Case 193 - Ecuador Confronts U.S. Military Intervention: Operation Blazing Trails

Hey, Jeanne A. K.

In 1987 U.S. National Guard and Army Reserve troops traveled to Ecuador’s Amazon jungle region to participate in a road construction project codenamed Blazing Trails. Because the agreement had been authorized by President Leon Febres Cordero and his Ministry of Defense, without having consulted Ecuador’s Congress, courts, or popular sector, the operation became the focal point of a fierce campaign to expel the American troops. This case study is useful for courses in comparative politics, development issues, and Latin American politics, or any curriculum that requires material on foreign policy from a non-U.S. perspective.