A US Senate panel has recently voted unanimously to establish trade sanctions against the Russian Federation or any other state which offers asylum to an ex spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. The 30-member Senate Appropriations Committee asked Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with congressional committees in order to push for sanctions against any country which offers asylum to Snowden.
It was claimed that Edward Snowden is classified as a spy, not just a whistleblower who revealed that the United States was slurping information on its own citizens and snooping on its allies. As you know, Snowden is still holed up in Sheremetyevo international airport in Russia, where he had fled to escape capture and trial in the US.
Snowden had to ask for temporary asylum in Russia until he finds a way to reach a country which is ready to shelter him. Thus far, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have all offered sanctuary to Edward, but the problem is to get him there first.
Anyway, the United States wants to make sure those countries understand that they won’t be able to peddle their goods to the United States if that happens. In the meantime, it is unclear whether the US will be banning the export to those nations of its basic goods like Coke and iPhones. According to Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, this move was supposed to attract the attention of any state considering the idea of granting Snowden safe harbor. Lindsey Graham doesn’t seem to care much about hacking off Moscow and goes on to bang the drum about it by pointing at Russia allying with Iran and Moscow’s support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria. He has so far suggested the United States consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Although Moscow might not be too bothered about American sanctions, the United States has a range of programs which suppose to provide international trade benefits to such developing countries as Bolivia and Venezuela, who also offered asylum to Edward Snowden. Finally, the United States also has a free trade agreement with Nicaragua which could come under scrutiny.
The industry experts believe that the threats won’t make the countries change their decisions of offering shelter to a whistleblower.
Snowden had to ask for temporary asylum in Russia until he finds a way to reach a country which is ready to shelter him. Thus far, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have all offered sanctuary to Edward, but the problem is to get him there first.
Anyway, the United States wants to make sure those countries understand that they won’t be able to peddle their goods to the United States if that happens. In the meantime, it is unclear whether the US will be banning the export to those nations of its basic goods like Coke and iPhones. According to Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, this move was supposed to attract the attention of any state considering the idea of granting Snowden safe harbor. Lindsey Graham doesn’t seem to care much about hacking off Moscow and goes on to bang the drum about it by pointing at Russia allying with Iran and Moscow’s support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria. He has so far suggested the United States consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Although Moscow might not be too bothered about American sanctions, the United States has a range of programs which suppose to provide international trade benefits to such developing countries as Bolivia and Venezuela, who also offered asylum to Edward Snowden. Finally, the United States also has a free trade agreement with Nicaragua which could come under scrutiny.
The industry experts believe that the threats won’t make the countries change their decisions of offering shelter to a whistleblower.
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