The Stormy Relations between Rafael Correa and Social Movements in Ecuador

Abstract

Despite persistent calls for examining the diversity of Latin America's "pink tide," many scholars continue to divide the governments into a simplistic "good" or moderate left and a "bad" or radical/nationalist left. Ecuador's Rafael Correa is inevitably included with Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales as part of a triad of radical left-leaning governments in South America. While Correa, along with Chávez and Morales, has faced threats to his power from the traditional conservative oligarchy, the greatest challenges to his government have come from the social-movement left. These dissidents have criticized his administration for failing to foster transformation of the structures that exploit and oppress marginalized communities. A constant difficulty for social-movement activists has been challenging Correa from the left without strengthening a common enemy on the right.A pesar de insistentes llamados a examinar la diversidad de la llamada "marea Rosa" latinoamericana, muchos académicos continúan dividiendo burdamente a estos gobiernos en una izquierda moderada o "buena" y una izquierda nacionalista, radical y "mala.

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