Assange has asylum, but his options are still limited

Ecuador has granted Julian Assange asylum, kicking off an epic diplomatic standoff. While he sits inside the Ecuadorian embassy, British police have to stand by outside and wait. If they go inside (or "storm" it, as one official claimed the police threatened to do), they'd be violating one of the most fundamental diplomatic rules between nations, and would endanger British embassies around the world by setting a needless precedent.

The Foreign Office has tweeted a statement making it clear that they still intend to extradite Assange. It said, "We are still committed to reaching a mutually acceptable solution. Under our law, with Mr Assange having exhausted all options of appeal UK authorities are under binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden. We shall carry out that obligation. The Ecuadorian Government's decision this afternoon does not change that." So, where does that leave Assange?

He always knew that he would be arrested if he left the embassy—he's violated his bail conditions, after all. Now, though, he knows that if he can get to Ecuador he won't have to answer the rape allegations in Sweden. That means he has to find a way out of the United Kingdom, but there's absolutely no reason to expect the British authorities to allow that to happen.