US and Ecuador forces launch operation to fight drug trafficking
AOL21 hrs
US-Ecuador Launch Joint Operations Against Narco-Terrorists
Are U.S.-Ecuador operations extrajudicial killings violating international law or crucial action against narco-terrorists?
Above: Ecuadorean police seized a 15-meter-long submersible from drug traffickers in San Lorenzo, Ecuador, on July 2, 2010. Image credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Decisive joint operations between Ecuador and the U.S. demonstrate crucial commitment to combating narco-terrorists who have inflicted violence and corruption throughout the hemisphere. The seizure of a 115-foot narco-submarine ready for drug smuggling proves the effectiveness of this partnership in dismantling criminal infrastructure that threatens regional security.
Establishment-critical narrative
Joint U.S.-Ecuador military operations mark a dangerous escalation that raises serious legal and humanitarian concerns. At least 150 people have died in aerial strikes without confirmed identities or public charges, and survivors were quickly repatriated and released. Labeling drug trafficking as terrorism to justify extrajudicial killings violates international law, as trafficking is a crime, not an act of war.