Delusional

[The U.S. government] "continues to treat dissent as defection, and seeks to criminalize political speech with felony charges that provide no defence.
"I am confident that with the support of the international community, the government of the United States will abandon this harmful behaviour."
Edward Snowden, American Security contractor

Ah, so; if famously narcissistic Edward Snowden is that confident of himself as being an innocent victim of a vengeful American administration why then did he flee? If he did nothing to warrant the charges of criminality, of having illegally taken possession of secret high-security documents why not remain in his country of birth to defend himself against charges? Whose behaviour was harmful to the country; the government or his own in absconding with security-damaging data?

He chose to flee, knowing full well that releasing documents -- meant to be seen only by authorized personnel -- to the public news-ravenous media, would result in a sensational expose of government activities in pursuing espionage no different than that embarked upon by any country, friend or foe of the United States; perhaps with less technologically advanced equipment in their secretive, covert activity geared to arm them with information secured by few other means.

He deliberately exiled himself, knowing full well the damage he would be inflicting upon his country and his government, as a former employee of the CIA who deliberately chose to disclose classified details relating to top-secret American and allies' mass surveillance programs to a press eager to scoop the news. The man portrays himself self-righteously as someone who embarked on this course of action for love of country, not for love of celebrity, but that's the theatre he plays to, happily.

He is a self-righteous fugitive from justice, a man who betrayed his country's interests and security defences by making off with classified government property, and thus committing espionage on behalf of achieving notoriety and infamy.  But now he calls upon the injured pride of Europe to come to his aid in their grievance at the 'betrayals of trust'. The U.S. is damned for being caught out; good security programs are kept well hidden, something Europe well knows and practices.

The only betrayal of trust is the one that Edward Snowden inflicted upon his country. Now claiming in his injured sanctimony that if only he would be permitted guarantees of immunity from prosecution, he could convince the U.S. Congress that he has done nothing to warrant the government's wish to deal with him as a criminal. How does that square with his offer to aid Germany to investigate U.S. spying there; a criminal offence under German law?

For their part, Germany's top security official has stated interest in German authorities speaking with Snowden about spying allegations related to European U.S. surveillance. Mr. Snowden is keenly interested in aiding their investigation into his country performing acts of surveillance that it knows other countries, including its allies, perform upon its own activities. But will commit to nothing without a guarantee that "the situation is resolved".

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and German politician Hans-Christian Ströbele in Russia. Photograph: Hans-Christian Ströbele/EPA

Therefore, the urging by him that the international community ramp up its rage to persuade the American government to stand down from its determination to prosecute Snowden's criminal act of betrayal. While it is entirely likely that a somewhat abashed administration attempting to placate the anger of its allies may agree to tack back on its surveillance, it isn't dreadfully likely that a kiss-and-make-up scenario will reunite this wayward son of America with his forgiving country.

Photograph by Sean Gallup/Getty Images  Hans-Christian Ströbele, member of Germany’s Green Party and the Bundestag, holds a letter from Edward Snowden on Nov. 1 in Berlin

That being so, and with the knowledge that should he leave Russia where he has been granted a one-year asylum, which is likely to be renewed ad-infinitum and where he has been welcomed and made much of including a technical support job with a major Russian website -- it is highly unlikely that he would risk losing that security on a chance to ingratiate himself with European countries temporarily at umbrage with America.

"The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening, in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there. In some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry