Strategic Insights, Volume 5, Issue 2, February 2006. Ecuador: The Continuing Challenge of Democratic Consolidation and Civil-Military Relations; Journal article

摘要

Each country of the Andean Region--Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela-- faces its own particular set of challenges and problems. There is, however, a common set of challenges which include consolidating and deepening democratic institutions and prnctice, the cultivation or transit of illegal drugs, uncontrolled spaces inviting establishment of terrorist networks, and problematic relations between the armed forces and civilian government. While Ecuador is the smallest of these five countnes, it embodies all of the region's problems. In this short essay, I will center the discussion of these problems around a focus on civil-military relations as both a cause and effect of other issues and challenges. Although Ecuador transited from military to civilian rule in 1979 after eight years of military governments, because of both the legacy of previous military rule and ongoing political instability, the military is periodically drawn into the maelstrom of politics. However, the institution remains unable to reform key structures, including the National Security Council, the peak intelligence organizations, and various other structures and legal processes, nor can it be utilized effectively against the regional, non- traditional, threats of illegal drugs and terrorism.