"The presence of the great whistleblower gives Russia
distinct opportunities, the likes of which the Kremlin could only have dreamed
of a couple of months ago. ... Has Washington behaved as if it were a 'loyal
friend and ally' to Moscow? No, no and no again. Only the most liberal minded
in Russia can continue to convince themselves that the Magnitsky Act was a
noble and altruistic gesture on the part of American politicians."
Sergei Magnitsky: His death in a Russian prison, after implicating top officials in a major tax fraud scheme, is widely regarded as a murder-cover-up in the West, and resulted in the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which targets Russian officials. It may be that with Edward Snowden, the Kremlin finally has a way to strike back.
“I
know of no other country, where a man can breathe so freely.” Seventy eight
years after it was written, the saccharine fairytale of VasilyLebedev-Kumach has finally come true. Albeit, only for a man
named Edward Snowden.
Why
"the great whistleblower" needs Russia is as simple as two times two.
Snowden wouldn't make it halfway to Latin America without the prospect of a
forced landing, whether for aeronautic or legal reasons.
China,
having gained maximum propaganda and political advantage from Snowden's revelations,
deftly stepped aside in its usual manner. So that leaves Russia, a country with
very specific political traditions.
Our
own "Snowdens" (that is, truth-seeking
whistleblowers) are, in a time-honored tradition, wantonly "flushed down
the shitter" by their government. But everything changes when the "genuine,
imported, overseas" Snowden flies in. The very idea of sending this
truth-seeker back to our former "arch opponent" is absolutely unthinkable.
But
aside from political reflexes and considerations of sovereign pride, does
Russia have other motives for contriving this grand political game around
Edward Snowden? To my mind, unequivocally, yes. Of course, the risks are high.
For American law enforcers, the Snowden story hits below the belt. The Yankees
are pissed off in the extreme. But the presence within our borders of the great
whistleblower gives Russia distinct opportunities, the likes of which the
Kremlin could only have dreamed of a couple of months ago.
On
our own individual paths through life, each of us happen upon deeply unpleasant
people of a certain sort. When such a person thinks he doesn't need anything
from you, he behaves arrogantly and superciliously toward you. He says nasty
things about you regardless of the situation, doesn't pass up the chance to spill
your tea, drop a dead fly into your soup, and top it all off with a disingenuous
good-natured laugh.
But
tomorrow always comes. And the mocker of yesterday is suddenly in dire need of
your help. He has suddenly changed! He now speaks so eloquently about "ties
of friendship" that bind you, universal human values, and honor! His eyes
are full of reproach and "the pain of unexpected betrayal!"
Do
you recognize this manner of speech and the "sad expression in his eyes"?
If you've been closely following the statements of U.S. officials in regard to
Russia and Snowden, then you cannot have failed to do so. When the great
whistleblower first appeared at Sheremetyevo,
Washington attempted to publicly threaten Moscow. But the tone of official U.S.
statements has since changed. They have begun to politely request that Russia "behave
like a loyal friend and ally."
But
in recent months, has Washington itself behaved as if it were a "loyal
friend and ally" to Moscow? No, no and no again. Only the most liberal
minded in Russia can continue to convince themselves that the Magnitsky Act was a noble
and altruistic gesture on the part of American politicians.
But
as I've already said, my opinion on the matter is the complete opposite. To my
mind, the Magnitsky Act has very little to do with the late Sergei Magnitsky.
Moscow and Washington have practically no positive agenda. On the other hand, their
negative agenda remains quite extensive. This being the case, Washington's
attitude is: "when we don't need anything in particular from Russia, there's
no need to stand on ceremony with them."
The
Magnitsky Act is the most blatant example of this cavalier attitude. The
Americans used the lawyer's death as leverage over Russia's domestic political
situation and diminish our standing on the international stage. What about
Moscow's stance on Syria - what can one glean from this? Surely the Russian
allies of the authoritarian regime, who are themselves under sanctions, might
have something useful to say on the subject?
Conscious
of all this, the mortally-offended Kremlin frantically looked for ways to appropriately
respond. Until Snowden showed up at Sheremetyevo, however,
there were no such options. Or, more accurately, what the Kremlin did to spite
America looked more like a successful attempt to flog itself. Take, for
example, the ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans.
Out
of the blue, Edward Snowden lands here in Moscow, full of a sense of his own
honor - and the Americans suddenly find their gums flapping less aggressively.
Now it is Washington that looks foolish and humiliated on the global stage.
It
is America that has incurred the wrath of the freedom-loving peoples of Europe,
who don't want others eavesdropping on them. It is toward the U.S. that Latin
America hurls its righteous fury, gravely insulted by the forced landing of the
Bolivian president's plane.
Moscow,
meanwhile, can sit on the sidelines and say, “What about us? We've done nothing!
We are all for humanism!” Figuratively speaking, Moscow has found in Edward
Snowden the ideal "anti-Magnitsky."
The
fact that this "anti-Magnitsky" is of limited use is another matter.
There is a proverb: "We are responsible for those we have tamed."
Russia has not tamed Snowden. But we have taken care of him. And the question
of exchanging him with the United States, even for something Russia really
needs, is now absolutely unthinkable. The damage to our reputation on the
international stage would more than outweigh any potential benefit to be gained
through such an exchange.
So
Snowden is no longer "imported." Until some way is found to get the
whistleblower safely to South America, he's all ours. It is a small price to
pay for the chance to bring America back to its senses.
