Snowden Affair Allows Russia To Enter Arm-Wrestling Match with US
Published in Le Soir
(Belgium) on 25 June 2013
by (link to original)
(Belgium) on 25 June 2013
by (link to original)
Translated from
by Louis Standish.
Edited by Eva Langman.
The Snowden affair certainly brings out no lack of passion. It has all of the elements of a good crime story, except that it’s true. Since he exposed the history of wiretapping by the United States since 2007, Edward Snowden is on the run. Veronique Kiesel answers your questions.
Where is Edward Snowden right now?
We don’t know. At the moment, he might still be taking refuge in the neutral zone of the Moscow airport, where he is without a doubt currently reflecting within the neutral zone. Others think he is in the middle of being interrogated by the Russian authorities. We have all the ingredients of a soap opera.
What could have motivated Edward Snowden?
This young man doesn’t have a college diploma, but he is very skilled in information technology. He is an ex-agent of the NSA. He grew up in a town where everyone worked for the NSA. He was witness to what was happening both in the heart of the United States and also overseas with regard to phone tapping. All that we say on our mobile phones can be decrypted and analyzed. As an honest citizen, he wanted to denounce all that, even though he signed the confidentiality clauses of various contracts, which put him in a very awkward position.
Why doesn’t he simply turn himself in?
The trial might not be very fair. He could spend 30 years in prison.
Julian Assange claims it isn’t traitorous.
That isn’t wrong. We didn’t know that wiretapping was this widespread, and the debate has begun in the United States and everywhere else in the world. That being said, he did break certain laws. Therein lies the big question: Is obedience a duty? It’s a great philosophical conundrum.
First of all, why did he flee to China? Why did China then let him go?
That’s a good question. China had itself participated in cyberattacks against the United States, but is now playing the frightened dove in learning about the nation’s involvement in wiretapping. This might be the occasion when China and Russia decide to show the United States that it isn’t the absolute power to which everyone inevitably bends.
What are the true facts of the Snowden Affair?
First, at the heart of the problem is the fact that certain countries assume the right to play Big Brother. The consequence could be a return to strained relations with Russia. The Russians will not hesitate to position themselves as enemies of the United States. They are pushing for an arm-wrestling match that will show who is stronger.
Is a new Cold War in sight? The Obama administration is very embarrassed.
Indeed, this is not good publicity for Obama. First of all, Americans are chasing after someone from whom they demand accountability, but who has failed that expectation. Now this great, big, and supposedly friendly country that allegedly turned the page on the Bush era is currently enmeshed in major problems with other countries, including those of Latin America, who are thumbing their noses at Washington.
Where can Snowden go?
He’s chosen countries that aren’t major allies of the United States — Hong Kong and Russia for the moment, even if they aren’t themselves examples of countries where transparency reigns.
Who has more to lose?
This isn’t so much a win-win but rather a lose-lose. Snowden can stay a fugitive for the rest of his life, but that’s no life. If the U.S. can’t catch him, it will be a sign of weakness. Snowden is trying to figure things out with his contacts: his lawyers, Judge Garzon, his counsel. All of these people are at his side in order to find the best solution for him.
Where is Edward Snowden right now?
We don’t know. At the moment, he might still be taking refuge in the neutral zone of the Moscow airport, where he is without a doubt currently reflecting within the neutral zone. Others think he is in the middle of being interrogated by the Russian authorities. We have all the ingredients of a soap opera.
What could have motivated Edward Snowden?
This young man doesn’t have a college diploma, but he is very skilled in information technology. He is an ex-agent of the NSA. He grew up in a town where everyone worked for the NSA. He was witness to what was happening both in the heart of the United States and also overseas with regard to phone tapping. All that we say on our mobile phones can be decrypted and analyzed. As an honest citizen, he wanted to denounce all that, even though he signed the confidentiality clauses of various contracts, which put him in a very awkward position.
Why doesn’t he simply turn himself in?
The trial might not be very fair. He could spend 30 years in prison.
Julian Assange claims it isn’t traitorous.
That isn’t wrong. We didn’t know that wiretapping was this widespread, and the debate has begun in the United States and everywhere else in the world. That being said, he did break certain laws. Therein lies the big question: Is obedience a duty? It’s a great philosophical conundrum.
First of all, why did he flee to China? Why did China then let him go?
That’s a good question. China had itself participated in cyberattacks against the United States, but is now playing the frightened dove in learning about the nation’s involvement in wiretapping. This might be the occasion when China and Russia decide to show the United States that it isn’t the absolute power to which everyone inevitably bends.
What are the true facts of the Snowden Affair?
First, at the heart of the problem is the fact that certain countries assume the right to play Big Brother. The consequence could be a return to strained relations with Russia. The Russians will not hesitate to position themselves as enemies of the United States. They are pushing for an arm-wrestling match that will show who is stronger.
Is a new Cold War in sight? The Obama administration is very embarrassed.
Indeed, this is not good publicity for Obama. First of all, Americans are chasing after someone from whom they demand accountability, but who has failed that expectation. Now this great, big, and supposedly friendly country that allegedly turned the page on the Bush era is currently enmeshed in major problems with other countries, including those of Latin America, who are thumbing their noses at Washington.
Where can Snowden go?
He’s chosen countries that aren’t major allies of the United States — Hong Kong and Russia for the moment, even if they aren’t themselves examples of countries where transparency reigns.
Who has more to lose?
This isn’t so much a win-win but rather a lose-lose. Snowden can stay a fugitive for the rest of his life, but that’s no life. If the U.S. can’t catch him, it will be a sign of weakness. Snowden is trying to figure things out with his contacts: his lawyers, Judge Garzon, his counsel. All of these people are at his side in order to find the best solution for him.