US Spying Disturbs Europe

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http://watchingamerica.com/News/230729/us-spying-disturbs-europe/

US Spying Disturbs Europe
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia
By Yevgeniy Grigoryev
Translated By Jeffrey Fredrich
17 January 2014
Edited by Lau­rence Bouvard

Once again, an atmosphere of trans-Atlantic scandal, generated by the disclosure of America’s unchecked spying, is heating up. In Europe, on the eve of a much anticipated speech on Friday, by President Barack Obama on the reform of U.S. intelligence services, fears have grown that hopes for a real change to this intolerable situation will not be realized. Any remaining glimmer of optimism was quashed by yesterday’s New York Times article, which says that, knowing the details, it will be "a speech that leaves in place many current programs." In particular, the National Security Agency will not be banned from collecting and storing telephone data.

No offense intended, but the impression remains that, on this issue, European allies view their American patron like a rabbit views a boa constrictor. Yes, they are outraged. Yes, they are disappointed. Yes, the press is angry that requests for an explanation of the motives of the NSA for spying on Europe’s own, and also consideration of European ideas about bringing some order to the realm of NATO intelligence, have been met with a flat refusal. But at the same time, they throw up their hands, not knowing how to react.

A crude preliminary report by a parliamentary group charged with investigating American wire-tapping of diplomatic missions and other European Union institutions, all the way up to the Brussels Commission, was recently presented to the European Parliament. There are plans to discuss possible conclusions in Strasbourg, only in March. In the meantime, Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok has warned Washington that, under such circumstances as now exist, a trans-Atlantic agreement on a free-trade zone will have no chance of being ratified.

It is clear that such a political and economic heavyweight as Germany feels the problems of American spying most keenly. It humiliates Germany and the Germans; it reduces Berlin’s rank in NATO. Millions of German citizens are outraged by the tracking of their telephones and Internet connections and demand countermeasures. The wire-tapping of the chancellor’s personal cellphone is intolerably insulting. Any real opportunities to put an end to this, in a country where U.S. military divisions, nuclear weapons, airbases, intelligence and operational centers, and hospitals are still located are, however, limited. Obviously, it was with this in mind, in the summer, that the Germans had already seized on the idea of a "no-spy" anti-spying agreement, so as to define "rules of conduct" for the NSA and other American spy units in Germany.