Ruptly
"The recent tariff escalation between Colombia and Ecuador responds to factors beyond trade, as it has become a tool to address a security crisis, according to Manuel Camilo, professor of International Relations at the University of San Buenaventura. In the city of Bogotá, the academic explained that Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has adopted measures similar to those of his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, in order to solve security problems through economic decisions. "Very important is that President [Daniel] Noboa is imitating the responses that President [Donald] Trump makes to international crises, using economic measures to address non-economic issues," he noted. According to the professor, Ecuadorian criminal groups have gained greater operational power in recent years. "That is an explosive cocktail for Ecuador to become one of the countries where the homicide rate has skyrocketed exponentially," he indicated. This security crisis, according to Camilo, may lead certain countries to adopt coercive measures to limit freedoms, as is currently happening with Nayib Bukele's security model in El Salvador. In that sense, he explained that tariffs function as an economic pressure tool for certain governments to adopt a stance on the drug trafficking phenomenon, as the United States has done in Latin America. "That makes tariffs a much more subtle, much more economic, if you will, much cheaper way to intervene and even change the minds of Latin American governments regarding the drug problem," he detailed. Regarding the tariff dispute between the governments of Noboa and Gustavo Petro, Manuel Camilo stated that "Ecuador depends heavily in terms of trade with Colombia," but clarified that in this case, the tariffs are related to protecting the national industry from foreign competition. "The easiest way to seek protection against competition has always been tariffs, and in this, the Trump model is very much, let's say, copied," he commented. The trade war between the two countries intensified when Ecuador imposed 100 percent tariffs on Colombian products under the so-called "security rate." In response, Petro's government responded with a decree that includes tariffs of up to 75 percent on more than 180 Ecuadorian subcategories."
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