Shut the fuck up, Snowden.You had everyone behind you until you defected to Russia. There's no free lunch and you had a lot of info Putin would like to have. Oddly enough things really started getting bad shortly therafter.
He was being chased by the US government, and Assange proved that being in an US allied country will still get your arrested/tortured. What other options did Snowden had other than escaping to Russia?
Yeah, I thought the same thing too at the time and that's why I wrote it off. But the problem is that knowing how Putin is and what he does, what makes you think that he would let Snowden stay there in Russia without demanding any of that information as payment?
And if Snowden was so hard up for places to go that he had to go to Russia to escape extradition to the US what position would he be in to even say no if Russia demanded it?
Think about it. If someone came to the US to escape persecution in Russia for whistleblowing, you can damn well believe the US gov't would demand info. They brought all those Nazi rocket scientists over to work rather than sending them to prison because of the knowledge they posssesed. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
without demanding any of that information as payment?
Can Putin not read The Intercept?
Does Putin even need to?
Snowden deleted all traces of that stash once he delivered it to the reporters. He's in Russia 'cos it's a way for Putin to annoy the US.
Think of it from Snowdens perspective. You get to choose: either be tortured for the rest of your life, or chill in Russia and pretend Putin is a nice guy. I know what I’d pick.
He is not simply pretending Putin is a nice guy, he is clearly collaborating with russian security services. Just look at his comments on internal US politics. And he also was spreading misinformation that russia wasn't going to invade Ukraine in Feb 2022.
He might be a hero for many, but if you're Ukrainian (like I am), he is clearly a piece of shit.
Still it's 100.0% USAs decisions that pushed him to Russia, it's not like he went there immediately (2013), he was on the run and in shitty conditions for years before he finally had enough and went to Russia (2022).
USA still wanted to disappear (torture) him, not even allowing him to stay in other NATO or non-NATO countries.
A USA hero is safer in Russia, and Putin had nothing to do with setting that situation up (safe for not deporting him to USA ofc, which otc lol).
Snowden took a flight from Hong Kong to Moscow on June 23, 2013, and he's been in Russia ever since. Don't know who told you he went to Russia in '22, he's been there for a long time.
Treating him as a saint; because he revealed the NSA stuff, all his subsequent actions are justified and he should not be subject to criticism.
This is an extremely common view in some part of the English speaking internet.
I reject this approach. As far as I am concerned, I hope him and his family get to experience what they the wish upon Ukrainians in the occupied territories (getting sent to to a torture camp for speaking Ukrainian).
You're putting words in my mouth. I'm saying his actions are understandable. He has no chance of returning to the US, his only real chance at a somewhat normal life is playing into Russia's hand.
Whether someone thinks those actions are justified is an opinion. I'm merely stating the most likely explanation for his actions.
As far as I'm concerned, his usefulness to Americans concerned about government spying ended as soon as he exposed internal NSA docs. Everything else is merely him trying to survive. Make of that what you will.
I am not putting words in your mouth. You literally state that it is impossible that Snowden made a decision to support russia for more malicious reasons. The only scenario you are even willing to consider is that he is innocent by default and he was pressured, without even a drop of nuance.
I’m merely stating the most likely explanation for his actions.
How do you know this? Can you read russian? Have you ever had any type of contact with russian officials or members of the elite (in any capacity)? What do you know about russian doctrine on foreign propaganda? What other historical examples can you cite to strengthen your argument?
You literally state that it impossible that Snowden made a decision to support russia for more malicious reasons
I didn't say that, I said it's the most likely explanation.
he is innocent by default
First of all, that's what I assume by default until given enough information to assume otherwise. I don't have that information, so why would I assume he's not being pressuresd by Russia?
How do you know this?
I certainly can't know for sure, but I can see how Russia treats its citizens that oppose it (e.g. Alexei Navalny). You know, the whole "committed suicide by shooting themselves in the back of the head twice" thing. His value to Russia has run its course by now. I'm not saying he was threatened with death or anything, I'm saying there's a good chance he was made to understand that opposing Russian interests isn't in his interests.
One does not simply oppose Putin as a public figure in Russia.
That said, I don't think it's particularly important anyway. He's not really an expert on anything, certainly not Russian foreign policy.
This is exactly the type of narrative about Snowden's alleged sainthood that I was talking about.
