Venezuela, Nicaragua offer asylum to Snowden; Double Standards and Hypocrite Allies

MarketWatch reports Venezuela, Nicaragua offer asylum to Snowden

The governments of Venezuela and Nicaragua have stepped forward to offer asylum to National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is currently holed up at a Moscow airport seeking a country to provide him sanctuary, according to media reports Saturday.

Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, said Friday that he will “protect this young man from the persecution unleashed by the world’s most powerful empire,” according to the New York Times.

The offers from Venezuela and Nicaragua are, in part, motivated by anger over the treatment of Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose plane last week was denied permission to fly over several European countries because of suspicions that Snowden was aboard, the newspaper said

‘Imperial Skyjacking’

In case you missed the ‘Imperial Skyjacking’, note that Latin America was upset last week when Bolivian president Evo Morales' plane diverted to Vienna amid suspicions NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is on board.

Bolivia said President Evo Morales' plane was diverted on a flight from Russia and forced to land in Austria over suspicions that Edward Snowden might be on board, as countries across the globe rejected the American whistleblower's asylum applications.

France and Portugal abruptly cancelled air permits for Morales' plane, forcing the unscheduled stopover in Vienna.

Kidnapped by Imperialism

RT also commented on the ‘Imperial Skyjacking’ in Bolivian presidential plane grounded in Austria over Snowden stowaway suspicions.

Morales' jet was forced into landing in Vienna on Wednesday after several EU countries barred the plane from entering their airspace over suspicions that whistleblower Edward Snowden had stowed away aboard.


David Choquehuanca, the Bolivian Foreign Minister, refuted the idea Snowden was on the plane, saying “we don’t know who invented this lie, but we want to denounce to the international community this injustice with the plane of President Evo Morales.”

“I am not going to allow them to search my plane. I am not a thief,” tweeted Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, citing the Bolivian President Morales, who she spoke with by telephone.

“This is a lie, a falsehood. It was generated by the US government,” Bolivian Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra told CNN. “It is an outrage. It is an abuse. It is a violation of the conventions and agreements of international air transportation.”

Double Standards and Hypocrite Allies

Did not Germany, France, and the EU in general benefit from the revelations by Edward Snowden that the NSA was spying on Germany and the EU?

Was Germany grateful or would Germany have simply preferred to let the US go on bugging their offices? What about France?

Logic dictates that it is beneficial to learn your alleged friends are spying on you. However, logic is useless.

Note the double standard of this mess. Imagine the outrage if president Obama's plane was forced to land in another country.

The Snowden affair is an absolute disgrace all around: By the US for its actions, then by Spain, by Portugal, by France and by any country that would not grant air clearance to Bolivia President Evo Morales based on totally unfounded and piss poor US intelligence reporting that suggested Snowden was on Morales' plane.

Even if countries were 100% certain Snowden was on the plane, they should not have honored the request by the US to ground the plane or deny air space flyover.

I am disappointed that neither New Zealand nor Australia would offer asylum.

Is there any dignity left in this world?

I guess not, given the world bows down to the almighty US even when we spit in the face of our key allies by bugging their offices.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com