| The international relations of Ecuador have experienced three major transformations at the domestic institutional level. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Ecuador's domestic institutions changed from classic dependent institutions to reflect national and international liberal philosophies and policies. At the height of the Cold War, Ecuador's foreign policy establishment was fragmented and institutionalized along the interests of the military, bankers, and diplomats. Since the 1980s, and with the coming of a series of domestic economic crises, diplomacy was subordinated to the requirements of a powerful team of bankers and economists, thus ignoring other larger geopolitical, social, and security dimensions. Ecuador's international relations became the product of highly exclusionary governments, whose focus shifted in accordance to domestic, regional alliances. Particular emphasis is given to the impact of the debt crisis and the influence of international lending agencies on Ecuador's international relations. |
