JULIAN Assange is a person overflowing with experience on the convenient, opportunistic and hypocritical ways in how global democracy works. Mr Assange tried to change the world for the better but he paid a horrendous and tragic price. But it is doubtful Mr. Assange will hang up his gloves.
Humans like Mr. Assange do not easily forgive and forget. Mr. Assange brought out video clips showing American military helicopters in Iraq firing at civilians. The civilians died of course. For that, he lost 14 years of his freedom. The feeling around the world was that President Trump was vindictive in instituting 18 charges against him and that a Democratic Party president would free him.

That was not to be. The only reason Mr. Assange was freed was because the Australian Prime Minister told the American government that Australia cannot accept an innocent Australian being hounded down by the previous American president and that the current American president understand that. Whatever is written about the story behind the scene that led to Assange’s freedom there was in fact no story behind the scene.
The US and Australia are very close allies, closer than many European countries that worship the American global dominance. What the Australian PM did was to use non-nonsense but quiet diplomacy to get the Americans to listen to him. Naturally the Americans were insensitive but there is no doubt that the Aussie PM kept insisting.

What happens now to Assange in Australia is something Assange will know quite profoundly. Assange once exclaimed years ago during the Swedish and American efforts to arrest him that the Australian Prime Minister betrayed him. Several Australian Prime Ministers and Australian Foreign Ministers supported the American efforts to have him arrested. Then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, once said that Australia is offering “every assistance” to US authorities in their investigation of Assange.
It is doubtful Assange will avoid politics and live a quiet life. Hundreds of millions of people around the world expect Assange to continue his whistle-blowing activities. But should he do so and rub the American security system the wrong way what happens to him if the US complains and Australia has a right-wing, pro-American government (no country in the European Union is more pro-American than Australia- Australia should become the 51st state of the US) and Mr. Trump is in the White House?
For this reason Mr. Assange needs to live outside the Western hemisphere. His best shot is Russia. Should Mr. Trump wins the US presidency and Australia has a fanatical right-wing Prime Minister, Mr. Assange could end up in an American jail. Brazil is not an option is President Lula is not in office. China is not a reliable place if the Americans request Assange and he is in China. The whole of Europe is out. European countries will extradite Assange if Trump issues such an order.

I cannot think of any country except Cuba, Russia and Byelorussia where Assange will be safe if Mr. Trump wins in November and wants to renege on the plea agreement negotiated with Assange and Australia. Presidents and Prime Ministers do not as a policy stay with the decisions their predecessors make. Mr. Trump reversed the Obama treaty with Iran and reversed Obama’s opening up to Cuba. Assange was kicked out of Ecuador after a new president from another party was elected.
What is known is that Assange has more incriminating videos. Knowing how he operates, he would not have released all that he had. And after his arrest in London, he would have issued instructions to Wikileaks not to release any more stuff for fear of jeopardizing his situation while in prison.
How long he takes before he resumes his whistle-blowing activism is anyone’s guess. It is only natural he will want to spend extensive time with his two boys that he has not seen. And after his resumption, he may write a book and go on a lecture tour. But knowing the passion of Assange, he will go after countries that he thinks are doing harm to global democracy that they profess to protect. That instinct is in his DNA.

As soon as he begins a new stint of whistle-blowing, Julian Assange should call it “George” and move to Russia. It is his safest bet. President Putin and the West are now permanently split. I don’t think in decades to come Russia will seek friendly relations with the West.
Against that background should Assange be targeted by any Western country based on what he has released, he will be arrested. If he is in Russia, they can’t touch him. One thing for sure, he will teach Wikileaks newcomers how to hack. He is a genius in that art.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.