To the extent thatEcuador's problemsmay be a harbinger of trends in countries more central to American policy, they are worth more than a moment’s attention.

Jon Entine investigates the long-running saga about the environmental impact of Texaco’s oil operations in Ecuador 20 years ago and who is to blame.

The ultimate losers as the Chevron and Ecuador case drags on will be the locals in the villages originally polluted.

The decision today by Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa to expel U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges has little to do with hurt feelings over circumspect observations in a Wikileaked cable. Rather, this move signals Correa’s intention to create a political free-fire-zone in his country, as he cracks down on internal opponents and imposes the "Chávez model."

In order to defend U.S. interests and advance U.S. values, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should be direct with Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa about his authoritarian style, abuse of the courts, and tolerance of drug trafficking and other corruption.

The United States needs a sustained, unremitting effort until 2012 when we can evaluate our presidential candidates based on their ability to defend our national security.

The election last month of a former military officer, Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez, to the presidency of Ecuador, has raised all kinds of alarm signals around the hemisphere.

Is democratic solidarity in Latin America at risk?