American bully by Wikipedia
American bully
It is hardly unexpected, but the U.S. is putting on a "full court press" on countries in Latin America, that have offered Edward Snowden asylum, pressuring them not to grant it. According to a senior State Department official letting Snowden into Latin America would have "lasting consequences" and "If someone thinks things would go away, it won't be the case." What those "lasting consequences" would be weren't made specific, yet it's clear, reprisals would be forthcoming if any government defied the U.S. in granting asylum to Snowden.
Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua have offered Snowden asylum and Ecuador has indicated it would grant asylum if Snowden was in the country.
Snowden, safely ensconced in a Moscow airport transit zone for the last three weeks, has asked Russia to grant him asylum, although that's thought to be a temporary until he is able to make safe passage to one of the Latin American countries.
Yet let's get back to the pressure the U.S. is mounting against any government granting asylum to Snowden.
What's new for the U.S. hegemonic behemoth is, having to exert that pressure so publically. Up to the Snowden affair and earlier against Julian Assange and Wikileaks, the U.S. boot on the neck of a country that resisted U.S. control was mostly done clandestinely, in the dark, where the CIA initiated coups and assassinations to overthrow a popular president and install some autocratic stooge that would placate and follow the U.S. line.
Let's be clear; openly demonizing a country as the U.S. does with Iran and North Korea (and earlier with Cuba under Fidel Castro) doesn't count as pressure being exerted over them as they openly condemn the U.S. and see it as the enemy.
As to Russia and China they're essentially immune to U.S. pressure of any kind with the Snowden saga providing first hand evidence as they gave sanctuary to Snowden and all the U.S. could do was fume knowing it could do nothing about it.
These unseemly threats and last weeks forced landing of Bolivian President Evo Morales plane into Vienna, Austria (expecting Snowden to be aboard) reveal the U.S. will go to any lengths to get him extradited and brought back to the U.S. to face criminal charges for leaking the NSA's criminality to the world.
But resistance to U.S. hegemony is growing. Most Latin American countries refuse to cringe in fear of the U.S. bully to the north with only Columbia, Chile and Mexico firmly within the U.S. orbit.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
