Spying Between Friends

October 28, 2013

Published in Die Presse
(Austria) on 27 October 2013
by Wieland Schneider (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Sean Thacker. Edited by Laurence Bouvard.

Barack Obama is not usually at a loss for words — at least not when he recites before a huge audience whatever he and his speech writers have previously planned down to the smallest detail. Which words might he have found to explain to German Chancellor Angela Merkel why she was a “reconnaissance objective” of the National Security Agency (NSA)? Did he say, “Angela, I really didn’t know anything about it”? Or just a “Sorry!” whispered into a phone, which reached Berlin via the — tap-proof? — line out of Washington? Maybe along with the confession, “Yes, we did! But we won’t do it again!”

In any case, the U.S. government is outwardly claiming that Obama had no knowledge Merkel was being spied on. If he had known, he would have stopped it immediately. That seems hardly believable — especially in light of a new report that says since 2002, Merkel has been on a list of people to be monitored. The idea that the NSA is systematically spying on other heads of government without informing the president is hard to imagine. If it is true, Obama has an even bigger problem than calming Merkel down.

Spionieren unter Freunden

Barack Obama ist ja sonst nicht um Worte verlegen – zumindest nicht, wenn er vor zahllosen Zuschauern laut wiedergibt, was er zuvor mit seinen Redenschreibern bis ins kleinste Detail geplant hat.

Barack Obama ist ja sonst nicht um Worte verlegen – zumindest nicht, wenn er vor zahllosen Zuschauern laut wiedergibt, was er zuvor mit seinen Redenschreibern bis ins kleinste Detail geplant hat.

Welche Worte er wohl gefunden haben mag, um der deutschen Kanzlerin Angela Merkel zu erklären, warum sie „Aufklärungsziel“ des US-Geheimdienstes NSA war? War es ein: „Angela, ich habe wirklich nichts gewusst“? Oder nur ein ins Telefon gehauchtes „Sorry!“, das über die (abhörsichere?) Leitung aus Washington in Berlin eintraf? Vielleicht gepaart mit dem Geständnis: „Yes, we did! Aber wir werden es nicht wieder tun!“

Nach außen hin behauptet die US-Regierung jedenfalls, Obama habe keine Kenntnis von der Bespitzelung Merkels gehabt. Und hätte er davon gewusst, hätte er das sofort gestoppt. Das erscheint wenig glaubwürdig – vor allem angesichts neuer Berichte, wonach Merkel seit 2002 auf einer Liste zu überwachender Personen stand.

Dass die NSA ohne den US-Präsidenten zu informieren systematisch andere Regierungschefs bespitzelt, ist schwer vorstellbar. Und wenn doch, hat Obama wohl ein noch größeres Problem, als Merkels Wut zu dämpfen.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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