ABC News: Ecuador Rejects Bases, Ignores US History of Imposition
ABC News dutifully reports that Ecuadorian voters rejected proposals to host foreign military bases and rewrite their constitution. A rather understated headline, considering the historical context of US military presence throughout Latin America—often without local 'voter approval.' For generations, countries like Ecuador have been the 'backyard' for various US interventions, from overt military
operations to financing coups and propping up dictators, all under the guise of 'national security' or 'fighting drugs.' (Remember the School of the Americas, anyone? Its graduates were definitely big on democratic referendums.) This outcome, where a nation actually decides its own strategic footprint, raises questions no major US outlet really wants to answer. Like why is this a 'story' when
countries reject foreign military installations, but a 'given' when the Pentagon expands its global network? One might wonder if ABC would report with such detached objectivity if a US ally, say, Japan or South Korea, decided to boot American troops. Perhaps a 'threat to stability' would suddenly emerge, conveniently overlooking the stability *without* foreign occupiers. It's almost as if some
nations' sovereignty matters more than others.