The US has, since the 9/11 attacks and the war on terror, abandoned the ideals laid out by its founding fathers. From the documented torture of suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison, where hundreds of people are being detained outside the periphery of law, to the rendition policy approved by former president George W. Bush and the infamous Patriot Act which limit the civil rights of citizens.
Today, President Barack Obama continues the Bush legacy. Some suggest that Obama has even surpassed Bush in restricting basic constitutional freedoms. Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s case has proved that the US, whilst propagating democracy and freedoms around the world, doesn’t practice what it preaches.
Snowden, who is seeking asylum in Russia, has rightly accused the US of waging a campaign of “historically disproportionate aggression” against him. Such action by the Obama administration not only taints the US image, but is a serious setback to freedom movements globally. Other countries will cite the US example as a pretext to crack down on their own dissidents. Snowden must be allowed to come back home without the fear of persecution.
