Does Edward Snowden's Flight From Hong Kong Make Him A Defector? Asylum Seeker? Fugitive Whistleblower?

Damn, the 21st century is confusing. Edward Snowden's bizarre-yet-totally-predictable flight from Hong Kong to Moscow and, it seems, Ecuador, heading for a refuge from U.S. espionage and other charges, shows how things really are different now, in ways we are only starting to appreciate.