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Showing posts with the label Ecuador

A referendum in Ecuador

There was a referendum in Ecuador over the weekend. President Daniel Noboa, who is generally regarded as friendly to foreign investors, wanted the referendum to set the stage for new constitutional deliberations.  I won't discuss here want kind of new constitution he wants.  I'll only say that potential investors -- buyers of Ecuador's bonds or of stakes in its corporations, etc., have expressed ambivalence about the result of the vote, and something slightly darker than ambivalence about Noboa's plans for a constitutional convention.  In general, they think, a "yes" vote would enhance Noboa's political capital. That would be good.  On the other hand: why does he have to want THIS?  A convention in 2026 could prove unpredictable and, so, definitionally, risky.    Who knows but that populist opposition to Noboa, and to the aforesaid investors, could sway whatever deliberative body is actually convened?  A recent report from Gramercy, an influential...

Chevron in Ecuador

I'm guessing that post headline will serve as click-bait. Welcome, new readers. This is my first mention of the famous/notorious Chevron/Ecuador controversy in this blog. And I mention it simply to refer to a new book on the subject, Crude Awakening,   Information here,     The author is Michael Goldhaber, an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University. Vent your spleen (at either side in the controversy) in the comments section. Thanks.