It’s About Time for a Transatlantic Fight

It would be nice if our new coalition government — and above all our interior minister — would show some backbone at least on the subject of domestic spying. That would be the first step toward developing a new slogan: Don’t be surprised, be angry. And perhaps from that anger would grow a consistent relationship between us and our friends in Washington.

Instead, Minister Thomas de Maizière plays it cool, perhaps because he’s not surprised at America’s refusal to set effective limits on mutual espionage. So he totally skirts the issue to the point that it’s becoming high time to risk a transatlantic conflict.

In order to at least force a discussion of the no-spy issue — which is currently fast approaching dead and buried — Germany and the European Union have effective tools at their disposal: A treaty such as “Swift” or “Safe Harbor” is sufficiently in America’s best interests for them to simply risk accepting damaged relations with Europe. That is especially true of the negotiations on a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU.

We need to get angry enough to use these levers. Instead, our government apparently prefers to politely chat — hat in hand — with an unwilling partner.