With the tide of left-populism now at a low ebb in Latin America, only Bolivia and Venezuela condemned Ecuador’s ejection of Assange and his arrest. Meanwhile, President Lenín Moreno’s government last month signed a $4.2 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund as Ecuador struggles with mounting national debt. Assange’s expulsion may briefly boost Moreno’s flagging approval ratings, which polls show steadily slipping this past year. Given the shifting geopolitics of the region, this outcome was probably inevitable. But was Assange also his own worst enemy?
