Assange, Correa, and Anti-Colonialism

[marmar]

Assange, Correa, and Anti-Colonialism
By Roger Burbach and Marc Becker, via New America Media, August 20, 2012


Rafael Correa, the president of one of South America's smallest countries with almost 15 million inhabitants, is taking a dramatic stand against Great Britain, Sweden, and the United States by granting political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Last Wednesday, the Ecuadorian foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, told the press in the country's capital, Quito: "Today we have received from the United Kingdom an explicit threat in writing that they could assault our embassy in London if Ecuador does not hand over Julian Assange."

Correa, in an address to the Ecuadorian people on Saturday said, “I don't know who they think I am or what they think our government is. But how could they expect us to yield to their threats or cower before them? My friends, they don't know who they are dealing with.”

.....(snip).....

On the international front, the 48-year-old Correa believes it is important to push for Latin American integration and fight for sovereignty in the face of attempts by the dominant powers and the international financial institutions to re-colonize Latin America. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/assange-correa-anti-colonialism

[xchrom]

1. du rec. Nt

[Robb]

2. The article paints a picture of a president who's principled on the global stage

but arrests and intimidates local opposition. Neither should surprise DUers.

DU rec.

[tama]

3. Thanks for posting this

It also revealed what is the most difficult and least addressed political and class divide: the one between urban and rural. Urban is dependent from rural for basic necessities of life, but not vice versa, and urban is excerting political - and ultimately violent - control over rural to guarantee that rural keeps feeding it.

This issue got some serious attention in 20th century commie, anarchist and leftist circles related to 3rd world, but not much else. Most couraging practical efforts to address and solve this problem come from Cuba's revolution of organic gardening and cities self sufficient to large extent - wisdom dictated by the necessity of the Special Period.

When urban becomes largely self sufficient in regard to their basic needs, they no more need to control rural for survival, and freedom and peace followes.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

4. Do we know if that letter has been shown to the world overall?

I'd be interested in reading it if it has.