The US鈥檚 role in Latin America is facing a growing challenge. The 33 member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) vehemently rejected North American intervention in the continent, and particularly the US-led blockade of Cuba and recent sanctions against Venezuela.
These positions were part of the 鈥淏elen Declaration鈥, approved during CELAC鈥檚 third annual presidential summit, held on January 28th and 29th in Belen, Costa Rica.
Ecuador
Venezuela rejects new US sanctions
The Venezuelan government rejected aggressive new US-imposed sanctions on February 3, TeleSUR English said that day, insisting the measures flout international law.
Venezuela's foreign ministry said in a statement: 鈥淭he people of Venezuela ratifies its independence and sovereignty. We do not recognise 鈥 interference of any kind by foreign powers.鈥
It accused the US of 鈥渧iolating the principles of national sovereignty, equal rights and non-interference in the internal affairs inherent in international law鈥.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Costa Rica on January 28 that Latin America is living in a 鈥渘ew historic era鈥 marked by unity and great opportunity.
CELAC was first launched in 2011 in Venezuela, uniting all countries in the Americas except for the United States and Candada. It was set up as a counter-point to the Organisation of American States, which traditionally been dominated by the US.
After more than 50 years in Ecuador, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) last month. The Ecuadorian government said USAID has been asked to leave Ecuador, while a US Embassy official .
Cables sent from the US Embassy in Quito during Rafael Correa鈥檚 first three years as president document rising tensions between Ecuador and the US.
Correa鈥檚 government, first elected in 2006, increasingly rejected US hegemony and asserted control over Ecuador鈥檚 economic and political development.
The cables highlight the embassy鈥檚 preoccupation with Ecuador鈥檚 鈥渄ifficult investment climate鈥, with many reports attempting to assess and predict Correa鈥檚 economic policies.
In November 2006, leftist candidate Rafael Correa won the second round of the Ecuadorian presidential election with 57% of the vote, compare with his conservative opponent, Alvaro Noboa, who won 43%.
Despite the US鈥檚 failure to undermine Correa鈥檚 candidacy, as shown by diplomatic cables published by WIkiLeaks, further US cables suggest the US Embassy in Quito believed it could hold sway over the new government.
In the months leading up to Ecuador鈥檚 October 2006 presidential election, the US Embassy in Quito claimed to be impartial.
Rather than supporting one particular candidate, then-US ambassador the embassy only wanted to help facilitate 鈥渁 fair and transparent electoral process鈥.
Ecuador turns military buildings into hospitals, parks
Ecuador will cut its military by 51% over the next 10 years, teleSUR English said on August 28. Ecuadorian defence minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa announced the army麓s 516 units would be cut to 252.
The measure aims to optimise Ecuador's military presence nationally. 鈥淲e know now what we have, how to maintain it, and what we need,鈥 she told the press.
Ecuador's pro-US neoliberal president Lucio Gutierrez was ousted in 2005. Since then, relations between Ecuador and the United States have deteriorated, with the Andean nation鈥檚 increasing rejection of US hegemony.
The government of Rafael Correa, first elected in 2006, has broken from the neoliberal doctrines Washington has imposed on Latin America. It has embraced regional integration, moving closer to its neighbours and further away from the US.
Diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks show how hard the US fought to control Ecuador's future post-Gutierrez.
Since Ecuador's president Lucio Gutierrez was ousted from power in 2005, relations between Ecuador and the United States have deteriorated with the Andean nation鈥檚 increasing rejection of US hegemony.
The government of Rafael Correa, first elected president in 2006, has embraced regional integration, moving closer to its neighbours 鈥 in particular Venezuela and Bolivia 鈥 and further away from the US.
Economically, the Correa administration has pursued policies that break with the neoliberal doctrines Washington had imposed on Latin America.
The Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoplke's of Our America (ALBA) released a statement on August 19 expressing its solidarity with the African descent communities of Missouri and with the familiy of Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager shot dead by police on August 9.
ALBA is an anti-imperialist political and economic bloc formed by Venezuela and Cuba in 2004 that now also includes Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, St Vince and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Saint Lucia.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has decided to cancel his visit to Israel, where he had planned meetings with government officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on August 6.
Correa cancelled the visit in protest against the atrocities being committed by Israeli forces against the people of Gaza.
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