“Citing information from secret documents obtained by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday that several U.S. spying operations targeted European Union leaders.
Der Spiegel said it had “in part seen” documents from Snowden that describe how the National Security Agency bugged EU officials’ Washington and New York offices and conducted an “electronic eavsdropping operation” that tapped into a EU building in Brussels, Belgium.”
Could this have serious repercussions for America’s relationship with her closest allies?
About the same reaction as the disclosure that the UK spied on officials during the G20 summit.
There’ll be some official statements about the ‘shocking’ revelations, and then everybody goes about their business. The speed at which it becomes a non-issue will be surprising only to those who actually believe governments don’t spy on each other.
I imagine there might be a bit more faux outrage for this one because everybody likes seeing the big guy get a black eye.
This is one of the most un-shocking things I’ve ever heard. Countries spy on each other. Objectively it might not be very nice, but it’s not a surprise at all. Snowden seems to be trying harder and harder to appeal to naifs.
When one is granted a top secret clearance they pledge allegiance to the United States promising to protect classified information. Snowden at first feigned whistleblower stays by divulging said information. Now he’s just throwing shit out there to gain friends from other countries because he knows without them his assassination or death is imminent.
Israel is not an enemy of the United States, yet Jonathan Pollard remains in jail, and I don’t think many would quibble over the label “traitor” being applied to him.
If this isn’t treason, it’s because this is something every country in the world would have already been aware of this kind of thing and would have assumed this stuff was going on even if it wasn’t. That’s less true of what Snowden said about the U.S. and China, and now he’s stuck in Russia.
Put me down as another one who cannot feel shock that countries routinely spy on each other. And I’m perplexed at the hero status of Snowden in the eyes of some people. Really, if you’re going to do that kind of work, you’d be naive beyond all belief to be surprised at some of the stuff that goes on.
Its not just that the USA is spying on EU governments, they are actively spying European citizens. Is there much, Germany and other countries can do, probably not, but America’s reputation is going to take a hit.
And what do you think that says about the USA? and don’t you see how such actions could legitimise whistleblowing such as Snowden?
I say good for him. I started off neutral on this but the more ludicrous chest-beating I hear from the USA the more I hope he carries on doing it. Damage them more I say, show them up for what they are.
It doesn’t say much for the prognostication abilities of some US citizens. Doesn’t say anything about the US government itself, really.
The US government actually has a vested interest in keeping him alive. He’s a martyr if dead. Alive, arrested, and prosecuted, he becomes a much less sympathetic figure.
It’s a bit of a shame that both supporters and detractors of the actions of the US government (a) think it’s actually that stupid and (b) jump automatically to James Bond movie villainy rather than the more mundane generic evil of bureaucracy.