Fugitive Edward Snowden's diminishing possibilities of remaining free to continue releasing information about secret U.S. surveillance programs increasingly appear to hinge on Venezuela, which Monday awaited word on whether the former National Security Agency contractor would accept its offer of asylum.
Bolivia and Nicaragua also say they could give refuge to Snowden, who is on the run from American officials and is believed to be marooned in the vast transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. And Raul Castro, the president of communist Cuba, on Sunday expressed support for Latin American allies that might take in the 30-year-old computer expert, opening the possibility that Snowden could fly through Havana as a first leg on his flight to asylum.
Among those offering sanctuary to Snowden, oil-rich and anti-imperialist Venezuela stands out: a country with an intense antipathy toward the United States and just enough muscle to make Snowden's escape from American law enforcement a possibility. It also appears that Russian officials, eager to end the diplomatic fallout of having Snowden in Moscow, see their close ally, Venezuela, as offering the clearest solution.