If Snowden can get himself to a Hong Kong consulate of a nation that will welcome him, he could stay there indefinitely without being captured by U.S. or Chinese officials. Julian Assange of WikiLeaks has gone this route in London, staying in Ecuador’s embassy for nearly a year to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges.

Scoville said it is unlikely that another country would shelter Snowden and bear the political costs of harboring such a high-profile American wanted by the U.S. government, but that possibility remains.

“If there were some sort of consulate in Hong Kong that was willing to grant him entry and shelter him from authorities that would want to cooperate, he could have the same sort of protection that Julian Assange has had over the last year or so,” Scoville said.