Simple: by airing Snowden on National TV, Putin is using Snowden for political cover. Just like we do with defectors from Venezuela, Russia, Cuba etc. etc.
It’s a pretty effective tactic. I don’t see why this entire thread seems to be struggling with the concept. The Script (which may or may not interact with reality) goes like this:
A) Dissent is unfairly persecuted in their own country for standing up to corruption/fighting for freedom/being a member of an oppressed minority
B) Dissent is welcomed into [Insert Country] of the Free, where they are protected from arrest and oppression by dastardly rulers of their native country.
C) Dissent is paraded around on TV, given interviews, etc. I forget the term but it’s the whole “see, even one of the blue team says the blue team is bad!” trope.
D (extra credit): Allow the dissident to question your country / evil government in a public way - just control the conversation enough that it doesn’t actually threaten the status quo. This shows that you are a just, benevolent evil overlord, as you are willing to allow the kind of dissent that got your dissenter in trouble.
-One last note: consider a situation where a member of the Chinese Internal Secret Police defected, and the US government gave them asylum. That dissent then goes on to critique China for being authoritarian. Fine. But say he does some slight questioning of our system (my system, whatever -hypothetical example). “Who the hell is he to criticize? He doesn’t even speak english!”
See my point?
