Edward Snowden — ever elusive, unidentifiable — is reportedly leaving Moscow for either Cuba or Ecuador. Reports AP:
The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.
Meanwhile, the US — in the condescending way of superpowers who aren’t used to getting snookered — sent an official to say this to Reuters:
“The U.S. is disappointed and disagrees with the determination by Hong Kong authorities not to honor the U.S. request for the arrest of the fugitive.”
Chen Guangcheng, you say? Who’s that?
At no point in discussions through Friday did Hong Kong raise issues regarding the sufficiency of the U.S. arrest request, the official said.
“In light of this, we find their decision to be particularly troubling,” the official said.
On behalf of the rest of the world: piss off, anonymous official.
Diana Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, went on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and said this:
“China clearly had a role in this, in my view. I don’t think this was just Hong Kong without Chinese acquiescence.”
Well, duh. A little later, California’s Democratic Senator said this out loud:
“I had actually thought that China would see this as an opportunity to improve relations and — extradite him to the United States… I think it’ll be very interesting to see what Moscow does with him.”
Interesting to see what Moscow does with him… as if — even if Snowden weren’t already on his way to Ecuador — Russia would risk political capital just to appease the government of the United States. What year are we in, 2002?
“Whatever his motives are, and I take him at face value, he could’ve stayed and faced the music. I don’t think running is a noble thought.”
No doubt, everyone in the world should put their unwavering trust in the US justice system, which has never failed anyone, ever. Ahem. Ahem.
I don’t think you even understand this story, do you? Snowden is an idiot.
Prism was legal. Underhand, but legal. Chen Guangchengs’ extended house arrest, the denial of education to his daughter and the persecution of his family was not.
The cases are really incomparable.
A minor-level contractor basically stole state secrets then ran away to China and sold the story.
Cheng Guangcheng attempted to stop people from force-aborting and sterilizing people.
Forgive me, but there’s no connection I can see. Other than the usefulness of the political scapegoatism.
The thing is the story is more complicated than what people think. China has clearly been under pressure both politically and economically, so I think China would go to any lengths not to worsen relations. However, more importantly, just like India, China (Tibet) now has got unwritten confirmation to start their own PRISM programs and spy on both their own citizens and foreign citizens. Where with previously the US would have complained over human rights, now they have no leg to stand on.
However, these events have created a paradox in the cyber espionage world, in the same way the nuclear bomb kick started the nuclear arms race. Every government is now attempting to create their own projects, while also defending against other projects. For example India, despite being spied on by PRISM, has not only failed to condemn PRISM, but announced their own program, and fears of China use a PRISM program through WeChat.
If you don’t think that China isn’t already spying on its citizens, my god, your head… Your ass… How can you even type?
How is PRISM legal? It violates the Fourth Amendment.
US politicians,so bloody full of themselves, can go F themselves.
Too bad you don’t have the balls to say that about Chinese politicians, eh coward?
Chinese politicos may be corrupt and dirty but they don’t go hyporcritically huffing and puffing with self righteousness on soap boxes. And I just had the “balls” to say that, you sad douchebag.
“huffing and puffing with self righteousness…”
You obviously have never been the mistress of a Chinese official.
Nope. Got any special experiences you want to share with us?
Wow you are dense. Cue every video of Bo Xi Lai mugging for the camera.
Well maybe Ecuador would hand him over to the States, you know, if the States every pay the war reparation it owed to them for Contra. Point is Snowden is clever, he’s picking countries that won’t extradate him based on their mutual ‘fuck the White House’ feelings and won’t approach him because they don’t want any trouble, just want a thorn to the side of the White House.
Yeah its hard to get angry at Ecuador after how the US treated the region for years. They deserve to stick a finger in the US eye absolutely. Fucking Reagan, fucking Contras, but there is a lot more to the story as well.
Its also a bit of cosmic justice that the Latino population is growing so quickly and diversely in the US. This is really important because it means the US can’t just ignore that part of history, a big portion of the population is well aware of it already.