Assange claims that Wikileaks paid for his stay in HK and flight from HK->Moscow->Havana. I don’t know if this was before or after Ecuador granted him refugee status. Then there’s the bureaucratic holdup of Ecuador granting him refuge, but not travel documents (per the article above). I think there was also pushback from Cuba because they didn’t want to jeopardize the softening relationship Obama was fostering.
I’d forgotten that he spent 6 weeks in the international section of the airport waiting for a chance to get to Havana or Ecuador. Which kind of throws water in the idea that there was Russian state involvement. Putin doesn’t give a damn about doing the nasty things publicly and I’m sure would have loved to shower him in Moscow hospitality if he thought he’d be game.
Find me a country with no extradition, where you could reasonably blend in with the existing populace (ie not be pointed out every time you go out for milk as “Hey, that’s the American spy/traitor guy.”) and where the CIA throwing a bag over your head and popping you into a van would have possible consequences. (Like if you were in say Rwanda. Shit, we probably have a black site in Rwanda somewhere.)
Like I said, it would have been nice if Switzerland or some other neutral coutnry would have offered political asylum, but Snowden was so radioactive that he really didn’t have any other options. And it looks like he was trying to find other countries to grant him refugee status (skimming cannibalpeas responses)
I agree that he is used as a propaganda tool by Russia, but not sure that is the same thing as an “asset”. An asset, to me, is someone who is passing information actively on to you and doing things you direct. But again, I don’t think he has a lot of choice in the matter.
I really haven’t followed her since she no longer posted on BB (I don’t haunt Twitter much). Speaking of no longer a reliable source of information:
Yes, and that’s useful information if you have a private jet. But airline routes are based on supply and demand and the fact of the matter is that there are very few flights scheduled between Asia and South America and, when all is said and done, it is often more economical to go through the Middle East, even though it is a farther overall trip.
Your argument against Dubai works even better as an argument against Moscow. Because Moscow is actually farther from Quito (not to mention Hong Kong) and is not exactly the major transportation hub that Dubai is.
I’m sorry, I thought that we were discussing which one was a better route. My mistake.
You have a nice day, too.
@Leaders This whole thing about flight routes and flight distances should probably be moved to another topic. It’s turned into a discussion of the shortest way to get between Hong Kong and Quito, which has nothing to do with Snowden.
If you’re going to take the responsiblity to accumulate reams of data about the US and the world, you also have the responsibility to make it absolutely sure that a wealth of sensitive intelligence doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Fewer people have wronger hands than Putin. The NSA and the US were bad actors for spying the way they did, but allowing that info to fall into the hands of a murderous fascist is worse. Road to hell is paved with good intentions.
