President Daniel Noboa has succeeded in establishing a foreign base in an archipelago of invaluable importance to humanity. U.S. military vessels are set to arrive in the Galapagos Islands in December, amidst accusations that Ecuador is surrendering its sovereignty and violating its own constitution.

President Daniel Noboa has succeeded in establishing a U.S. military base in the Galapagos Islands, allowing Washington to expand its network of approximately 750 military bases across 80 countries. With this, the United States will have another location to deploy its nearly 200,000 troops stationed in 159 nations, as extensively documented by Professor David Vine of American University in Washington.

The decision, approved by the Galapagos Governing Council and based on military cooperation agreements with the United States, was formalized on December 10. Specifically, a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) will permit the U.S. to deploy ships, aircraft, and military personnel to the archipelago.

The Noboa administration justifies this move by claiming that the U.S. presence will help combat drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and other illicit activities in the island region. However, the Galapagos’ geostrategic location and contemporary geopolitical events suggest that this decision amounts to a negotiated surrender of sovereignty.

This development follows the precedent of the U.S. military base in the coastal city of Manta, where American soldiers were stationed for a decade to conduct air and sea operations as part of the Plan Colombia. Despite the stated goal of combating drug trafficking, violence did not decline during that period. In 1999, the homicide rate in Ecuador was 13.55 per 100,000 inhabitants, but after a decade of U.S. military presence, it increased to 17.74.

During that same period, 21 cases of boat interceptions, destruction, and sinkings were documented, involving vessels transporting migrants along maritime routes through Central America to the United States. Currently, in the Galapagos Archipelago, the U.S. is reportedly planning to establish a chain of naval stations equipped with radar systems in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR).

Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution explicitly prohibits the installation of foreign military bases on national territory. This principle was introduced during the constitutional process under Rafael Correa’s presidency, leading to the closure of the U.S. base in Manta in 2009. Given this constitutional prohibition, President Noboa submitted a proposal to the National Assembly to repeal the article restricting foreign military presence. Although Parliament refused to debate the proposal, Noboa pushed forward after securing approval from the Constitutional Court.

The court’s approval was based on the provisions of the SOFA agreements signed by former President Guillermo Lasso and President Noboa in 2024. “This type of agreement signifies Ecuador’s surrender of full sovereignty over sensitive matters like security and national territory,” said Mexican sociologist Miguel Ruiz. “This surrender explains events like the brazen invasion of the Mexican Embassy in Quito, ordered by Noboa—an action that could hardly have been executed without the backing of U.S. power structures,” he added.

Former Deputy Foreign Minister Fernando Yepez condemned the decision to establish a U.S. military base in the Galapagos as “colonial servitude” that jeopardizes national sovereignty. “There’s no awareness of Ecuador’s interests or the negative experiences with foreign bases,” he said. Social and political organizations have denounced the measure, citing the lack of community consultation and the violation of special regulations governing the Galapagos, which prioritize the conservation of natural heritage and the well-being of its residents.

The Galapagos Islands, celebrated for their unique biodiversity and their role in Charles Darwin’s research, face new environmental challenges with the arrival of military equipment. Although the cooperation agreements promise strict controls to prevent ecological harm, environmental activists remain skeptical. “Past experiences show that military operations often fail to respect even the minimum conservation standards,” said environmental activist Cristina Cely.

Additionally, the construction of new infrastructure in local ports and airports, necessary for operating the base, could further disrupt the fragile terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the Galapagos.

While the Noboa administration argues that the U.S. base will help combat drug trafficking and illegal fishing, critics contend that the move primarily serves U.S. strategic interests in the region. In February 2024, Noboa signed an agreement granting U.S. military personnel privileges and exemptions, including diplomatic-level immunity, setting a dangerous precedent for national sovereignty and exposing Ecuador to potential legal conflicts.

For former presidential candidate Andres Arauz, the U.S. military base is not aimed at combating drug trafficking but at advancing Washington’s geopolitical agenda. “The United States seeks a base for a potential Third World War against China as part of its strategy for Pacific dominance. The U.S. already had a military base on Baltra Island in the Galapagos during World War II for similar reasons,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ecuadorians will elect their next president in February 2025, a decisive moment to determine who will write the next chapter of U.S. military deployment on Ecuadorian soil, Arauz pointed out.

