SHOOTING THE MESSENGER

No one can argue that Edward Snowden’s disclosures have not harmed U.S. foreign policy, but who is really to blame? Our nation’s security requires extensive spying on not just our enemies, but on our allies as well. But spying on 60.5 million phone calls in Spain between December 10, 2012 and January 8 this year, is crossing the line way beyond what is justified and productive.

The sheer magnitude of the shotgun approach employed by the NSA is hard to justify and has invaded the privacy of heads of nations closely allied with us, the privacy of innocent citizens in allied countries, and even the privacy of American citizens. Thus many Americans believe that instead of shooting the messenger, Snowden should be praised.

NSA SPYING THREATENS TO HAMPER U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Associated Press
October 27, 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry went to Europe to talk about Mideast peace, Syria and Iran. What he got was an earful of outrage over U.S. snooping abroad.

President Barack Obama has defended America's surveillance dragnet to leaders of Russia, Mexico, Brazil, France and Germany, but the international anger over the disclosures shows no signs of abating in the short run.

Longer term, the revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about NSA tactics that allegedly include tapping the cellphones of as many as 35 world leaders threaten to undermine U.S. foreign policy in a range of areas.

In Washington, demonstrators held up signs reading "Thank you, Edward Snowden!" as they marched and rallied near the U.S. Capitol to demand that Congress investigate the NSA's mass surveillance programs.

This vacuum-cleaner approach to data collection has rattled allies.

"The magnitude of the eavesdropping is what shocked us," former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a radio interview. "Let's be honest, we eavesdrop too. Everyone is listening to everyone else. But we don't have the same means as the United States, which makes us jealous."

So where in the world isn't the NSA? That's one big question raised by the disclosures.

The British ambassador to Lebanon, Tom Fletcher, tweeted this past week: "I work on assumption that 6+ countries tap my phone. Increasingly rare that diplomats say anything sensitive on calls."

Diplomatic relations are built on trust. If America's credibility is in question, the U.S. will find it harder to maintain alliances, influence world opinion and maybe even close trade deals.

But spying among allies is not new.

Madeleine Albright, secretary of state during the Clinton administration, recalled being at the United Nations and having the French ambassador ask her why she said something in a private conversation apparently intercepted by the French.

Albright says Snowden's disclosures have hurt U.S. policymakers. "I think it has made life very difficult for Secretary Kerry. ... I think it makes it very, very hard."