Turning Away from Big Brother

The time has come to confront the United States with our values and standards. To do that via the Snowden case, however, would diminish Germany. The emancipation from “Big Brother” Obama should come about in some other fashion.

In awarding Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, the awards committee wrote, “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.” The award went on to say he was chosen for the prize because of his extraordinary efforts to strengthen the idea that dialogue and negotiations should be the preferred instruments between nations. That was four years ago and exactly five years since he became president.

And what became of that hope? A chaotic U.S. budget policy has frightened the world, along with the dangers of an ultralax monetary policy; we can add to that the unmanned drone war, Guantanamo and, now, a looming break in German-American friendship.

The Nobel citation continues, “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

Not in the last five years, nor in the last 50, has there been such a situation. Europe and Germany are sliding into a conflict with the U.S. because they see their values and standards being ignored, all brought about by the NSA spying. Germany is considering giving asylum to Edward Snowden, the man who blew the whistle on the espionage. Just as a reminder: This is the same Germany that, not least of all, owes its very reunification to America, a Germany that is fundamentally intertwined with the United States and from which it derives its economic and political strength. And now it wants to turn its back on America?

Now, some suggest that the issue of Snowden giving testimony in Germany be used as a means of decoupling Germany from its dependence on “Big Brother” America. In other words, a sort of goodbye to the Pax Americana. Others suggest Germany should not base the decoupling on this young man; Snowden should not be the starting point for a general discussion about U.S. policy. The paradox in this already paradoxical situation is that both sides are right.

Bringing Snowden to Germany would be a nagging provocation.

What do we think Snowden still knows? He has given up his files for gradual release. He has disclosed the reasons for his action. The NSA’s activities are well known. Therefore, having him give testimony in Germany instead of Russia would be an ostentatious act, one that Germany would initiate to cover the legalities. Thus, it would be an emancipation by provocation because it would aggravate the United States.

The Nobel Committee closes its award declaration by saying it endorses Obama’s appeal, “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

May the German government also share the same motivation.