US Internet Surveillance: A Bit of Whitewashing and a Lot of Silence from Obama

The U.S. is currently fascinated by two young men: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, alleged terrorist, and PRISM whistle-blower Snowden. Washington is treating both as enemies of the state. This is due to both the Americans’ sensitivities and the president’s personality — and how Obama has changed since taking office.

Since this spring two young Americans have been drawing the U.S.’ attention. Both of them show in different ways the type of threats to which the country is exposed. One of these men is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, an alleged terrorist, who allegedly killed four people in Boston. The other is Edward Snowden. He revealed the incredible extent to which the National Security Agency keeps phones and emails of both Americans and foreigners under surveillance in order to prevent what Tsarnaev supposedly achieved.

In contrast to Tsarnaev, Snowden never used violence for his cause. Still, his situation is rather hopeless. Washington treats him just like Tsarnaev, an enemy of the state. Above all it appears that Snowden’s greatest fear is becoming a reality: His sacrifice was for nothing, and the Americans won’t find the courage to change anything. This is due to the United States’ sensitivities, in addition to the current legislation and the president’s personality.

Snowden — Someone Who Tried to Serve his Country

Unlike the U.S. government, the majority of Americans do not consider Snowden a traitor, but give him credit for being a whistle-blower irrespective of their political views. While left-wing Americans have always been suspicious of the ongoing obsession with “national security,” the right wing has developed an increasing interest in libertarian ideas. Thus the majority of Americans rightfully consider Snowden as someone who actually tried to serve his country, instead of damaging it.

All this sympathy is also due to the realization that Snowden did not have any legal alternatives. America’s laws aimed at protecting whistle-blowers only provide for the event that an employee who discovers any illegal activities confides in a confidant within the agency or Congress.

By doing that, however, Snowden would not have been able to achieve his goal: to let the public in on what he found. Particularly as the NSA’s surveillance program has been created and implemented by all three branches of the government and is thus legal, at least on paper. That indeed is the disturbing part of this program: The state collects information on just about everything; however, nobody cares to share the details with the people.

America’s Fear of Tsarnaev is Greater than its Admiration for Snowden

The Americans are worried about this newly discovered shade of grey. They don’t really know what consequences to expect or how to face this dilemma. The faces of both these young men are in their minds: On the one hand there is Snowden, who warns them about losing those civil liberties that are an essential part of America’s foundation, with an almost religious relevance. And on the other hand there is Tsarnaev, who initially enjoyed this freedom to its fullest extent only to allegedly betray it in the end.

A month after Snowden’s revelation it appears that America is more afraid of Tsarnaev than admiring of Snowden. Europeans might find this hard to understand, but 9/11 still continues to have a strong impact on America. Terror created a fundamental mistrust of the world: the realization that America can actually be attacked, and that the exuberantly growing security apparatus is indeed somehow scary, but on the other hand can give you peace of mind when boarding an airplane.

Obama Changed Since Taking Office

President Obama observed this controversy – and many others – from a distance. He reassures and whitewashes a bit, and remains silent for the most part. He has a lot of reasons for this behavior. First of all, he knows that he only gives an issue more attention when he talks about it. Second, Obama grimly sticks to his priorities: domestic political reforms, which require all of his authority.

Third, Obama has changed in office. Even though the media is currently replaying all his old campaign speeches, in which he promoted citizens’ rights, he is not campaigning anymore. Instead he is now commander-in-chief. And fourth, Obama’s attitude is a testament of elitist arrogance, which he occasionally shows. Just recently he stated that it really didn’t matter if he was on the phone with Angela Merkel or if the NSA was spying in Berlin, as he was the ultimate user of this information either way. According to this logic, the Americans (and the rest of the world) are allowed to completely ignore all constitutional guarantees as Obama acts as the sound and final authority.

It is too early to draw conclusions from Snowden’s revelations. The outcome also depends on how the courts decide to deal with the actions that several civil rights activists have taken. But what Snowden has already achieved is finding an antidote for Washington’s excessive secrecy. Finally Americans are able to discuss the balance between freedom and security in an informed way.