Ecuador Bets on Drones to Beat the Cartels — At What Cost?

AI Summary

Ecuador has adopted drone warfare tactics supported by US funding to combat drug cartels amid a severe internal armed conflict. With most global cocaine transit passing through Ecuador, these technology-driven counterinsurgency efforts carry significant risks and costs.

Ecuador’s pivot to drone warfare against narco-trafficking networks illustrates both the promise and peril of technology-driven counterinsurgency, writes The Telegraph’s Gemma Brown in “How Ecuador’s ‘cocaine superhighway’ is being dismantled with drones.” With roughly 70 per cent of global cocaine flows transiting the country, President Noboa’s “internal armed conflict” declaration, which is backed by $19m in US funding (including $6m … Read more The post Ecuador Bets on Drones to Beat the Cartels — At What Cost? appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.