Is Ecuador Lost? Inside the Crisis Engulfing a Once-Gleaming Nation
MARCOS PIN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Guest post by Antonio Graceffo
Ecuador’s escalating drug violence has recently grabbed global headlines, but the crisis didn’t bloom overnight. Over the past five years, alarming signs of a deteriorating security situation have been well documented.
During this time, the country’s murder rate has skyrocketed sixfold, and the amount of drugs trafficked through its borders has soared by a staggering 300%.
Last summer, the world watched in shock as European authorities made the largest drug seizure in history: 9 tons of cocaine concealed within a shipment of bananas. Even more unsettling, however, was the point of origin: Ecuador.
This traditionally low-key producer,
