In the latest Latin American Outlook, Josè Càrdenas, a contributor to AEI's Venezuela-Iran Project, argues that Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador, is flying under the radar. While Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez's theatrical obsession with the limelight makes headlines, Correa has imposed his own autocratic version of his country's path to salvation. He has made partnerships with rogue international actors and criminal groups who do not have the best interest of the Ecuadorian people at heart. Iran, he writes, is expanding its presence in Ecuador to blunt the impact of international sanctions.

His outlook calls for President Obama to disabuse itself from the notion that Correa is someone with "whom we can do business" and instead increase scrutiny of his activities in this critical region of the Western Hemisphere.

Read AEI's Latin American Outlook series