August 1, 2013
McMaster expert available to discuss Snowden’s asylum in Russia
Hamilton, Ont. August 1, 2013—Following more than a month of political uncertainty, Edward Snowden tiptoed out of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday, but his whereabouts and destination remain unknown. The NSA whistleblower has been granted refugee status in Russia for one year — much to the chagrin of U.S. president Barack Obama and authorities in the United States.
John Colarusso is available to comment on how Snowden’s asylum will impact Russia’s reputation on the world stage. “By cancelling his passport when they did, the U.S. effectively stranded him in Russia creating a huge problem for Putin,” he explains. “The current one year ‘asylum’ is a compromise measure, allowing the U.S. and Russia to work out a more satisfactory arrangement.” Colarusso, a professor in the departments of Anthropology and Linguistics & Languages, is an expert in the Caucasus region of southern Russia, and has spent more than two decades advising policy makers in Moscow, Washington, Ottawa and the Caucasus.
He can be reached at colaruss@mcmaster.ca (available on Friday, August 2 from 8:30 to 11 a.m.)
McMaster’s on-campus broadcast studio is available for conducting live or pre-taped television interviews.
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Andrew Baulcomb
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McMaster University
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Wade Hemsworth
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