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Comment by jlgreco | Hacker News Reader

> "[as there was] no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving"

What exactly does the US think that Hong Kong should have done? Break the law?

What a bunch of hypocrites.

Actually, it's not hypocritical at all - which is the problem in a nutshell. We've gotten so used arbitrary enforcement of our own laws (e.g. Clapper) that we're shocked when others take the rule of law seriously. Or at least, more seriously than we do.

It is consistent though.... Since we are now sure that non Americans are worth less than Americans to the US government, then it does actually make sense that Hong Kong law could be regarded as secondary and that the demands of US law reigns supreme.

Sadly, I suppose that would be a demonstration of the "arrogance" the US is so often accused of.

Dunno why they dont just leave the bloke to it. Just issue a standard warrant and he's basically never allowed back in the US unless he is prepared to face the charges. Olde days, "exile" was a decent punishment for some one in this position. Why not now? Surely never being allowed home for the rest of his life, to a country so great as the USA must be a terrible punishment for an American, no? What's wrong with a bit of olde skool exile?

I guess that US knows that it is not great at all, and people will HAPPILY stay exiled (like for example, Bobby Fisher... that after being exiled in this way was very happy to take a Iceland citizenship and dump his US one)

"Sadly, I suppose that would be a demonstration of the "arrogance" the US is so often accused of."

Accused my ass.. more like "IS".

>Surely never being allowed home for the rest of his life, to a country so great as the USA must be a terrible punishment for an American, no?

Yes, imagine have to flee Nebraska or South Carolina for a place like Amsterdam or Paris or Singapore, etc...

That was, of course, his point. But Snowden DID leave Hawaii...

That wouldn't scare the bejeezus out of the next leaker. They have to ruin his life, harass his friends and family, the works.

Well, yeah. What else would be reasonable, progressive state do? Exactly what the US wants.

I think the UK and Canada have spoiled the USA to the point where a foreign entity acting as tho they had sovereignty offends and confuses.

I'm sure many in the USG are shocked, and not because they are used to Canada and the UK playing along, but because they think every country would bend to our will because of the fear of any economic sanctions we would impose. The truth is that the more globalism marches on, the less of a consequence a given country would really feel from the US (or any other government for that matter) imposing economic sanctions. Many countries have increasingly diversified their portfolio of trading partners, making economic soft power increasingly irrelevant for smaller sovereign states.

HK has nothing to fear with regards to economic sanctions. One can be reasonably sure that even under "One country, two systems", China wouldn't take kindly to economic sanctions against HK, and in the end, the US needs China more than China needs the US.

A government will declare whatever it can get away with as legal in order to advance it's agenda (in this case, not getting involved). Remember the Obama administration claims that all the NSA spying is legal anyway. Doesn't mean it is. Doesn't mean there was no legal basis to arrest him.

If Hong Kong even remotely wanted Snowden arrested, he would have been. They wanted nothing to do with the entire matter and so stalled a little bit to let him go.

Well, remember what Cardinal Richelieu said about being able to convict someone on 6 sentences.

There was a valid criminal complaint, the rest that follows is international politics just like spying or cyberattacks; if Hong Kong had intended to comply with the complaint and arrest Snowden to start extradition proceedings they would have found an excuse to. If Hong Kong did not intend to comply then some reasoning would be found, "mistakenly" or otherwise, within the legal code to technically invalidate or delay the request.

Apparently Hong Kong or China didn't feel like complying. It's just not often we get to see cloak-and-dagger style diplomacy played out so publicly.

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