Where Might the NSA Whistleblower Be (Relatively) Safe?

Nick Giambruno, Editor, International Man
Casey Research

The recent events surrounding Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, gives us the chance to engage in an interesting thought experiment.

Where would you go if you were Edward Snowden and were being hunted by the most powerful intelligence agencies on the planet?

Now of course this is a farfetched scenario for most of us, which is why this is only a thought experiment. On the other hand, with individuals like Bernard von NotHaus, the Liberty Dollar founder (a gold- and silver-backed private currency) being labeled by the US government as "domestic terrorists," maybe the situation isn't so implausible.

An important criterion that we should look for in a country is whether or not it has an extradition treaty with the US.

An extradition treaty is a legal mechanism that countries use to transfer people to another country for numerous reasons. The terms and conditions of extradition treaties vary due to the circumstances of each individual case and also from country to country. Some countries (like France and Brazil) will not extradite their own citizens no matter what.

Generally speaking, in order for extradition to be successful, the suspected criminal act must not be political in nature, it must be recognized as a crime in both jurisdictions, and the suspect must not be in danger of receiving the death penalty or torture if transferred.

Absent a formal extradition treaty, transferring individuals becomes much more difficult but certainly not impossible.

Countries with No US Extradition Treaty

Afghanistan	Ethiopia	Nepal
Algeria	Gabon	Niger
Andorra	Guinea	North Korea
Angola	Guinea-Bissau	Oman
Armenia	Indonesia	Qatar
Bahrain	Iran	Russia
Bangladesh	Kazakhstan	Rwanda
Belarus	Kosovo	Samoa
Bhutan	Kuwait	São Tomé & Príncipe
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Laos	Saudi Arabia
Brunei	Lebanon	Senegal
Burkina Faso	Libya	Serbia
Burundi	Macedonia	Somalia
Cambodia	Madagascar	Sudan
Cameroon	the Maldives	Syria
Cape Verde	Mali	Taiwan
the Central African Republic	the Marshall Islands	Togo
Chad	Mauritania	Tunisia
China	Micronesia	Uganda
Comoros	Moldova	Ukraine
Dem. Republic of the Congo	Mongolia	United Arab Emirates
Cote d' Ivoire	Montenegro	Uzbekistan
Cuba	Morocco	Vanuatu
Djibouti	Mozambique	the Vatican
Equatorial Guinea	Myanmar	Vietnam
Eritrea	Namibia	Yemen

The following countries have extradition treaties, but have shown that they will not always comply with US requests: Bolivia, Ecuador, Iceland, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

Hong Kong, the jurisdiction that Snowden first chose, does indeed have an extradition treaty with the US. At this point, Snowden appears to be banking on avoiding extradition by seeking asylum and arguing that his so-called crimes are political in nature. With Snowden currently in limbo in a transit zone in the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow – which is "not technically in Russia", according to President Putin – while long-term asylum options are explored, he may be technically freer since there's no extradition treaty, but his presence adds a lot of political pressure to an already delicate relationship.

Escaping to a non-extradition treaty country does not mean that you are home free, but rather will put you at the mercy of your new hosts. You could become a pawn in a larger game and traded away for concessions. The political sands are always shifting, and tomorrow's government may be more accommodative toward the US.

You could also be rendered (kidnapped) by the CIA and brought back to the US without the host government's consent, or fall within the sights of an armed drone. There certainly is no shortage of ways for the US government to hurt you no matter where you are.

While a drone strike on Snowden is currently highly unlikely, some more realistic measures the US government will likely take include canceling Snowden's US passport and cutting off access to his US bank accounts.

Snowden could have better prepared himself for these and related measures, had he established some offshore investments and researched the relative friendliness of other countries with the US. Internationalizing one's assets and life is a prudent and legal way for anyone to escape the increasing control countries are placing their citizens under. As the ongoing Snowden saga demonstrates, it's never to early to prepare.

All the issues involved in internationalizing can seem overwhelming to one just beginning. Our handbook, Going Global 2013, is full of specific, actionable advice on virtually every aspect of the process. You'll learn how to choose from where to get a second passport and how much money (and time) it's likely to take; how to legally open offshore financial accounts; the best places for stashing precious metals; and much, much more. Get the details and get started on internationalizing your wealth and life today.

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