Swiss Asylum for Snowden Would Win Points with Berlin (News,
Switzerland)
"For Angela Merkel and her party buddies, Snowden is a
smoking hot potato they would prefer not even to touch.However, on its own, the desire for the
information this person has, practically speaking, obliges one to take the
informant in. After all, wanting clarification without granting asylum is more
or less equivalent to wanting to make an omelet without breaking any eggs. ... Snowden
could serve as a bridge - making German Socialists ... more well-disposed
toward Switzerland. ... If Switzerland could do the right thing and
simultaneously make not just enemies but new friends as well - that would be a real
change of pace."
Since
reports of NSA spying on senior politicians have come to light, large numbers
of German Bundestag lawmakers immediately began advocating that Germany provide
asylum for whistleblower Edward Snowden. For the legislators, a dilemma looms from
which they probably won’t be able to extricate themselves.
Since
Green Party veteran Hans-Christian Ströbele had a
little chat with Edward Snowden in his Moscow asylum, a sense of urgency has
seized the German government. Although we don't (yet) know exactly what was
said is, it has emerged that Edward Snowden would like to testify in Germany
and that he may also want to request asylum.
Members
of the CDU/CSU
parliamentary coalition, on the other hand, are only interested in what the
whistleblower has to say - they couldn’t care less what happens to the man with
the information: For Angela Merkel and her party buddies, Snowden is a smoking
hot potato they would prefer not even to touch.However, on its own, the desire for the information this person has,
practically speaking, obliges one to take the informant in. After all, wanting
clarification without granting asylum is more or less equivalent to wanting to
make an omelet without breaking any eggs.
The
diplomatic risks for Germany’s government are enormous. On the one hand, a variety
of alliances and other state obligations stand in the way, and many risks remain
unknown to the public. For example, the involvement of their own intelligence
services spying on German citizens are no doubt the cause of headaches for more
than a few members of the government. And let us not forget that that the
government’s new coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party [SPD], probably also cooperated with the NSA under Gerhard Schröder.
When it comes to the tradeoffs between “democracy” and “party rationale,” we
all know pretty much exactly which will be given priority.
But
not only in Germany, more and more politicians are speaking out for asylum for
Edward Snowden. In other countries, there continues to be a high level of moral
outrage over the activities of the NSA, to such a point that politicians in
Switzerland are making serious demands that Snowden be granted asylum. And we
shouldn’t reject the idea wholesale. After all, despite the fact that former Federal Councilor MichelineCalmy-Rey is among the supporters, Snowden may
well be in possession of interesting information on NSA activities in
Switzerland. [Micheline Calmy-Rey followed a policy of "active neutrality" many Swiis opposed. She left her foreign policy post under a cloud of controversy].
That
said, going it alone would be risky for Switzerland - possibly even riskier
than it would be for Germany. On the other hand, Snowden could serve as a
bridge - making German Socialists, soon to be part of the Berlin government again,
more well-disposed toward Switzerland. If the Swiss were to take the
whistleblower in and agree to allow the Germans to interview him in
Switzerland, it would be more than just a modest indication of a rapprochement.
Of course, Germany and other countries interested in interviewing Snowden would
have to confidentially agree beforehand to provide support in the event Washington
reacts adversely.
[Editor's Note: Germany's Social Democrats [SPD] are miffed at Switzerland for seeking to shield the identities of Germans who have undeclared funds in Swiss banks. The SPD and the Green Party, who control Germany's upper house, recently defeated a German-Swiss tax deal, arguing it was too lenient because it protected the anonymity of German account holders while imposing a tax on their assets. The author suggests that asylum for Snowden would ease some of the lingering sore feelings.]
Posted By Worldmeets.US
One
has to be saddened by the thought processes that come into play here. Since his
flight from the U.S., Snowden has become a pawn with a built-in Old Maid card
[whoever holds it at the end of the game is the loser]. Exploited by Putin as a
protected hero of freedom, simultaneously prized by politicians as a source of
information, and loathed as a diplomatic land mine, his fate revealed even more
than his information about the non-existent morality with which politics are
conducted (not just today - but one doesn’t often find such an excellent example).
So
it would be nice if the morally correct thing were done - regardless of how
laughable this might be seem to certain self-interested politicians, and how implicitly
dubious the motives are of the countries involved. That a certain amount of
diplomatic protection is needed is clear - especially with an opponent as powerful
as the United States. If Switzerland could do the right thing and
simultaneously make not just enemies but new friends as well - that would be a real
change of pace.
But
let us remain realistic: In the end, it’s likely that nothing will be done -
along the lines of the motto, “he who does nothing, can do no wrong.” No matter
how wrong he may be.
