An economist schooled in the United States and Belgium, Rafael Correa was judged among the more cerebral of Latin America's new breed of leftist leaders well before Julian Assange strolled into his country's London embassy and gave Ecuador's president a chance to seize the global spotlight.

Correa's decision to grant asylum to the WikiLeaks founder Thursday seems anything but an emotional roll of the dice.

The former lay missionary knew he was apt to deeply offend the United States, Britain, Sweden and likely the European Union.

He knew he would be inviting commercial and political retaliation that could hurt his small petroleum-exporting nation of 14 million people.

No such retaliation has yet come, but the standoff is young.

Britain says it won't allow Assange safe passage out of the country. Sweden, where Assange is wanted for questioning for alleged sexual misconduct, summoned Ecuador's ambassador to issue a stern protest.