Rafael Correa’s Book on Ecuadorean Economy Launched in Havana CUBA, August 16, 2011.- The book "Ecuador: de Banana Republic a la No República" (Ecuador: from Banana Republic to No Republic) by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was presented Tuesday at the Casa del ALBA Cultural center, in Havana. Prensa Latina reported that Ecuadorian ambassador to Cuba Edgar Ponce said writing the book was a challenge to Correa and that the president accepted the commitment in a truly difficult moment for Latin American and the Caribbean. The director of the Cuban Center of Studies on World Economy Osvaldo Martinez described the book as very important to understand the development of the politics of the region. This piece of work –he said- is a tool for the struggle of economists and Martinez noted that the book shows with clear, understandable terms but without loosing academic rigor, how neo-liberal policies became entrenched in the nations of the Americas. In the 200-page book, Correa tried not to interpret the past history, but the present reality of Latin America while trying to find supporting alternatives to such policy. With a prologue by Argentinean sociology Atilio Boron, the book –according to Correa- describes the process of destruction to which the Ecuadorean economy was submitted over the last 30 years, so that “people don’t forget the ones responsible for the tragedies the country has lived since the return to democracy in 1979.” “Ecuador…” is the product of a research started in 1978 completed in 2006. It offers data provided by researchers and experts on foreign debt, as well as information from the Central Bank of Ecuador and the National Institute of Statistics and Census of that country. Rafael Correa was Minister of Economy during the Alfredo Palacio government from 2005 to 2007. He became President of Ecuador in 2006 after winning the presidential elections with the Alianza PAIS political movement. (Cubaminrex-ACN) |