Man without a country

Maybe by the time you read this, some obliging country will have given intelligence leaker Edward Snowden asylum, perhaps with a tacit nod from the United States that it’s OK with Washington as long as the nation giving him refuge makes him shut up.

Snowden is believed to have been stuck since June 23 in the transit lounge of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum, a specialist in Eastern Europe, recently described it as possibly “the most soul-destroying, angst-inducing transportation hub in the world.”

No wonder Snowden applied for asylum in 21 countries, as Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported. These included Russia, which said yes — but with conditions that Snowden apparently found unacceptable. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who clearly wants Snowden somewhere else, said: “If he wants to stay here, there is one condition: He must cease his activities aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners, as strange as it may sound coming from my lips.”

However, the former National Security Agency contractor’s sole leverage is whatever classified U.S. information he hasn’t already leaked.

The problem is finding someone who will take him. His country of first choice, Ecuador, whose embassy has been sheltering Snowden’s WikiLeaks patron, Julian Assange, shows signs of having second thoughts about granting him asylum. The next likeliest country is Venezuela. Its leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, said Snowden has “done something very important for humanity,” but gave no promise of asylum.

Of the 21 countries, those that didn’t say no outright said asylum was unlikely or attached difficult conditions, such as requiring that Snowden be in the country first before applying for refuge.

The one country openly willing to take in Snowden is the United States, but he would have to face espionage charges here.