Dictatorship Hero

In Russia, China and Cuba, Edward Snowden is a rights activist — without a doubt.

Edward Snowden is an American citizen who worked for the U.S. National Security Agency. Recently, he left his workplace and did not return. Very soon, it turned out that he took mostly documents with him, which he handed over to the press. These included classified security documents. The biggest stir was caused by the “discovery” that U.S. intelligence was tracking personal and institutional information online.

I have already written here about the fact that I would be very angered if intelligence agencies did not do so, as nowadays there is no way to conduct effective monitoring and supervision of evildoers without tracking on the Internet — which is a major communication pipeline for terrorist groups and the like. Worse than this is the exposure of Western intelligence agents.

People Love a Hero

There are, however, those who think differently. In many, albeit specific, circles, those who call themselves liberal or left-wing and various rights activists — those who tend to be automatically for or against causes — Edward Snowden is considered a noble warrior for rights, if not an actual hero. They stand on either side of him for his personal safety, as is done in bike or car races. They do not hand him water, but use supportive media to revive his spirit more than any beverage could. People love a hero, and anyone “fighting” the authorities is considered one.

The U.S. government is not taking part in this admiration of Snowden and has filed a charge against him. Snowden fled to Hong Kong, where he continued his escape route via various countries — Russia, Ecuador and Cuba. These are countries known for their supposedly “liberal” policies, countries that support a person’s rights to be sent to jail through no fault of their own. Hong Kong for example: To whom does it belong if not the free China? Putin’s Russia: Whom does it send to serve lengthy prison terms if not, among others, business rivals of the president and media critics?

Against Democracy — Sponsored by Dictatorship

That is to say: Snowden is conducting a war against the “terrible” America from countries under dictatorial rule, whether officially or not. Fighting democracy under dictatorial sponsorship — that is, in fact, how this whistle-blower operates. In reality, Snowden is not harming the authorities but rather the civilians themselves, as they will now be a little harder to protect. And this, admittedly, is no small achievement for the civil rights warrior — apart from the right to safety, of course.

Anat Kamm and Haaretz

Why are Russia and other dictatorships so desperate to help the American fugitive? Because, to them, he certainly is a hero. He serves their interests. This can also be said for our own Anat Kamm, who also leaked secret documents from her army workplace; however, the one who escaped in this case, under the protection of the newspaper, was the Haaretz journalist who published them.

These are people who take our fate and safety in their hands without being elected or authorized by anyone. In other words, our fate and that of our children does not depend upon the leadership we have elected but rather upon individuals. This is democracy as practiced by heroes such as Snowden.