The government of Japan,
which recently denied a request by
the NSA to allow the agency
to tap into a Japan-based, China-
bound, fiber optic cable,
is joining in the international rejection
of America's interminable
surveillance.
Japan Must Safeguard Data from 'Superpower in Decline' (RyukyoShimpoShimbun,
Japan)
"America's self-righteous surveillance activities are a
shameful mistake that compromises the whole objective of preventing terrorism.
... This reckless espionage activity may be partly due to the fact that
intelligence, which would have been gained effortlessly in the past, is now
more difficult to glean because America is no longer as credible. We are
witnessing the arrogance and desperation of a declining superpower. ... the U.S.
should not be permitted to continue tapping into our conversations. If we are yet
again subservient, Japan’s prestige will be diminished as well."
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: Depite the perception that his government is very pro-American, ithas rejected pleas from the NSA to help it monitor China Internet traffic.
British
newspaper The Guardian reports that based
on classified documents passed on by former CIA employee-turned-whistleblower
Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations
of 35 foreign leaders.
With
the newly-emerged revelation that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was one of
these, it is easy to imagine what other world leaders have been under
surveillance. In addition, French media have reported that over 70 million
phone calls and e-mails of French citizens were monitored. A backlash of
suspicion and opposition is growing in the European Union.
Germany
and France are demanding an explanation and plan to hold meetings in the United
States to discuss measures to prevent a recurrence. The Obama Administration
needs to recognize how damaging the situation is and provide honest
explanations and remedies.
So
far, the United States has said that surveillance is for anti-terrorism
purposes only. However, including friends and allies on the eavesdropping list clearly
deviates widely from that aim.
Since
September 11, in order to detect terrorist plots, the E.U. has shared with the
U.S. information regarding international money transfers and flight passenger
information. There has been much success through this partnership.
However,
given the eavesdropping allegations, there are now suggestions from within the
E.U. that should America's response prove inadequate, the U.S.-E.U. alliance
against terrorism should be reappraised. America’s self-righteous surveillance
activities are a shameful mistake that compromises the whole objective of preventing
terrorism.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Allegations
of eavesdropping have also extended to the leaders of Brazil and Mexico. This
suggests that rather than preventing terrorism, the real motive of this
surveillance is the gathering economic and political intelligence for gaining
the upper hand in foreign affairs.
As
can be seen by its debt crisis, America's international prestige in all areas -
political, economic, and diplomatic - is wavering. This reckless espionage activity
may be partly due to the fact that intelligence, which would have been gained
effortlessly in the past, is now more difficult to glean because the United
States is no longer as credible. We are witnessing the arrogance and
desperation of a declining superpower.
The
likelihood is great that Japan's prime minister is included on the list of
"35 leaders," and it is already apparent that the Japanese Embassy in
the U.S. was a target. The Japanese government should adopt a tough stance like
all the others.
Even
if Japan passes a special information protection law that applies to government data
and lays out reasons for protecting “state secrets,” it would be impossible to safeguard
the national interest if eavesdropping is permitted. It goes without saying
that a tightening of control over sensitive data means the United States will
not be permitted to continue tapping into our conversations. If we are yet
again subservient, Japan’s prestige will be diminished as well.
