EU Outraged!
"We cannot negotiate over a big trans-Atlantic market if there is the slightest doubt that our partners are carrying out spying activities on the offices of our negotiators. The American authorities should eliminate any such doubt swiftly.""If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations" Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament is exercised, he is "deeply worried and shocked." Mr. Schulz insists on a "full clarification", he is set to demand "further information speedily from the U.S. authorities".
Viviane Reding, European Union commissioner for justice
Who are themselves in somewhat of a state of shock and disbelief. And in the interests of full clarification, they would dearly love to get their hands on that spectacularly sanctimonious Edward Snowden, who is himself prepared to make himself forever scarce. Seeking asylum in Russia, in Ecuador, in Cuba, wherever he thinks he may be welcome, or at least safe from prosecution as an ambiguously righteous agent for freedom of information.
Hollywood has been spurred into action. His rights as an American have been infringed upon. Freedom of speech rules out his being prosecuted -- persecuted is how they spell the word -- under the Espionage Act. But his move of defiance of his government, unveiling secret files and disseminating them to The Guardian and The Washington Post has not endeared him to the so-very social democratic Republic of the United States of America.
Let's face it, the world loves a scandal. And when a government exits red-faced with embarrassment over being caught out in the act of doing what every other government indulges in with skill and determination, using all the latest communications technology at their command to conduct their own espionage to know how, why, what, where and when about everyone, antagonists and collegial nations alike, it evokes howls of rage and indignation.
It's not the doing of it, since it is widely assumed that everyone indulges, it's getting caught at it. Now the U.S. administration can sulk all it wants, its colleagues and its opponents alike, each at times detractors when it suits them, are intent on extracting as much advantage out of the situation as possible. For the Chinese and the Russians that means any time America accuses them of cyber-espionage they can just flip the message back.
For the Europeans whose colossal economic meltdown in 2008 was caused primarily by fast-and-loose American bookkeeping in worthless mortgage papers immersed deeply into the melange of other questionable monetary goodies it's pay-back time. The U.S. is deep in negotiations for a free trade agreement with the E.U., and although the teams on either side are each looking for advantageous conditions and concessions, this scandal has suddenly handed the E.U. the upper hand.
It's a game played by friends and rivals. There's reason for huffiness to be expressed; Der Spiegel reports the U.S. National Security Agency installed listening devices to tap into EU diplomatic offices in Washington's computer network. "In this way, the Americans were able to access discussions in EU rooms as well as emails and internal documents on computers." Utterly, unequivocally dastardly.
Similarly the EU bloc's offices at the United Nations in New York were also infiltrated. Spywork took place in Brussels where EU-member offices are located. Oh, the outrage of it all! How could trusted friends do such outrageous things to one another? How indeed....
Eliminate doubt? Have no doubt, the U.S. administration regrets the inconvenience and the unsettling results, believe it. Eliminate doubt? Consider it done. Sorry, sorry, sorry.... (Full disclosure: didn't think you'd take such a hissy-fit over it all, anyway...)
Labels: Controversy, Espionage, European Union, United States
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, July 02, 2013
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