Ecuador on the Brink: Spiraling Violence Threatens National Stability

Ecuador, a tiny South American country of around 18 million, stands on the precipice of disaster. The Andean country, once considered an island of peace in a violent region, has emerged as a hotbed of cocaine trafficking, crime and violence. During last year’s 2023 national election, a presidential candidate, for the first time in Ecuador’s history, was assassinated. Cocaine-fueled violence, murders, and kidnappings are surging across Ecuador, with President Daniel Noboa seemingly incapable of stemming the tide. In response to…