Is the US investing wisely in Ecuador? Yes, the United States appears to be investing wisely in Ecuador and the rest of the region even if the public perception indicates otherwise. The increased level of anti-American sentiment in the region occurre... Read more

Is the US investing wisely in Ecuador? Yes, the United States appears to be investing wisely in Ecuador and the rest of the region even if the public perception indicates otherwise. The increased level of anti-American sentiment in the region occurred from a combination of factors that had nothing to do with putting more money into Ecuador and the region. There are multiple factors that contributed towards the negative image of the United States, which all came together almost at the same time in history: the different diplomatic approaches displayed by former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, the devastating publicity that came out of the War in Iraq, the Human Rights violations in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay prisons, the appearance to use financial coercion tactics by International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the negative press received by Free Trade Agreement, the rise of leftist government leadership, and increased nationalism in Latin America resulted in more anti-American public outcry. Furthermore, the United States is losing its foothold in Ecuador and the rest of Latin America because it has allowed its foes to take a more influential role in the region like for example Russia, Iran, Cuba, and China. On the other hand, there are a few nations experiencing very tough governing issues within their borders, but the manifestations and unintended consequences have crossed international boundaries and are causing regional instability and more bad indirect publicity to the United States. This study used the problem-solution research methodology in order to provide viable recommendations at the end. Therefore, the document grouped the research problem, background and significance into five main sections: Realities, US Policy and Objectives, Perceptions, Why Does the US Care about Ecuador, and Recommendations. This research yielded the following four recommendations. First, the unintended consequences of Plan Colombia towards Ecuador-the main recommendati is to Less