Monday, October 14, 2019
The Global Hunt for Edward Snowden Essay Example for Free
The Global Hunt for Edward Snowden Essay The wild flight of the fugitive leaker ââ¬â from Hong Kong to the transit area of Moscowââ¬â¢s Sherymetyvo Airport, and perhaps on to Ecuador ââ¬â has turned into a public humiliation for the White House. U.S. officials publicly threatened ââ¬Å"consequencesâ⬠if Snowden wasnââ¬â¢t returned, only to be openly rebuffed by Chinese officials and Russiaââ¬â¢s Vladimir Putin. This made embarrassingly clear how little leverage President Obama has in Moscow or Beijing (and how much wiser it would have been to request Snowdenââ¬â¢s return in private). Most disturbing, the Snowden affair has enabled some of the worldââ¬â¢s worst human rights offenders to portray themselves as champions of freedom by defending Snowden while denouncing America as a massive violator of rights. Chinaââ¬â¢s Xinhua news agency branded the United States as ââ¬Å"the biggest (cyber) villain in our age.â⬠Russian parliamentarians did likewise. You might think that such self-righteous claims would be dismissed as political posturing. Yet in todayââ¬â¢s world, with Americaââ¬â¢s image sullied by Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and by our paralyzed politics, these charges can find a receptive audience, not only abroad but at home. So letââ¬â¢s look at the records of the countries that are offering Snowden the greatest support. For starters, there is something bizarre about the list. While Snowden claims to be defending personal freedoms, he has sought shelter from egregious violators of human rights, including China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Whatever his motives, this lends an air of hypocrisy to his claims. He took refuge in Hong Kong, which is part of China, whose leaders control the countryââ¬â¢s Internet portals, block content and monitor individual access. The Chinese censor print and electronic media and have ââ¬Å"the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world,â⬠according to Amnesty International. Chinese government hackers have conducted massive commercial and military espionage in the United States (and presumably elsewhere) and even breached Googleââ¬â¢s computers. Beijing is obviously delighted that it can fend off U.S. complaints by claiming America does likewise. Such charges are bogus ââ¬â and they know it. Whatever your opinion about the National Security Agencyââ¬â¢s surveillance programs, the fact is that Congress OKââ¬â¢d them and set up special courts to monitor them. The U.S. public can debate whether the controls should be tightened, and demand change. In China, no Congress or courts govern surveillance nor can Chinese citizens oppose it. Government hackers break into the software of international companies such as Apple to steal industrial secrets ââ¬â on a massive scale. As Obama noted, thatââ¬â¢s not normal intelligence gathering; ââ¬Å"thatââ¬â¢s theft.â⬠Then thereââ¬â¢s Russia, where the state controls all major newspapers and national TV networks, which are still the major news source for the bulk of the population. Journalists are beaten up or murdered, and the perpetrators, conveniently, are never found. Political dissenters are cowed, arrested, or driven into exile. So when Putin praises Snowden as a ââ¬Å"human rights activistâ⬠who ââ¬Å"struggles for freedom of information,â⬠itââ¬â¢s hard not to gag. Any Russian who did similarly would wind up in the gulag or worse. Snowdenââ¬â¢s final destination ââ¬â possibly Ecuador via Venezuela ââ¬â is equally odd for a defender of freedom. As pointed out by Bill Sweeney, editorial director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Venezuela has shut down independent broadcasters via a system of politicized regulations. As for Ecuador, its populist president, Rafael Correa, has criminalized reporting that is critical of his government ââ¬â and prosecuted journalists who attempt it. That brings us to the heart of the matter. Snowdenââ¬â¢s saviors have seized a delicious opportunity to deflect U.S. criticism of their own cyberattacks and rights violations by branding the United States as the real sinner. Dogged by images from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, Washington has become an easy target. Even some allies have tired of Americaââ¬â¢s human rights demands (which are readily ignored when strategic concerns trump them, as in Syria). So, critics of American hubris may cheer when Putin praises Snowden ââ¬â or when the Peopleââ¬â¢s Daily proclaims that Snowden ââ¬Å"tore off Washingtonââ¬â¢s sanctimonious mask.â⬠Itââ¬â¢s necessary to remind them: The countries helping Snowden arenââ¬â¢t doing so because they dislike spying. On the contrary. They donââ¬â¢t want limits on their own surveillance, just on ours.
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