Index du Forum

aderfp633 · Inscrit le: 27 Sep 2011 Messages: 7915 Localisation: England

{Edward Snowden case: Is Ecuador the new haven for whistleblowers,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Handbags Outlet[/url]?}
Featured VideoClose More Video 9/11 Anniversary Marked With Somber Tributes Weiner Loses NYC Democratic Primary, Comes in Last Swimmer Diana Nyad Defends Her Record-Breaking Swim Obama Vows to Explore Russian Offer on Syria The mystery of Edward Snowden’s whereabouts deepened Monday, after a flight from Moscow to Cuba landed with an empty seat booked in his name.The whistle-blowing former U.S. intelligence contractor was last seen in Hong Kong, reportedly landed in Moscow, and is believed to be on his way to following WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to refuge in Ecuador.Assange is confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London. But he says Snowden is “safe” and has applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and other countries. Ecuador didn’t say Monday whether it would accept Snowden’s plea. But Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino praised him for disclosing the U.S. surveillance program and said Ecuador was free to exercise its sovereignty as it saw fit in the matter, the Washington Post reported.If Ecuador does see fit to offer refuge to Snowden, each partner would have plenty at stake in the deal.Q: Why would the whistleblowers choose an obscure country like Ecuador?A: Options are limited. A few countries would relish defying the U.S. But Iran or North Korea would be too blatantly repressive, and for Snowden, instant evidence of treason. China and Russia would pose serious diplomatic problems. Cuba is rebooting relations with Washington after decades of hostilities. Even Venezuela has toned down its rhetoric against its No. 1 oil customer following the death of firebrand leader Hugo Chavez.Ecuador is attractive because it has picked up the cudgel against the U.S., in spite of maintaining ties. It was the only country to temporarily expel an American diplomat after the release of a WikiLeaked U.S. diplomatic cable alleging police corruption. And after initially wavering over Assange, President Rafael Correa agreed to harbour him in 2012, setting a precedent for Snowden.Q: But why would Correa want an accused U.S. traitor?A: “He’s symbolically embracing greater transparency in the world, in spite of one of the sharpest declines in Ecuador’s press freedom,” says Joseph Humire, executive director of the Washington-based Center for a Secure Free Society.It would also fuel Correa’s ambition to fill the big shoes left by Chavez in the anti-American “Bolivarian alliance” of Latin American countries, Humire adds. It would give Correa points at home, too, among the sizeable group of Ecuadorians who resent Washington’s large shadow over the region.And there’s the bonus of sheltering a former insider with vast knowledge of the workings of Washington’s most secret agency. The U.S. fears there’s more to come — according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Handbags Outlet[/url], possibly 200 more “sensitive documents.”Q: And the risks for Ecuador?A: Harbouring Assange was a lower-risk option because he was not an American, nor officially charged by the U.S.Taking Snowden, an accused public enemy,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Outlet[/url],[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Handbags[/url], would mean gambling with nearly half of Ecuador’s foreign trade. If it lost its favourable status under the U.S. Andean Trade Preference Act — up for congressional renewal — tariff-free access to American markets would end for exports of seafood, flowers, oil and the fruit that earned Ecuador the label of “banana republic.” According to the Associated Press, that could mean a loss of about 400,000 jobs.Washington also donates funds for Ecuador’s economic development, the Peace Corps delivers aid programs, the currency is in U.S. dollars,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Outlet[/url], and more than 100 American companies do business there.Q: Would Ecuador go broke if it put out the welcome mat for Snowden?A: Maybe not. If oil and mineral prices are high and mining expands, China and other countries could make up the shortfall in the longer term. In the meantime,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]michael kors canada[/url], growth has slowed to a still-healthy 4.6 per cent as oil prices slumped. With Ecuador’s foreign credit choked since it defaulted on its international bonds in 2008 and 2009, says Bloomberg, it’s been increasingly dependent on China for business and loans.Q: But is Ecuador Snowden’s kind of place?A: Not so much. The fugitive leaker is celebrated by free-expression advocates for exposing government skulduggery in the public interest. But Correa has called Ecuador’s media his “greatest enemy,” and tabled a new media law limiting the number of private broadcasters, as well as backing a controversial gag law that prohibits “media lynching” and opens the media to civil and criminal sanctions.Human Rights Watch calls the laws “clear attempts to silence criticism.”“If Assange and Snowden were Ecuadorian, they would definitely be in jail,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]Michael Kors Handbags[/url],” said Juan Carlos Calderon, a reporter sued by Correa, in an interview with the Associated Press.Ironically, the rights group also lambasted a presidential decree on refugee policy, saying the changes “do not protect asylum seekers’ due process rights,[url=http://www.michael-korshandbags-outlet.net]michael kors canada[/url], including the right to have their claims fairly examined.”With files from Star wire services
_________________
People watching the forthcoming beginning of the German half of the inhabitants of Berlin are no interested in co-optation

Index du Forum -> Accessoires -> Edward Snowden case: Is Ecuador the new haven for