Readers will be aware that these unprecedented protests in Quito and across the nation were sparked by the return if the two fugitive ex-presidents Abdala Bucaram and Gustavo Noboa from exile in Panama and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Their return was the handiwork of the illegitimate president of the Supreme Court, Guillermo Castro, a personal friend of Bucaram. Castro dropped corruption charges against them for "technical reasons".

The presidential decree declared Quito and the metropolitan district a "national security zone"; censored the media; allowed the intervention of all communications and private correspondence; restricted the right of way and use of public funds; and militarized the capital. Gutierrez interpreted the law correctly but not the situation facing him. Also, in December, he illegally dissolved the Supreme Court which was originally set up by him and his allies.

Widespread civil disobedience was evident and no one obeyed the decree. In the streets and squares of the capital, families came out with the national flag held high. Vehicles honked their horns in support of the demonstrators and cries of "Lucio…out", "All…OUT" - were heard as the population is conscious that the "problem" is not just Gutierrez but also the traditional political class and their ill-gained privileges.

In the barrios (popular areas) folk singers such as Jaime Guevara and rock bands performed in the street, boosting the morale of the protests. Radio La Luna’s broadcasts are now being picked up by other stations and news agencies as the government’s media restrictions are being torn down. The "outlaws" (as Gutierrez called the protesters) are in the street and discussions are taking place on the next steps to be taken. Ideas are in the air for formation of citizens’ assemblies and designation of delegates, elected by the communities for a kind of general assembly.

The US Ambassador Kristie Kenney known as KK by the people, asked Gutierrez not to violate civil rights. Politicians are in disarray and are attempting to regain their role using the Congress. In effect, the people of Quito are now the protagonists, rather than the politicians, in this popular rebellion. The private TV channels owned by the banks have been all but silent about the protests and there is an atmosphere of eerie normality in their programming.

Rumors are circulating of a possible division in the armed forces which are Gutierrez’ main ally to stay in control of the country. Gutierrez met with the president of the Congress and agreed that the solution was a reform of the law governing the Supreme Court. This is only one of the problems facing Gutierrez. The protesters are not only concerned about the constitutional situation. They are also focused on the pending free trade agreement with the U.S. and the wholesale privatization of state assets – in other words, the application of pure neoliberal policies for the benefit of the global corporate empire and to the detriment of the Ecuadorean people.

Economic analysts such as the progressive businessman, Luis Maldonado, are predicting a devastating recession, due to the dollarization of the economy. Readers will be aware that a similar situation occurred in Argentina when the peso was pegged 1 – 1 to the US dollar rendering home-produced goods uncompetitive. In that case, domestic product could not compete with imports. This led to an economic disaster, unemployment and social strife. Currently, Ecuador has US$900 million from extra oil revenues and US$800 million in the social security fund, which may have already been "spirited away". If the privatizations go ahead, these resources will be lost and end up in the pot of the multinationals.

The U.S. needs a docile government in Ecuador in order to push through the privatization of the economy. They need it to gain permission to insert more troops in addition to those in their existing military base in Manta. The U.S. is also exerting pressure to have immunity from prosecution granted to their troops under any circumstances. In other words, if they massacre the population, they cannot be taken to any tribunal, national or international. To put it bluntly, they want a license to kill with impunity.

There is a total lack of confidence in the authorities. They know that even if Gutierrez is forced out, he will simply be replaced by "more of the same" under the current regime. Fear is striking at the heart of the defenders of the American Dream in the TV stations. Presenters such as the businessman Blasco Penaherrera and the intellectual, Cesar Montufar are two corporate media leaders whose job it is to shape public opinion via private television. These two characters simply vanished when they heard the chorus of protests from the "outlaws and lunatics" as they had called the protesters.

Things are unfolding at blinding speed and it’s fair to say that the situation dominating Ecuador may be resolved in the next few days. Gutierrez is on the brink but he is not the real problem. As is usual, the US is to blame for the application of neoliberal policies that prejudice the population. Ecuadoreans are now standing up to be counted. They are uniting against violations of their national sovereignty in favor of companies traded on the NYSE who want the natural resources of this strategically located, South American country.

Stay tuned for updates on Axis of Logic for what appears to be a dynamic transfer of power from the Gutierrez regime to the people.

© Copyright 2005 by AxisofLogic.com

Carlos Herrera is also a regular writer on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela at VHeadline