For the past four years the Obama administration has tried hard to "reset" relations with Russia. The idea wasn't a bad one. A more co-operative Kremlin might help the White House with its pressing international problems – the war in Syria, the US military draw-down in Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear programme.
On Thursday, however, bilateral relations appeared anything but reset as Edward Snowden – dressed in his trademark grey shirt and carrying a dark backpack – strolled out of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. He had been holed up there for five and a half weeks, ever since he slipped out of Hong Kong. Now he was free.
Vladimir Putin's decision to grant Snowden asylum – and make no mistake, Putin called this one – is a humiliating, wounding rebuff to the US. In theory Snowden has been allowed to stay for one year. In reality he is learning Russian and ploughing his way through Doystoyevsky. Snowden's stay in Russia could be indefinite. » | Luke Harding | Thursday, August 01, 2013
