Commentary on the No-Spy Agreement: Plucking at the Flowers

The U.S. government has little interest in making concessions for Germany. It represents a return to a time of misery — and initiative.

It’s right, it’s not right, it’s right, it’s not right — if the world were a flowery meadow, we would have to imagine the federal government as an amorous young girl in a striped dress. She would be lying in the sun with her legs crossed, breathing in the cool air. There would be a daisy in her hand, an answer with each petal she plucks: Is it right or is it wrong that those who we consider to be our allies punish us so harshly?

The U.S. government has little interest in making concessions for Germany. Politicians from all nations are now recalling the horrors of the past year, treating the events as new information: Wasn’t there an ally who offended us recently? And wasn’t there a chancellor who allowed this to happen? Once again, it is a time of misery.

We saw a possible no-spy agreement between the two governments. However the details of this agreement were not permitted to be released to the public — which is the most ridiculous of all possible options regarding the National Security Agency (NSA) scandal. The creation of a new policy that delivers real consequences following all this emotional outrage is long overdue. What real opportunities to do so would a newly-formed “black-red” coalition government (a coalition between the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party) actually present?

Initially, a comprehensive review is required. What sensitive issues does Germany’s data infrastructure present? Which of these is particularly vulnerable to third-party access? What can German authorities and services do to protect the country from attack?

A large-scale public review of IT security and a rigorous schedule designed to restore the effectiveness of civil rights in the digital sphere would make a good start. However, even the Social Democrats have relinquished control of the civil rights and data protection departments to the Christian Democratic Union.

This means that regarding the NSA affair, history will just keep repeating itself. Only time will tell what will happen next.