Abstract
The paper provides an overview of Ecuador's tumultuous political history but discusses how despite this history, there is hope for the future of democracy, since many people in Ecuador desire and are pushing for democracy. The paper reaches the conclusion that if the country does maintain a stable democracy, it will be a model for other Latin American states, showing how they too can overcome adversity. However, the paper notes that if Ecuador does not manage to become a strong democracy, scholars must reconsider whether democracy is the best course for the region.

Outline:
An Overview of Ecuador's Democratic Trends
Implications for the Future
Conclusions and Regional Implications

From the Paper
"The Western world's attempt to spread democracy to all corners of the world has lead to regime shifts, wars, and countless debates regarding the proper use of democracy and where it should be best implemented. Latin America is one region in which democracy has failed to take root. Instead of transforming the area's dictatorships into shining democracies in which people had the ability to vote for the leader that they thought would best run the country, they turned to corruption and failure, changing what Padgett said "should have been a golden age for Latin lawmakers" into a bleak forecast. Padgett also contends that this is why Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez was met with such congratulation in the region. He was most likely a better ruler, in the eyes of the Venezuelan people, than a so-called democratic institution that was fraught with corruption. Padgett implies that before Chavez took control of the government and put an end to the legislative, legislators were making money off of oil-profits while Venezuelan citizens had little . Indeed, corruption marks most of the democracies that were encouraged by the United States and its partner nations in an attempt to bring democratic rule to the world."

Tags:Latin, America, corruption, dictatorships, government, Correa

Abstract
The paper analyzes how all of the major organized crime syndicates have played a role in illegal gambling throughout the years, and how organized crime has always had some type of influence on police and government officials. The paper discusses how, from cities as far apart as Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, and Honolulu, HI, and spanning time periods prior to the turn of the 19th century until modern times, investigations of illegal gambling rings have yielded shameful and surprising information about police involvement in organized crime. The paper further examines how society has a decline in confidence in police morality, especially since officials in the police departments have distanced themselves from scandals by claiming to have been unaware of any brewing issues. The paper concludes that the result of such action is that citizens believe that the government is unable or unwilling to properly supervise the very people placed in charge of maintaining law and order.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Honolulu, HI
Los Angeles, CA
Chicago, IL
Types of Corruption
Gambling's Correlation with Police Corruption
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Honolulu gambling scandal came to light because of a federal lawsuit in which Detective Kenneth Kamakana made allegations that some of his fellow officers were involved in organized crime. Detective Kamakana was eventually removed from the CIU, which he claimed was a result of him providing secret tapes and documents to the FBI. Those tapes included a recording of CIU detectives, Alexander Ahlo and Milton Olmos, interviewing an indicted defendant, Marirose Tangi, while drinking at a bar. Ahlo conducted the interview in violation of advice given to the Honolulu Police Department by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney, both of which believed that interrogating a suspect without counsel could jeopardize the investigation. Ahlo claimed that the interview was regarding unrelated criminal matters, but the tape indicted that Ahlo and Tangi discussed the case."

Tags:Marirose, Tangi, FBI, Kamakana, Rampart, scandal, Chief, Boisse, Correa, convictions