Posts:
By Jonathan Mason It is a curious thing, and not without irony, that in the great republic which so proudly proclaims the rights of man, the right to belong has become something contingent, paper-thin, and bureaucratically brittle. Citizenship in the United States is,...
By Ishika Tanwar Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday warned that a newly enacted law in Ecuador threatens the rights and protections of children, particularly those recruited or used by organized crime groups. The Public Integrity Law, passed by the National Assembly...
By Jonathan Mason If there is one principle that governs modern capitalism more faithfully than any other, it is that large corporations must never be taxed in proportion to the societies they exploit. Their slogans are familiar: "We comply with all laws," and, "We...
By Louis Bourgeois As we discussed in the introduction our path of mastery aligns with the 4 stages of genius and, in general, the evolution of consciousness. The 4 stages of genius are: preparation, incubation, illumination, and expression. So, as you look at your...
By Jonathan Mason The modern politician does not lead. He follows. He has his ear to the ground so persistently that his spine must be permanently bent. In theory, democracy is government by the people. In practice, it has degenerated into government by the pollster,...
By Monserrat Peters and Gavin Voss Recent cases have once again highlighted the criminal infiltration of Ecuador’s police and military personnel, adding to what is a long history of close ties between criminal groups, the drug business, and the country’s security...
By Jonathan Mason A diplomatic argument is growing in the Americas after a letter from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The letter was sent on May 24 to all members of the Organization of American States (OAS). It asked if they have deals with...
By Jonathan Mason Tariffs are advertised as the iron shield protecting the local worker. In truth, they are an iron collar around his neck. Every government that imposes tariffs claims the same high-sounding motives: safeguarding national industries, preserving jobs,...
By Gavin Voss Massive operations by Ecuador’s military against illegal mining following a historic massacre will do little to slow one of the country’s most lucrative criminal economies. Ecuador has deployed 1,800 soldiers to the country’s Amazon region, the army...
In Cuenca, pharmacies are like bus stops. There’s always another one just down the street — and sometimes three or four clustered together like gossiping hens. It’s not uncommon to see five within sight of each other, each offering the same range of off-brand...
By Sarah Birke Two weeks ago in El Boletín I wrote about President Nayib Bukele’s government’s relationship with Salvadorean gang leaders. El Faro, an online newspaper, had published video interviews in which gang members alleged that Mr Bukele had struck deals with...
By Luis Carlos Córdova-Alarcón After achieving control in the National Assembly, President Daniel Noboa sent the draft "Organic Law to dismantle the criminal economy linked to the internal armed conflict", describing it as urgent economic to accelerate its approval....
If you tell people today that they are being watched, most of them shrug. Some even smile. Surveillance has moved from a threat to a service, from a badge of oppression to a badge of convenience. George Orwell imagined a world where Big Brother kept constant watch to...
By Frank Bruni Like many people I know, I decided about a month ago to get a new iPhone. President Trump’s tariff threats, tariff realities and tariff tempestuousness portended higher prices, and I was due anyway. My old iPhone’s bells and whistles were at this point...
By Latin American Post staff A tragic ambush in Ecuador’s Amazon region has left eleven soldiers and one alleged insurgent dead, spotlighting the deadly nexus between illegal gold mining and organized crime. As insecurity rises, calls for urgent economic reforms and...
One of the more curious subspecies of expats is the small but noisy contingent that is utterly obsessed with the price of things; more specifically, they are obsessed with the notion that they are being over-charged by Ecuadorians and that other expats are complicit...
By Luis Córdova-Alarcón Ecuador is at war. This was decided by the government of Daniel Noboa on January 9, 2024. On that day, after a wave of criminal violence in several provinces, the President issued Executive Decree 111, recognizing the existence of an internal...
By Jonathan Mason The Ecuadorian government, according to a report in El Universo, is considering reinstating a $42 tariff on all 4x4 imports — packages under 4 kilograms and valued below $400. While the move may be intended to protect domestic businesses and boost...
By Gina Yauri On April 13, 37-year-old businessman Daniel Noboa, one of the world’s youngest presidents, was re-elected president of Ecuador. Noboa came to office winning 55.62 per cent of the vote in a runoff election against Luisa González, the opposition candidate...
By R. Evan Ellis From April 22 to 25, I had the opportunity to travel to Quito to address an international forum on China and Latin America, held by the prestigious San Francisco of Quito University and FLACSO Ecuador. My participation in the event also enabled me to...
