Collapse of 'The American Century': Snowden Blames Gold Standard Abandonment, Union Busting, And Post-9/11 Liberties Erosion

Edward Snowden recently expressed his views on the perceived decline of the ‘American Century’ via Twitter.

What Happened: On Monday, Snowden took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the factors contributing to the collapse of the so-called ‘American Century’. He highlighted three main points:

• Impoverishment of workers through union-busting and off-shoring.
• Empowering the state by abandoning the gold standard.
• The continuous erosion of crucial freedoms post 9/11.

Snowden ended his tweet by posing a question to his followers, asking for their top three factors contributing to the decline.

See Also: Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy Says Trump’s Campaign Should Focus Not On Revenge But On This One Issue Instead

Why It Matters: The former defense contractor’s tweet comes at a time when he has been vocal about his concerns regarding the erosion of public trust in institutions. Earlier this month, he warned of a potential revolution as Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands poised to replace human judgment.

He has also been critical of tech giants like Apple and Alphabet for their alleged ‘privacy-hostile design’, accusing them of sharing user data with the Department of Justice.

Despite his political commentary and increasing public profile, Snowden has dismissed the idea of running for president, stating plainly, “I’d rather not.”

Notably, Snowden was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin in September 2022. He fled U.S. prosecution after leaking sensitive information from the National Security Agency in 2013.

Photo via Wikimedia

Read Next: Moderate Democrats Say They’re Ready To Back Speaker Mike Johnson If Right Attempts To Remove Him