How far do you think the U.S will go to get Edward Snowden?

[cali]

The language emerging from Congress and Administration spokespersons reflects a lot of frustration and seeming determination to return Snowden to the U.S.

Would the U.S. "escort" a plane carrying Snowden back to the U.S.?

Would they withdraw the Ambassador to Russia as a protest?

Would they kidnap Snowden?

Just how far is the administration prepared to go in pursuit of him?

Personally, I think they're prepared to go quite far indeed.

[The Link]

1. Is there justification for use of a drone?

I think they are willing and able to go that far.

[leveymg]

2. They would try something in some smallish, defenseless country. But, not inside Russia or China.

It would invite retaliation and escalation if one side knocked off the others assets and started moving up the food chain.

[jsr]

3. Snowden is probably on the White House kill list

and the CIA had plenty of experience with death squads in South America.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Most attempts would make the US look even more stupid internationally

"escorting" a plane carrying Snowden back to the U.S could be viewed as piracy.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. His Mercedes will jump ... oh wait

who are we talking about?

[BeyondGeography]

6. Not very

Why turn him into a martyr when he's seeking refuge courtesy of countries whose human rights records pale in comparison to ours? Just let public opinion turn against him (which it has and will continue to do so) and make his hosts pay a steep economic and political price.

[sibelian]

7. I don't know.

Assange had some kind of "dead man's switch" to stop people doing nasty stuff to him, IIRC. I woudln't be surprised if Snowden's communicated something similar. There wouldn't be any need to let the populace know that.

TBH, if they haven't caught him by now...

[MineralMan]

8. Not very far. They'll use diplomatic channels to

try to convince the government wherever he is to extradite him.

Snowden has released what he has to release. Whatever harm has been done is already done. He has nothing more to offer.

Eventually, he will probably end up back in the US.

That's my take on it.

[Poll_Blind]

9. I don't know. But I DO know that authoritarians who sense their power is in doubt will lash out.

I just don't know.

Fascinating question, especially in this particular situation. I'm inclined to agree with your last sentence but I don't know how that would manifest itself.

PB

[Bonobo]

10. I agree. Very far indeed. nt

[Catherina]

11. Far, very, very far

Binney was not joking when he said

Asked what Edward Snowden should expect to happen to him, William Binney, answered, "first tortured, then maybe even rendered and tortured and then incarcerated and then tried and incarcerated or even executed." Interesting that this is what a whistleblower, former Senior level Director at NSA, thinks the U.S. government will do to a citizen.

When you wrap your mind around the international effects and ramifications of his disclosures, they'd mind-boggling.

Years worth of decryption work just went down the drain and the NSA has a huge blind spot into the political, military, scientific and economic affairs of other countries now. Sensitive communications are being re-routed. The great US Cloud storage idea just went down the tubes. And now US relations with countries like Russia and China aren't on track right now, or whatever words the administration was using 2 weeks ago.

And our hypocrisy has been unmasked to little people all over the world.

This is why he wasn't on that plane. And Russia is under no obligation to provide any information. They're playing the "I know nothing" game. Snowden's life is in extreme danger. Thankfully he realizes this and stated so.

[CanonRay]

12. I think he'll be in a car accident, or die of "natural causes"

at a very young age.