AlterNet By Noam Chomsky: Chomsky: America 's Imperial Power Is Showing Real Signs of Decline!

On July 9, the Organization of American states held a special session to discuss the shocking behavior of the European states that had refused to allow the government plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales to enter their airspace. Morales was flying home from a Moscow summit on July 3. In an interview there he had said he was open to offering political asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former U.S. spy-agency contractor wanted by Washington on espionage charges, who was in the Moscow airport. The OAS expressed its solidarity with Morales, condemned "actions that violate the basic rules and principles of international law such as the inviolability of Heads of State," and "firmly" called on the European governments, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, to explain their actions and issue apologies. An emergency meeting of UNASUR, the Union of South American Nations, denounced "the flagrant violation of international treaties" by European powers. Latin American heads of state weighed in, too. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil expressed the country's "indignation and condemnation of the situation imposed on President Evo Morales by some European countries" and warned that this "serious lack of respect for the law compromises dialogue between the two continents and possible negotiations between them." Commentators were less reserved. Argentine political scientist Atilio Boron dismissed Europe as "the whore of Babylon," cringing before power. With virtually identical reservations, two states refused to sign the OAS resolution: the United States and Canada. Their growing isolation in the hemisphere as Latin America frees itself from the imperial yoke after 500 years is of historic significance. Morales' plane, reporting technical problems, was permitted to land in Austria. Bolivia charges that the plane, reporting technical problems, was permitted to land in Austria. Bolivia charges that the plane was searched to discover whether Snowden was on board. Austria responds that "there was no formal inspection." Whatever happened followed warnings delivered from Washington. Beyond that the story is murky. Washington has made clear that any country that refuses to extradite Snowden will face harsh punishment. The United States will "chase him to the ends of the earth," Sen. Lindsey Graham warned. But U.S. government spokespersons assured the world that Snowden will be granted the full protection of American law, referring to those same laws that have kept U.S. Army soldier Bradley Manning who released a vast archive of U.S. military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in prison for three years, much of it in solitary confinement under humiliating conditions. Long gone is the archaic notion of a speedy trial before a jury of peers. On July 30 a military judge found Manning guilty of charges that could lead to a maximum sentence of 136 years. Like Snowden, Manning committed the crime of revealing to Americans and others, what their government is doing.