Turning Snowden into an Instrument of Russian 'Soft Power' (Izvestia, Russia)
"The paradox is that the U.S. is now pursuing a man who has
repeatedly stated that his main goal is to initiate a public debate on what
sort of world we should live in, and on whether the state's concern for the
security of its citizens should infringe on their inalienable rights and
freedoms. In practice, defending Snowden and granting him asylum on Russian
soil means defending values more often associated with American democracy than with
Russia's recent policies. ... will Moscow manage to transform the American into
an instrument of its own 'soft power'?"
Natalia Demchenko on who "the hero of unofficial America"
should be working for:
From
the very beginning, the Edward Snowden story has followed the canon of all
great adventure films. The humble NSA employee
decides he can no longer sit idly by as the private lives of U.S. citizens are
violated, and sets out on a lone crusade against the system.
However,
the gripping "hunt for Snowden" drew to a close in the corridors of Sheremetyevo precisely when that plane full of journalists
set off for Cuba without a protagonist. Since then, for several weeks, almost
nothing has happened. Against a backdrop of a slow-moving exchange of
diplomatic word-play between the U.S. and Russia, there was just one mildly
interesting twist - a brief press conference for a limited number of
participants, at the end of which remained more questions than answers.
Yesterday’s
events will hopefully serve to introduce some variety into the story after a month
of almost complete silence.
To
start with, RIA Novosti
reported that according to hotel staff, Snowden was no longer at the capsule
hotel in Sheremetyevo, where he had purportedly been
staying the entire time. Then White House press secretary Jay Carney was quoted
at a regular press briefing as saying that there are sufficient legal grounds to
extradite Snowden, and that there had been similar precedents in relations between
Moscow and Washington. This statement was one among many similar hints made by
U.S. officials that for Washington, the only possible solution to the "Snowden
problem" would be to deport him to his homeland.
Meanwhile,
today marks one week since the moment Snowden handed in an official request for
the Federal
Migration Service to provide him with asylum in Russia. And assuming all
goes to plan, the "inmate of Sheremetyevo" could
be leaving the transit area as you read these very words.
However,
if hypothetically, we assume that Snowden does not remain in Russia, but in one
way or the other is returned to the United States to stand trial, who there
would support him?
In
fact, Snowden has American supporters, and they are not as weak as they seem.
Opinion
surveys carried out at the beginning of June by a variety of polling agencies
show that the majority of Americans approve of Snowden’s actions. They believe
that the government has gone too far and that by gathering data from written
correspondence, search queries and telephone conversations, it is in fact invading
the privacy of its citizens.
The
Web site "We the People," the official U.S. system for Americans to petition
the government, has already collected over 130,000 signatures on a petition
calling for Snowden to be forgiven. That is already 30,000 more than necessary
to for obtaining a an official response from the authorities, and the number of
signatures supporting him grows by the day.
So
a return of the former U.S. intelligence employee would at a minimum make
Snowden the star of American media once more, after it had almost completely
lost interest in his fate.
However,
Snowden is not only supported by "salt of the earth" Americans. Well
known and influential politicians and journalists have also come out in defense
of the fugitive programmer. Among this wide range of figures,
anarcho-syndicalist Noam
Chomsky, social democrat Cornel
West, Republican Senator Ted
Cruz along with his conservative-libertarian colleagues Ron and Rand Paul, have all appeared
side by side. In the same vein, Michael Moore and fellow
director Oliver Stone
have spoken out (both renowned for their film-critiques of U.S. government
practices). So, too, has former New Jersey Superior Court Judge and now popular
Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano, as
well as perhaps America’s most well-known radio presenter, ardent conservative Glenn Beck.
It
would suffice to name only the first and last name on the list to tell you that
Snowden is supported by advocates with political outlooks that couldn't be more
varied, and who in their hearts have nothing in common but Snowden. There is no
doubt that in the event of a trial against this "hero of unofficial
America," together they could generate a huge public outcry, and in fact
genuine political support and mass demonstrations in his defense.
Why
should this be? The point is that Snowden can be considered a product and
phenomenon of American "soft power," since he has stood up in defense
of the very rights and freedoms that for years the U.S. has proclaimed the main
object of its "human rights" activity across the world.
The
paradox is that the U.S. is now pursuing a man who has repeatedly stated that
his main goal is to initiate a public debate on what sort of world we should
live in, and on whether the state's concern for the security of its citizens
should infringe on their inalienable rights and freedoms. In practice,
defending Snowden and granting him asylum on Russian soil (if such a decision
is ultimately taken) means defending values more often associated with American
democracy than with Russia’s recent policies in relation to cyberspace. Nevertheless,
derisive snorts and sneers at the expense of the countries in which the
disillusioned spy sought protection have ceased having much meaning. Neither
Snowden nor the Venezuelan government could be accused of desiring this
situation.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
And
the conclusion (or conviction) that according to U.S. law Snowden is a criminal
in no way contradicts the conclusion that he has been transformed into an emblematic
figure. Prepared to defend him as a symbol of the sincerity of American
political ideals are salt of the earth Americans, along with those who wield all
kinds of political or social influence.
The
only question is, will Moscow manage to transform the American into an
instrument of its own "soft power"?
