Oops Ecuador expels US ambassador over Wikileaks cable

[malaise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12979967
<snip>
Ecuador has announced it is expelling the US ambassador in Quito.

The move follows the release on Monday by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks of a US diplomatic cable alleging widespread corruption within the Ecuadorean police force.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said he had asked Ambassador Heather Hodges to leave the country as soon as possible.

The diplomatic cable says the US Embassy had "multiple reports that indicate he used his positions to extort bribes, facilitate human trafficking, misappropriate public funds, obstruct investigations and prosecutions of corrupt colleagues, and engage in other corrupt acts for personal enrichment."
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[EFerrari]

1. Part of the problem is that in the cable, she says Correa knew

about his corruption.

The other part of the problem is that the US has been corrupting the police force from time immemorial and in recent years, Correa has pushed back on that, especially last year during the coup attempt.

[malaise]

3. And that is the real story

hence the expulsion.

[EFerrari]

6. I was trying to find a flap where Ecuador refused some US funds

because "we" were trying to pick out their security force leadership in exchange for the funding. And I stumbled upon programs the US has had in place for decades to train the police forces of many LatAm nations.

And that's just the police forces. The training programs for LatAm armies are another point of entry.

What a racket. :)

[Rage for Order]

2. That reaction seems a bit childish

Our ambassador tells the State Dept. (privately) that there are numerous reports of corruption in Ecuador's police force and rather than investigate to see if the claims have any merit the Ecuadorian government elects to expel our ambassador instead? At least they're not overly sensitive.

:silly:

[EFerrari]

4. There have been active investigations into the police force

since April 2008.

So, no, it's not remotely childish.

[Rage for Order]

7. Should the US expel the diplomats of countries that criticize our policies?

Grown ups talk, children take their ball and go home.

[EFerrari]

8. The ambassador could provide no explanation for her possession

of classified information that she used in that cable.

Calling other nations "childish" before you have the facts in hand doesn't reflect on them.

[seabeyond]

9. or... some communications should stay private so diplomacy can continue. nt

[seabeyond]

5. ya, well, i tell ya, no reason our ambassadors should not shout out to the world

all the things they know or learn or conclude about a country when dealing with them diplomatically. one knows, all should know regardless of consequences....

:sarcasm: