The US Must Clarify

426

March 19, 2017

Published in Frankfurter Rundschau
(Germany) on 9 March 2017
by Andreas Schwarzkopf (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Sandra Alexander. Edited by Christina Virkus.

The CIA and the U.S. government cannot perpetually remain silent about the WikiLeaks disclosures. It is indeed in their interest to clarify the affair. After all, they are supposed to be responsible for increasing security in the United States. Published information is causing a lot of confusion and and feeding conspiracy theories, according to which, for example, CIA agents are believed to have influenced the most recent U.S. election.

The data likewise suggest that the CIA could also have spied on U.S. citizens. That would be a violation of U.S. law. The CIA or even the U.S. government can only end this and other speculation by stating what is true and what is not. Otherwise distrust will grow and the social climate will be further poisoned.

References to such allegations should not alarm anyone. Perhaps the competition between intelligence agencies and firms like Apple over who finds or fixes a weak spot in a computer system faster might even lead to more security in smartphones and other devices. In fact, distrust between government authorities and firms is growing here, too. All of this makes an already overdue debate about the limits of intelligence agencies even more necessary.

CIA und US-Regierung dürfen zu den Wikileaks-Enthüllungen nicht schweigen. Ein Kommentar.

Der US-Geheimdienst CIA und die US-Regierung können nicht dauerhaft zu den Wikileaks-Enthüllungen schweigen. Es liegt sogar in ihrem Interesse, die Affäre aufzuklären. Schließlich sollen sie die Sicherheit in den USA erhöhen. Die veröffentlichten Informationen verunsichern aber viele und nähren Verschwörungstheorien, wonach beispielsweise die CIA-Agenten die jüngste US-Wahl beeinflusst haben sollen.

Zugleich legen die Daten nahe, dass die CIA auch US-Bürger ausspioniert haben könnte. Das würde gegen US-Recht verstoßen. Diese und andere Spekulationen können nur die CIA oder eben die US-Regierung beenden, indem sie sagen, was stimmt und was nicht. Ansonsten wird das Misstrauen wachsen und dadurch das gesellschaftliche Klima weiter vergiftet.

Auch Hinweise auf den angeblichen Nutzen sollte niemanden beruhigen. Vielleicht sorgt der Wettstreit zwischen Geheimdiensten und Firmen wie Apple, wer etwa eine Schwachstelle in einem Computersystem schneller findet oder behebt, sogar für mehr Sicherheit bei Smartphones und anderen Geräten. Tatsächlich wächst aber auch hier das Misstrauen zwischen staatlichen Stellen und Firmen. All das macht eine ohnehin überfällige Debatte über die Grenzen der Geheimdienstarbeit noch notwendiger.

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

Hot this week

Block title

Turkey: Not Only Cuomo but Trumpism Is Also Losing

November 10, 2025. Published in Daily Sabah

[Mamdani’s] rise marks the fall of Cuomo’s mafia politics and a challenge to Trump’s populism.

Saudi Arabia: That Photo at the White House

November 10, 2025. Published in Asharq Al-Awsat

The American master of surprises will receive the man who took the Syrians, Middle East and world by surprise.

Egypt: And What about Israel’s Violations?!

November 7, 2025. Published in akhbarelyom

[W]hat is happening in Gaza can never be separated from what is happening in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

South Korea: The ‘Devil in the Details’ Lives On

November 7, 2025. Published in Hankookilbo

With the convoluted negotiations beginning to straighten out, the burden on the South Korean government has been eased, at least for the time being.

Germany: Zohran Mamdani: A Capitalist’s Nightmare

November 6, 2025. Published in Die Tageszeitung

[M]amdani’s success could offer the [Democrats] a sense of direction.

Topics

Israel: Israel Gets It, the US Does Not

November 11, 2025. Published in Israel Hayom

From an American viewpoint, Gaza is a nuisance and perhaps something that can be worked around in the broader campaign against Hamas.

Saudi Arabia: Mamdani… and New York’s ‘Swallow’!

November 11, 2025. Published in Asharq Al-Awsat

[T]he Republican Party is now a coalition of religious conservatives, the social and economic right, and libertarian oligarchs. For their part, the Democrats have become a broad “tent” uniting liberals, moderates, and socialists.