MERKEL UNDER FIRE FOR USA’s SPYING
There's a firestorm brewing in Germany, according to this article shared by Mr. V.T., and it is a firestorm with potential long-term repurcussions for the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance.
It seems that, contrary to Chancellorin Merkel's bland assurances that the USA had pledged to stop its electronic surveillance activities in Germany - a pledge that helped her stay in office in the German elections of 2013 - nothing of the sort in fact occurred. Indeed, the USA simply ignored them:
German Firestorm Rises About Angela Merkel’s Lies
Consider the first three paragraphs of the article:
"Starting on Friday May 8th, some German news media have been reporting on the release of previously secret emails from the office of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. These emails make clear that when her underlings have said, ever since 2013, that the U.S. has promised to stop tapping the phones and other communications of Germans and even of the German Chancellor herself, no such promise had actually been received from anyone in the U.S. Administration of President Barack Obama. Instead, this claim from the Chancellor’s office was being made simply in order for her to be able to win the 22 September 2013 parliamentary elections. It was contrary to fact. And it still is.
"North German TV headlined on 8 May 2015, “No-Spy-Abkommen war nie in Sicht,” or “No Agreement Against Spying Was Even Considered,” and reported that Merkel’s office had received on 19 July 2013 from Obama’s Advisor Karen Donfried an email saying that she could only convey “sad news” to Merkel, despite “the difficult situation of the Chancellor,” and that this sad news was that, “the question of whether German law on German soil is respected” isn’t one that the U.S. can deal with, because, “Here, the focus of course is that we comply with the U.S. law.” The North German TV report said, “United States showed little interest in no-spy agreement.” In other words: Obama was communictiong through his underlings that he would not even consider Chancellor Merkel’s request for Obama’s people to stop spying on any German they wish to spy on — the spying would simply continue, on a routine basis.
"Subsequently, in January of 2014, Merkel’s office tried again, and asked on January 7th, whether the Chancellor’s office was understanding things correctly, that the text which the U.S. is willing to offer “does not exclude the possibility that the U.S. Government will spy on Geman citizens without our consent and without our knowledge … correct me if I’m wrong.” The very next day was received: “You’re right — there will be no no-spy agreement, and I think that everybody on our side has clearly expressed this.'"
Many would be inclined to view this as yet another confirmation of the fact that in spite of Germany's large economy in the global scales, and commensurately large military potential, Germany's diplomatic weight remains smaller than its circumstances would seem to warrant. In this, they would be correct. And it's a problem that all American allies have experienced in recent years, including Germany's counterpart half a world away, the American Satrapy of Japan. Adding weight to this view of things was the German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeir himself, who in an address to German businesses last year, offered the opinion that Germany should consider a much more "militaristic" foreign policy.
But in my high octane speculation of the day, I'm bold to suggest that this is but another step in the process that will eventually lead Germany, and the EU and its other members, ultimately to break with Washington, for if nothing else, it underscores to Germans that German and American interests are increasingly in conflict, and until that German "weight" is acknowledged in those relations, there will be no other ultimate course of action other than to expel the American military presence permanently. And of course, to do that, will be a long-drawn out affair, one requiring that Germany, and for that matter, all of Europe, beef up their own electronic and space-intelligence capabilities.
Or to put all of this much differently, more succinctly, and "country simple," once again American heavy-handedness is being applied, this time on a powerful ally, that can only result in a negative backlash.
See you on the flip side...
11 Comments
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I think you are spot on, Basta. Germany is stil a occupied country by the Allies of WW2, but now only by force of USA – with all their military basis and their control of their intelligency apparatchiks.
But there is a growing awerenes about this issue among the german public – at least by the business community after the forced sanction regime against russia, and of course, the suffering by the east germans during the STASI period; they are fed up with this situation.
You can find strait on expressions on this issue by the commentators on this webside. But, be aware that this webside was bought up by Bonnier in Sweden this winter, and they have slightly “been moving” after this incident. But their staff has still a freedom to put up editorials that you will not find in MSM untill later. Here is the link;
http://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/2015/05/19/putin-trickst-obama-aus-und-kappt-nato-transit-fuer-us-soldaten/
Eisenhower’s treatment of German civilians after the war ended was reprehensible which allows for considerable animosity if such exists. The issue of Merkel’s or the huge outrage over NSA spying must be a distraction from something actually new or indicative of how ignorant the PTB’s consider the populace to be. I rather agree with Jon Rappoport’s take on the Snowden affair. It hasn’t helped within the country and has just became an excuse for other countries to feign shock and indignation. Should we spy on the German government? IN the current level of understanding, we should. Was Obama’s response useful in terms of foreign policy useful? No. NSA doesn’t need to spy on German citizens or for that matter, anyone, without discrimination. Seriously I doubt that Obama can alter the NSA but he certainly could act with more diplomacy.
[Hit the wrong reply button.]
Your Absolutely right on Ike!
It’s documented in the book Hellstorm by Thomas Goodrich.
The NSA takes orders from “nobody”, they will do whatever they want.
As for Merkel,she’s just another US lap poodle.
The tides are turning for the u.s. Kerry only got to see Putin for 4 hours this week. He wasn’t invited to the big shindig to decide The Ukraine’s fate.
“John Kerry admits defeat: The Ukraine story the media won’t tell, and why U.S. retreat is a good thing”
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/19/john_kerry_admits_defeat_the_ukraine_story_the_media_wont_tell_and_why_u_s_retreat_is_a_good_thing/
All Governments LIE!
They all spy.
And it looks more & more like none of them represent the people.
Yet the BRISCA are giving those that are pushing the envelope too far, …a pause.
There was a time when there were choices that forced a TV-Side to nations that appeared to be free and representative of the people’s will. But with the collapse of the Soviet Empire, those TV Masks came off.
Perhaps the BRICSA are causing those long-ago TV side/Propaganda acts to come back & give more substance to the Potemkin skeletons of so-called democracies of the “West”. As Chomsky replied on what he thought about Western Democracies,
“I think it WOULD BE a good idea”.
Your Absolutely RIGHT on Ike!
In the book Hellstorm, it’s documented by Thomas Goodrich.
Since the CSA was reintergrated into the Norman Empire it has like the band of fools they are. Done the bidding of who knows who the Powers That Be that are running this deadly planetary circus show. Whenever you become in their eyes and rival or obstruction to them they will always spy and conspire against you only their desires and ideas count.
Ah for the real history of the modern era to become main stream. A lot of people would definitely jump out of windows.
No matter how angered the Germans may be over this, there are a good number of European countries, very likely including Russia, that don’t want US troops to leave Europe/Germany.
Germany has already well proven that it is not to be trusted with power over the euro currency, and Germany, like the US, and UK, let its banks run wild in Greece, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Iceland.
Just another indicator that Germany is indeed still an occupied country. I mean this quite seriously, in the legal sense of the term, that the German government exercises limited sovereignty and the allies have the final say. I’ve read a number of reports to this effect and it would sure go a long way to making sense of Germany’s foreign policy, such as it is. Just as you call Japan a satrapy, I think Germany should be regarded similarly.