Relationship dossier
Ecuador
United States
Relationship assessment
Practical security and economic cooperation coexist with a history of political friction.
Ecuador toward United States
+15Ecuador has cooperated with the United States on security, including agreements signed in 2023 under President Guillermo Lasso. Ecuador has also taken actions that strained ties, including ending the U.S. military presence at Manta in 2009 and expelling the U.S. ambassador in 2011.
United States toward Ecuador
+20The United States has provided Ecuador with security assistance and disaster support, including after the 2016 earthquake, and has maintained bilateral trade and investment engagement. These cooperative efforts have occurred alongside periods of political tension.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines sustained economic ties and episodic security cooperation with notable political disputes. Ecuador's termination of the U.S. military presence at Manta and the 2011 ambassadorial expulsion marked periods of friction; subsequent security cooperation and disaster support show that practical engagement has continued.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ecuador and the United States have cooperated on security, trade, and disaster response, alongside periods of significant political friction. Ecuador ended the U.S. military presence at Manta in 2009 and expelled the U.S. ambassador in 2011. More recent security agreements and continuing economic engagement demonstrate practical cooperation, though the relationship has not been free of disputes.
Areas of tension
- Ecuador's decision to end the U.S. military presence at Manta in 2009.
- Ecuador's 2011 expulsion of the U.S. ambassador.
Key developments
Ecuador ended the U.S. military presence at the Manta air base.
Ecuador expelled the U.S. ambassador during a diplomatic dispute.
Ecuador and the United States signed security cooperation agreements under President Guillermo Lasso.
The United States provided assistance to Ecuador following the 2016 earthquake.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent security cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of current bilateral cooperation beyond security and trade is uncertain.