Giving Snowden asylum would not solve any problems for any country. That is why despite public sentiments, I doubt that any EU government is going to shelter and protect Snowden. Ecuador does it half heartedly for Assange and what has that got Ecuador so far? Zilch. Russia does it just to poke US in the eye. Everyone knows Putin have nothing but contempt for Obama. If this was Bush or even Clinton, Putin would cave.
The problem is mostly public image in relations. There is always a desire in Europe to have the US be more like Europe and ultimately subservient to Europe. That attitude was largely suppressed during the Cold War out of necessity. But now the Europeans have deluded themselves, once again, that there is no threat to their existence and their way of life, that they are now a more 'evolved' people, culture, and society, than the US, and that Americans as a whole is anachronistic and unfitting in the modern world. Not as if they did not believe so during the Cold War to start. I seen it back then and I see the same attitude today. Back then, it was kindly patronizing, today it is openly hostile and contemptuous.
There is no 'solving' a problem that is largely political theater and theatrical posturing. A flash in the pan. No matter what we do as long as Americans are determined to be the way we are, the Euros will always be contemptuous of US and will always seek something, expanding something else, or interpret another thing, to try to put US in what they believe is our 'proper' place. We put up with each other out of many necessities, least of all that we share the same planet. Hand Snowden over to US and the PR issue will go away. I speak rhetorically, of course, since Snowden is not in Europe.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/s...omplaining-too-much-about-american-espionage/
Like I said...political theater and posturing.
....go team America!