Snowden publishes content in his social media that directly aligns with russian propaganda messaging (and can be directly correlated with calendar events) and also openly boosts and promotes anti-Ukrainian rhetoric. For example, statements like "all Ukrainians are Nazis" by Glenn Greenwald, (who I will add says this without being stuck in russia). I will also add that Snowden is clearly deeply engaged in his social media fame. Surely if he had reservations about being forced to promote russian genocidal messaging he wouldn't be shitposting about the Nvidia 5000 series GPUs.
I say Snowden is a piece shit for doing this.
You reply that we must ignore this and we must always assume that under any and all conditions the bad things he does is because of someone else and he always innocent.
You're making a claim of innocence that goes against the evidence that we do have (his social media account, that Snowden himself states is not run under pressure), yet you weren't (initially) willing to make any arguments to back up your claims.
You then bring up Navalny. What does he have to do with what we are discussing? Did you bring him up because that's all you know about russia?
When did Snowden start a russian political party that opposed putin's rule? How did he start such a party without knowing russian? Did he do it remotely from the US? And russians supported him even though he worked for US intelligence? This does not sound realistic.
What sort of information did Navalniy reveal about US domestic spying? Are you saying he left Germany and returned to russia because he was afraid of being captured by US authorities for revealing classified US intel info?
This is a very sophomoric argument that assumes the russians are some star wars bad guys that are incapable of any kind of sophistication in their external influence operations.
I never said anything about Snowden being a bad guy for not publicly opposing russian interests. I said he is a piece of shit for going along with supporting russian genocidal imperialism. These are two very different things and I don't understand why you are bringing up "opposing putin".
All that Snowden had to do was to not promote russian genocidal imperialism. Or at the very least to not be so casual about it if as you claim (for which you provided no arguments) he was pressured.
I totally get it, I live next to that big pain in the ass as well. Luckily, he hasn’t invaded us yet, but I feel it’s only a matter of time. And what Snowden does here certainly doesn’t help.
But he could have just done nothing and lived a very happy life. Instead, he chose to give up his happy life to uncover the NSA scandal, knowing full well that it will absolutely wreck his life.
Personally, I think he did enough for the greater good there. This isn’t his war, and if he has to post some lies to get a bit of normalcy back in his life, I can understand that. I wish it wasn’t that way, but I can understand it.
The issue is that he is supporting russian genocidal imperialism. His messaging clearly aligns with russian propaganda goals.
Is it not reasonable for me to consider him my enemy (he directly supports doing harm to me, my family and my fellow citizens)?
As far I am concerned, I hope Snowden and his family will one day be on the recieving end of russian brutality.
I don't buy the logic of "he did one good thing, so it's fine for him to promote russian genocidal imperialism".
If he can't stay consistent, he should have never got involved in the NSA issue in the first place.
He clearly enjoys the attention (just look at this post). He could have simply shut up and not worked with russian security services (the russians wouldn't kill him, they need him alive).
Were you there? Were you privy to the circumstances? It could very well be the case that he was threatened. We don't know, I just think it's super sus that he started spewing pro-Russia nonsense only after his importance uncovering US govt documents was waning.
I think it's highly likely he was pressured to make those statements.
What does me being or not being there have to do with anything?
He did have a choice to not support russian genocidal imperialism. He made a decision to support the russians even though they do terrible things (both in context of violent imperialism and spying on their own citizens).
The tone of his social media posts suggests that he rather enthusiastic about using his fame and social readership to promote an agenda. One that is explicitly aimed at harming those who oppose russian genocidal imperialism.
What does me being or not being there have to do with anything?
So when others give their opinions (clearly identified as such) you demand evidence, but when you do the same you provide none? You're either a troll or an idiot, which is kinda sad 'cos most of the english-speakers here were actually trying to be rational for a change.
KTHXBYE
He did have a choice to not support russian genocidal imperialism
And I'm saying neither you or I know the consequences of making a different choice. Given what has happened to other public figures who oppose Russian interests (e.g. Navalny), I can't take anything Snowden says without a grain of salt, because it's impossible to know what's genuinely his opinion and what Russia wants us to hear.
If pressured to guess, I'm going to assume that Russia has made it clear that saying anything against Russian interests won't end well for him. I don't see him as a credible source for much of anything anymore, since he's certainly under Russia's thumb.
Is that the reply you meant to write? Why don't you try again, but think first.
Snowden goes to Russia and there's no way Putin is letting him stay there without demanding that information.
If the shoe is on the other foot, the US would do the exact same. They brought Nazi rocket scientists over after WW2 and had them continue their work rether than putting them in jail to rot.