military-industrial tit.
All these little bases in little countries ...sure, I could see if we were converting/assimiliating the locals into Yankee culture/language, in some long-term scheme to expand the empire from the ground up. That would make sense. But we're not doing that ...so what the hell are we doing in a place like Ecuador?