Snowden Is Safe, but Not Free

Moscow has granted Edward Snowden, the escaped whistle-blower, asylum for at least a year. Russia will now act as the protector of a civil rights activist — and for that the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor will have to pay a price.

He is now finally in Russia, no longer confined to the transition zone of Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. Theoretically, all of Russia is now open to Snowden. Moscow has initially granted the escaped American asylum for a year, even though that move could lead to considerably higher tensions with the U.S. The Kremlin actually wanted to avoid doing that, which is why it had constantly argued that Snowden had not stepped over the border. Moscow has duped the U.S., whose warnings against taking Snowden in are being ignored. But Russia is used to pressure from the West and the advantages for the Kremlin are obvious: Moscow will now portray itself as the protector of a civil rights activist who is facing the most severe penalties for betraying government secrets.

The roles are now reversed: America is the bad guy standing in the pillory in the West because of its surveillance mania, while Russia is the safe haven for a hunted man whom the West somehow considers bold and yet would rather not keep.

But Snowden will have to pay a price. He might be safe in Russia, but he is not free. The American will probably be tightly controlled; he will probably only be allowed to express things that will not hurt Moscow internationally or else Russia could quickly throw him out.