Analysis: Why Do Many on the Global Left Still Support Venezuela’s Maduro?

Analysis: Why Do Many on the Global Left Still Support Venezuela’s Maduro?
LIMA, Peru — Addressing Peru’s national congress in the wake of Venezuela’s widely condemned constituent election this summer, representative Manuel Dammert of the leftist Broad Front party described the poll as an “epic democratic accomplishment”. Hailing the heavy win by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro, Dammert expressed his "recognition and solidarity with the fraternal people of Venezuela who have defeated the imperialist meddling maneuvers of Trump and his lackeys." Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference with international media correspondents at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on October 17, 2017. FEDERICO PARRA…Read more …

Julian Assange is squabbling with Ecuador’s new president. That could put his London refuge at risk.

Julian Assange is squabbling with Ecuador’s new president. That could put his London refuge at risk.
You might think that the world’s best-known fugitive from U.S. law would want to stay on good terms with the government that is shielding him. But that's not the way Julian Assange operates. The WikiLeaks founder, who has been holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London since 2012, is embroiled in a spat with the South American country's new president, Lenín Moreno, about Assange’s vocal support for Catalonian separatists. Moreno, who assumed office in January, has asked Assange to stay out of the constitutional crisis in Spain, prompting this riposte from the self-styled champion…Read more …