Ecuador

In an AS/COA Online interview, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza describes the role of the agency in negotiating recent border tensions between Ecuador and Colombia, autonomy and recall votes in Bolivia, and U.S.-Cuba relations. "[T]he OAS has to prove itself as the main forum for political dialogue in the Americas," said Insulza.

Presidents of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela ended their standoff and the FARC appears increasingly weakened. But the contents of an assassinated FARC leader's laptop suggest the group's reach extends well past Colombia's borders. 

A Colombian strike against the FARC in Ecuador ignited tensions with Quito and Caracas, causing a diplomatic breakdown and economic repercussions.

President Rafael Correa gave oil firms a March deadline, offering three options in the renegotiation of contracts. But even as Ecuador's government wants greater control over its energy industry, it also seeks to boost investment.

After Venezuela's rejection of a new constitution, attention turns to other Latin American attempts at reform, particularly in Bolivia and Ecuador. Plagued by protests, Bolivia's constitutional reform remains in doubt. Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Álvarez Herrera and President Rafael Correa of Ecuador discussed constitutional reform at AS/COA events.

President Rafael Correa claimed victory after voters went to the polls to select members of a constitutional assembly. Although official results were not yet available, Correa's Alianza Pais party appeared poised to gain the necessary majority to rewrite the country's constitution. Correa discussed refinancing Ecuador's debt during a speech at AS/COA last week.