In Copenhagen, two bartenders at a music venue were fired for wearing stickers featuring the Palestinian flag and the name of the organisation Antifascist Action. In a statement William Weiss, one of the bartenders, tells how the dismissal infringes on his freedom of expression. Management argues that the termination complies with a company policy prohibiting political messages at work.

Six additional staff members have resigned in protest. Weiss contends the venue’s policies shield problematic customers rather than employees.

Over four years, Danish authorities have forcibly closed 19 private care homes due to severe abuse and mismanagement affecting vulnerable children and adults. Violations include violence, illegal restraints, and misuse of public funds, according to Denmark's social supervision authorities.

Eva Naur, a welfare law lecturer, criticizes a lax approval processes that allow underqualified operators to run care homes. These homes often generate significant profits; a review of 81 private care homes found that in the past five years, owners have paid themselves dividends totaling 155 million DKK (€20.8 million).

A majority of Danes (55%) remain opposed to adopting the euro, as shown by a recent poll. This resistance mirrors the outcome of Denmark’s 2000 referendum, when voters first rejected the single currency.

Despite increasing pro-European sentiment in Denmark since Brexit, younger Danes are not overwhelmingly pro-euro. Among Danes aged 18–34, 56% oppose replacing the krone, Denmark’s current currency. Although not part of the Eurozone, the Danish krone is closely pegged to the Euro.

Private investment in military-related stocks has increased tenfold in Denmark since 2021, with holdings in these stocks now valued at 2.1 billion DKK (€281 million).

The shift in attitudes follows the Ukraine war, which has reshaped views on military spending and defense and ramped up militaristic propaganda. Arms manufacturing stocks face no regulatory barriers in Denmark.

Danish industrial unions have concluded nationwide preparatory meetings for the 2025 labor agreement negotiations. CO-Industri, a coalition of unions representing Danish industrial workers, collected over 500 proposals for improvements to working conditions.

The first negotiations, scheduled for January 2025, will set the tone for labor agreements across Denmark’s private sector. The collective agreements for the industrial sector is often used as a reference for negotiations in other sectors of the labour market.

Alex Ahrendtsen, defense spokesperson for the far-right Danish People’s Party (DF), has called for Denmark to withdraw from treaties banning cluster bombs and landmines.

Ahrendtsen argues Denmark should have access to such weapons for defense purposes. However, Liberal Party Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen is not ready to go against the current consensus among western states and has reaffirmed Denmark’s commitment to international conventions prohibiting their use.

The Moderate Party-controlled Ministry of Education and Science has introduced a new so-called 'anti-harassment' policy for universities. Violators risks suspension. The regime claims the policy is necessary as some students feel they're being harassed "in connection to a current political agenda", ie. pro-Palestinian activism.

In one incident activists had painted the slogan "Zionists should be afraid" on buildings at the university campus in Roskilde. Zionists claimed that this message made all Jewish students feel unsafe. Discourse on harrassment on campuses has not mentioned zionist hate speech in support of the American-Zionist genocide against Palestine.

The cleaning company Renell has lost its contract with Næstved Municipality. Earlier this year the municipalities of Vejle, Køge and Hørsholm has cancelled contracts with the comapny although it recently won back the contract with Hørsholm.

The company is part of a collective agreement with the organization "Det removedlige Hus" trough its membership of the "Christian Employers' Association". "Det removedlige Hus" is a so-called yellow union or company union that renounces the right to strike and has no affiliation with the Danish labour movement. Calculations show that Workers at Renell earn significantly less than unionized counterparts covered by agreements with Denmark’s legitimate unions.

A large number of current and former Social Democratic ministers has been offered knighthoods by Denmark's unelected monarchy. A handful refused to accept the decorations but most, including Danish leader Mette Frederiksen, accepted.

Earlier this year the Social Democrats, who leads the Nordic hermit kingdom's ruling right-wing regime, decided to abandon a century-long policy of refusing to accept royal honors. A century ago the Social Democrats were a republican party but as the former labour party gained influence they shed their radical beliefs and became enamored to the institutions of the bourgeois state, including the monarchy.

Today the social democrats are as monarchist as any, using the royal cult of personality to further a reactionary nationalist agenda and embracing the royals in the hope that their popularity rubs off on the social democrats. This January Danish leader Mette Frederiksen was strutting with joy as she faced crowds gathered in Copenhagen to proclaim the accesssion to the throne of hand-picked successor Frederik Glücksburg, who took over the reins from his aging mother in a bloodless transfer of power. Since then the social democrats were a leading force in awarding the monarchy substantial budget increases.