Why Ecuador risked global condemnation to storm Mexico’s embassy
EconomistApr 18
Ecuador Suing Mexico Over Asylum for Former Vice President
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The Facts
Ecuador is suing Mexico in the UN’s top international court over the latter's decision to grant political asylum to former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who has been convicted of corruption multiple times.
The complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) comes amid an intensifying rift over Glas’ asylum status in Mexico, which culminated in Ecuador’s April 5 raid of Mexico’s embassy in Quito, where Glas had taken refuge since December.
The Spin
Narrative A
Ecuador's raid of Mexico’s embassy was a defensible move for a country seeking to preserve its sovereignty. Glas is a convicted felon who used his position as vice president to aid and abet drug networks that are destroying Ecuador and he must be held to account. Ecuador may regret raiding the embassy, but Mexico must stay out of Ecuador's political affairs moving forward.
Narrative B
Mexico has no choice but to seek legal satisfaction for Ecuador's unprecedented breach of diplomatic conventions. A country's embassy is sacred diplomatic grounds that can't be violently sieged by other nations. It's crucial for the future of Latin American diplomacy for other Latin countries to side with Mexico and condemn Ecuador.
Nerd narrative
There's a 90% chance that the next president of Ecuador will remain in office through the end of his term, according to the Metaculus prediction community.