Securely Travel Opinion: US Citizens traveling to countries which have an acrimonious relationship with the US should assess the risk they may be taking. Securely Travel currently views the countries of Russia, China, and Iran to fit this category.
The good:
- A US citizen, Brittany Griner, is on their way back to the United States and to their family and home The price was steep and long lasting.
The bad:
We have no doubt President Biden, Secretary Blinken and others within the Administration put all of the following, and more, into their calculus to bring home Griner.
- US travelers – Any US traveler who may purposely or accidentally cross the line of legality in a foreign land will, as always, face the music when it comes to local laws. Those countries who may have a bone to pick with the United States may be viewed by that country’s government as a potential pawn to be played in the “big game” of world politics as Russia did with Griner and is doing with Whelan. Putin’s playbook is right there for all to see and use.
- Any country with a nation-state sponsored individual in prison (think China and their intel officer Yangun Xu – may find themselves subjected to trumped up charges so that the nation may successfully extract one of their own from a U.S. prison. (Don’t think China would do that? Canada had the CFO of Huawei in custody (alright home confinement) on a US warrant and 13 Canadians quickly found themselves in Chinese custody – it was a clear signal and tit-for-tat.)
- Griner is not a criminal – We have just equated her to Bout.
- Griner is an individual who made a mistake and was guilty of her mistake. Her punishment did NOT match that which a Russian citizen committing the same crime would have received. Griner has not facilitated the violence which Victor Bout’s actions over the years has brought to this world.
- Victor Bout is a bad person. Very bad person. His business engagements facilitated many organizations to foment violence which resulted in the deaths of far too many.
- Paul Whelan is still in prison serving a 16-year sentence on trumped up espionage charges, Russia has another pawn on the board to be used against the United States – now we wait for Putin’s next move.
When planning your future international travel, reach out to us for a “Travel Safety and Security Briefing.”
Authors:
Christopher Burgess is a writer, speaker and commentator on global security issues. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, I24, China News, Bloomberg, CBS, NBC, and ABC providing commentary and analysis. He is a former Senior Security Advisor to Cisco and served 30+ years within the CIA. He has lived and traveled abroad for more than 55 years. He is the founder of Securely Travel.
Barbara Schluetter is an experienced traveler, having lived and traveled abroad for more than 20 years. She has resided in Germany, Canada, and the United States with her family of six children and a spouse who was a German Luftwaffe officer. She brings to Securely Travel her unique perspective honed over many years of travel both domestic and international
Tags russia Securely Travel travel Travel Safety
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