General . Opinion . Politics

On March 22, 2022 by Jonathan Zdziarski

Nearly ten years ago, I supported Edward Snowden – at least, at first. I wanted to believe he held deep convictions, and was unfairly targeted by the state for standing up for those beliefs. We’ve since been proved fools for it all. For all the pontificating about freedom that Snowden has done on Twitter and in interviews, his silence since the beginning of the war with Ukraine speaks volumes. Are we really to believe a former NSA contractor somehow can’t figure out the Internet, when countless Russians are using Tor and VPNs just to post dinner pictures on Facebook? Rather than be a beacon, Snowden has chosen the path of silent compliance with Russian law, and in doing so traded in the same free speech he has so hypocritically called America to task for over the years. One cannot act the part of hero for holding convictions and then run away from every form of accountability. Snowden’s silence is the second time he has run away from demonstrating any real convictions, or proving to America that he had any in the first place.

During his time in Russia, we have seen the whistleblower system work effectively. More impressively so, it worked against a sitting president. The fruits of it were significant, and the process brought both public dissemination and a full press by congress to protect the whistleblower. Mr. X, whose identity is still somewhat contested, was a hero. He stood up to the bully, knowing better than most how lawless the tyrant was, and of the angry mob he commanded. In contrast, Obama was a teddy bear compared to Trump. What happened to X? Very little, even less compared to the charges Snowden brought on himself or the freedoms he gave up when he abandoned his country. Snowden stood on the illusion of moral ground, insisting the whistleblower process was corrupt, pleading for the support of his countrymen. In 2020, he expected the same understanding from America in applying for Russian citizenship “for the sake of his kids”. Yet even in being proved wrong by a true hero like X, while the country lived under a tyrant, Snowden continues to hide from the consequences of his acts of hubris.

What kind of example is it to set for one’s children- acts of cowardice and abandonment of one’s country? Is this someone who deserves the support of America, or to be hailed a hero in The New York Times? Snowden is neither a hero nor a traitor, but rather a deserter who could have had more positive influence had he chosen to remain in the US. I am much less inclined to support a pardon for him than I was in 2013. Rather, I would tell him to come home and face the consequences of his actions, and set an example for his children of what holding convictions really means.

Alas, unless he becomes some bargaining chip between governments, Snowden will never come home. He will never come home, because he already is home.