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Comment by Svip | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't call it propaganda as much as wild speculation based on nothing but assumption that it is still the Cold War.

In Russia's eyes, this is a huge embarrassment to the United States, letting him go where he wants is exactly in Russia's interests. Russia probably already know what he leaked.

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From Wikipedia: Propaganda is a form of communication aimed towards influencing the attitude of the community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.

Russia is still very active engaging in espionage in the West, just as we know the reverse is true. In that sense it is very much the way it always was, and that "Cold War" still exists.

Remember the Russian spies in New York who were posing as startup founders? :D

Not in the same way; during the Cold War, the Russia would always be interested in interrogating Americans should they be near them. Today Russia maintains diplomatic relations with the United States and is a trade partner, a massive change from the Cold War, where both blocs could sustain isolated.

This changes in focus and ways of how espionage in both countries is conducted. Russia does not unwittingly wish to provoke the Americans; and for what? Snowden is hardly a high target in terms of intelligence, as he was merely working for a contractor to the NSA.

Russia wins by doing nothing.

I would argue that the USSR was far more concerned about not antagonizing the US than the Russia of today: Before it quickly escalated and turned into a major spectacle, used to demonize and vilify if not to justify military activities (every time the USSR did anything that played poorly in the US press, you could hear the military contractors cheer at the new destroyer and fighter aircraft orders incoming), whereas now there are attempts by both sides to brush it under the table. As an aside, Russia has negligible trade with the United States.

Russia stills flies nuclear bombers to the edge of US and Canada airspace. It still has agents throughout the West, many who have built lives here. The leadership in Russia is still emboldened and lauded for standing up to the US in various ways.

In many, many ways it is the same as it always was.

The only reason I think Russia might not care much about Snowden's info is the fact that Snowden got the info in the first place -- if a 6 month outside contractor had the keys to the palace, there's a good probability Russia already knows everything he knows.

Russia wins by doing nothing.

Russia wins by copying his files and denying it. Espionage is alive and well, just last month a CIA officer was arrested allegedly trying to recruit agents for as much as $1 Mil a pop. The info Snowden has in his laptop is super valuable, why not have it?

Because they most likely already have it?

You never know unless you doublecheck it. But yeah, with tens of thousands working with NSA /CIA odds are that Russia and China both know a lot

Nah, it's propaganda. Careful use of biased words throughout. The vast majority of print and broadcast news in the US is now propaganda - it's painfully obvious to an outsider, but if you're embedded in it, it's harder to see.

The Cold War angle is a deliberate ploy to paint snowden as a "commie" - a handy Pre-made five-minutes-hate figure for the over-40s.

I suspect I am too much of a victim to the old saying; do not explain with malice what can adequately be explained with stupidity.

But maybe there can't be that many stupid people in the US media?

What would a free press, more specifically, the LA Times, gain by publishing government propaganda?

Suppose - for a moment - that the press isn't as free as you think it is.

Your press isn't free - and it's not so much what they gain but what they stand to lose by not toeing the line.

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