海角大神

The US Agency for International Development says it plans to leave聽Ecuador聽amid an impasse with the government,聽just six聽months after聽the agency聽was kicked out of Bolivia, in what analysts say is another sign of聽the waning US influence in the region.

In a letter to USAID partners in the country on Thursday, acting Mission Director Christopher Cushing said the decision聽to leave Ecuador comes 鈥渁s a result of the Government of Ecuador鈥檚 decision to prohibit approval of new USAID assistance programs.鈥�

Mr. Cushing said the agency had $32 million in aid scheduled for programs in coming years in Ecuador, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by 海角大神.聽A USAID official confirmed the letter鈥檚 authenticity.

鈥淭he government of Ecuador recently informed USAID it could not execute any new assistance activities or extend existing activities pending negotiation of a new agreement governing bilateral assistance,鈥� says the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of sensitive negotiations with the Ecuadorean government.

USAID has tried聽unsuccessfully聽for the past two years to renegotiate its agreement with Ecuador, the official says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been incurring significant costs for recently launched projects聽focused on environmental protection聽and civil society strengthening which have been unable to proceed,鈥� the official聽says. 鈥淭he cancellation was the only fiscally prudent option.鈥�

The office is expected to close聽its doors聽September 2014.

USAID鈥檚 departure聽comes amid an increasingly acrimonious relationship with President Rafael Correa. The decision also marks the second time this year that the agency has been forced out of a South American country after Bolivia鈥檚 President Evo Morales聽ousted聽it in May.

鈥淭his is both another sign that relations between the US and Ecuador are in some ways continuing to deteriorate, but also that US influence聽in the region聽isn鈥檛 what it used to be,"聽says Steve Striffler, a professor of Latin American studies at the University of New Orleans who studies Ecuador. "These countries are able to carve out independence from the US in a聽way they weren鈥檛 in the past.

鈥淭he idea they would have kicked out USAID 10 or 15 years ago is unimaginable," Mr.聽Striffler says.

The US government鈥檚 reputation in the region has taken a series of hits in recent months, with revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on the leaders of Brazil and Mexico. 聽(Although Brazil later admitted it was spying on US diplomats as well).

The hunt for the man who leaked those NSA files, Edward Snowden,聽caused another embarrassment for the US when the plane carrying President Morales was grounded in Vienna amid suspicions Mr. Snowden was aboard. The incident caused outrage in Latin America, with the Organization of American States condemning it and backing Morales.

'Independent and sovereign'

President Correa has made no secret of his disdain for US officials who he sees as overreaching their diplomatic duties and meddling in domestic affairs. In 2011, he kicked out the US ambassador for comments made in a diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks that said Correa聽might have聽been aware of high-level police corruption.

A year later, he granted asylum to the face of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who is still holed up in聽Ecuador鈥檚 London embassy.

鈥淚n some ways these actions, and the [USAID decision] can be put in there too, are intended to say that we are an independent sovereign nation,鈥� Striffler says. 鈥淚n the perspective of many in Latin America, and with good reason, USAID is seen as an agent of US imperialism.鈥�

Last year, Correa ordered his government to analyze the impact of a USAID exodus. Requests for comment to Ecuador鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Ministry were not returned Friday.

Correa in June was granted wide-ranging powers to intervene in the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which often receive funding from USAID. The decree also created a screening process for international groups wanting to work in the country.

In early December, the government shut down environmental NGO聽Fundaci贸n Pachamama after it was alleged that the group disrupted public peace while聽protesting oil drilling in the Amazon region. Pachamama was not receiving USAID funding at the time of its closure, but still highlights worries felt by internationally-funded non-profits.

鈥淚t is an anxious time for NGOs and their donors in Ecuador. Over the past few years, the government has waged a steady campaign to discredit and dismantle activist NGOs,鈥� says the employee of one聽NGO聽that works in the country. The employee asked to not be named because the NGO continues to work in Ecuador.聽鈥淭his is where donors like USAID have gotten themselves in trouble, by funding activist NGOs that are critical of the government and its policies.鈥�

USAID has worked in Ecuador for more than 60 years, granting more than $800 million in assistance during that time, the letter said.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated Pachamama's relationship with USAID.