중남미

From January 22 to February 1, 2024, Ecuador received visits by the commander of the United States Southern Command, the deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the U.S. special presidential advisor for the Americas, and mayors of a number of European port cities acutely affected by drug trafficking, such as Antwerp, Hamburg, and Rotterdam. This came after an eruption of violence in Ecuador in early January. Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, has also sought and received domestic support via a security referendum for his mano dura approach to combating crime. Following the authors’ visit to the country, however, it is evident that without long-term domestic reforms, the international support pledged during these high-level visits and all subsequent efforts will not yield the permanent results the country needs.