Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has promised to block any efforts to renew the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act when it expires at the end of July, setting the stage for a broader trade war against Ecuador.
Though the act initially covered several nations, most now have separate trade deals with the US, and Menendez says that Ecuador should be punished if it accepts whistleblower Edward Snowden’s request for asylum.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister says the US threats are likely to slow an asylum consideration by “months,” apparently the hope being that the US will, absent a granting of asylum choose not to stop buying their broccoli.
Though Ecuador’s largest export to the US is oil, that’s unlikely to factor into this decision, as oil could be sold literally anywhere else. Hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen broccoli and cut flowers, however, will be harder to simply transition to a different market, and could by themselves have a terrible impact on Ecuador’s economy.
I suggest that Ecuador start planting cannabis and coca.
And what this man will do when the next man shows up and showers the world with illegal activities of USA government.., would USA start sanctioning every nation in this world when the next and the next show man as Bradley Maning or Julian Assange or Snowden show up.., it seams that USA-England will never learn that their past so its present wrong doing will reach up on their illegal and inhuman policies around the world. One thing is for sure the USA gross humans violation on every aspects of countries that USA and England disagree with is a indication that the leaders of USA and England not willing to learn from the past nor they are looking beyond their interests and their interests only.
The corporate rich who rule our Empire, they are going to cut off their nose to spite their face?
Not their noses, they can afford more expensive Brocoli. It's the poor that are hurt by trade restrictions.
The focus seems to be on the threat to Ecuador, but that threat cuts two ways: Basically, Menendez is threatening to raise Americans' food prices if he doesn't get his way.
If Menendez was an Arab politician, John Kerry would be busting blood vessels in his forehead fulminating about Menendez "attacking his own people … holding them hostage with hunger."
Ecuador just announced it was giving up those trade benefits – out of principle – and offered the same amount of aid 23 Million, to the United States to teach Human Rights there. We could use the help on that front, but it is somewhat putting the cart before the horse. The more important question is, how to get Americans to turn off the Transnational-Corporate-Speak Tee-Vee machine and relearn how to think for themselves?
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ). To join foot in the mouth club. He is sending message to South America that US does not care about drug eradication program anymore.