http://worldmeets.us/images/obama-nsa-reform_inyt.jpg

International New York Times

[Click Here for INYT Opinion Page]

 

 

A Toothless NSA? Not Under Obama! (Die Welt, Germany)

 

"September 11, 2001 would probably have been prevented if Congress hadn’t radically curtailed the power of the intelligence services after Nixon. These memories run deep. Few things are as devastating to a U.S. head of state as the charge of having put America’s security at risk. ... For German and Latin American observers with memories of the Gestapo, the Stasi, and military dictatorship, these are dramatic developments. From a U.S. perspective, however, the drama doesn't come close to approaching the criminal activity of the CIA and FBI in the 1960s."

 

By Torsten Krauel

                     http://worldmeets.us/images/Torsten-Krauel_mug.jpg

 

Translated By Stephanie Martin

 

January 19, 2014

 

Germany - Die Welt - Original Article (German)

President Obama says America will stop spying on allies: Does anyone believe this? Does Chancellor Angela Merkel?

 

RUSSIA TODAY NEWS VIDEO: Edward Snowden joins Freedom of the Press Foundation, Jan. 15, 00:05:42RealVideo

Those expecting Barack Obama to abolish the NSA or pull the teeth of the intelligence services are disappointed by the president’s speech. That is in the nature of things. The War of Independence against colonial power Britain only succeeded because of a few lucky acts of espionage. In 1942, the war of two fronts against Japan and Germany was only won by America, unarmed as it was in its first year of war, because it was able to read Japan’s radio traffic.

 

And September 11, 2001 would probably have been prevented if Congress hadn’t radically curtailed the power of the intelligence services after Richard Nixon. These memories run deep. Few things are as devastating to a U.S. head of state as the charge of having put America’s security at risk.

 

Obama didn't respond to the criminal action being taken against politically-unpopular Americans, as Congress did after Richard Nixon. Yet Edward Snowden did indeed uncover extensive levels of data retention, as well as the coerced cooperation of major Internet companies. He did reveal high-handedness, such as the likely eavesdropping of then-opposition leader Angela Merkel - in all likelihood in order to create a profile of the next German chancellor.

 

The NSA is not the Gestapo

 

For German and Latin American observers with memories of the Gestapo, the Stasi, and military dictatorship, these are dramatic developments. From a U.S. perspective, however, the drama doesn't come close to approaching the criminal activity of the CIA and FBI in the 1960s.

 

As a result, Obama’s reform proposals are milder than those after Nixon’s resignation. While unjustified, large-scale U.S. data retention won’t be completely abolished, it will be considerably restricted. Data that remains from previous surveillance actions may no longer be used without a court order.

 

Like Worldmeets.US on Facebook

 

 

Some of the recommendations are modeled on Europe's data protection laws, while others are aimed at satisfying groups, the votes of which Obama doesn’t want to lose in the midterm congressional elections. However, a radical restructuring of the intelligence agencies will not be forthcoming. With the NSA shielded and still indispensable to America, the fractious Congress would not even be able to agree on the issue.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

Despite some excesses, the main purpose of the eavesdropping is to defend the country against terrorists who want to kill people like flies and without batting an eye, would use a nuclear bomb to that end. Happily, such a scenario has yet to occur, but that doesn’t mean one can entirely stop taking precautions. On this question, Barack Obama is absolutely clear.

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Die Welt, Germany:
Merkel 'Outraged' She Will Be Ignored by NSA
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany:
Berlin Says Americans 'Lied' About No Spy Deal
Deutche Welle, Germany:
Actions Must Follow Obama's Words on NSA, Germans Say
Deutche Welle, Germany:
Barack Obama's Missed Moment
Deutche Welle, Germany:
Obama Seeks to Placate Germany over NSA
Guardian, U.K.:
NSA Collects Millions of Text Messages Daily in 'Untargeted' Global Sweep
Guardian Unlimited, U.K.:
Snowden to Join Freedom of the Press Foundation Board
The New York Times, U.S.:
N.S.A. Devises Radio Path Into Computers - Even Offline
SCMP, Hong Kong:
China, Too, is Building Quantum Supercomputer
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands:
Don't Believe the Hype Over NSA's Quantum Computer
Guardian, U.K.:
NSA Comment Doesn't Deny Spying on U.S. Lawmakers
Cheative Chaos Congress, Germany:
EFF Lawyer Kurt Opsahl: All We Know of NSA Spying
Huanqiu, China:
For Exposing U.S. Hypocrisy, Snowden Deserves Global Respect
Die Tageszeitung, Germany:
Google, Facebook, Mount 'Disingenuous' Anti-Spy Campaign
Der Spiegel, Germany:
Snowden on How GCHQ Monitors Germany, Israel, E.U.
Financial Times, U.K.:
NSA Fallout - Brazil Snubs Boeing - Saab Wins Jet Deal
Ars Technica, U.S.:
Data Brokers Won’t Even Tell Government how it Uses, Sells Your Data
Guardian, U.K.:
NSA Review to Leave Spying Programs Largely Unchanged: Reports
El Espectador, Colombia
'Mind Control' is Achieved in Post-Snowden United States
Guardian, U.K.:
NSA Review to Leave Spying Programs Largely Unchanged: Reports
Guardian, U.K.:
Under New Law, French Can Monitor Internet Users in Real Time
CBC News, Canada:
Australia Spy Agency Offered to Share Data on Australia Citizens
Guardian, U.K.:
Snowden Revelations Prompt U.N. Probe into Mass Surveillance
British Parliament, U.K.:
Guardian Editor Rusbridger Testifies on Snowden Files
La Jornada, Mexico:
Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
CBC News, Canada:
Top Spy Refuses to Answer Queries on G20 Espionage
The National Post, Canada: No Reason for Canada to be Ashamed of Spying on OtherS
Globe & Mail, Canada: Don't Listen to Our Guests or Our Protesters
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany: U.S. Consulate General: U.S. Spy Center in Germany
Le Temps, Switzerland: Europe's Price for Trade Talks Must Be End to U.S. Impunity
Guardian, U.K.: NSA 'Collected Details of Online Sexual Activity' of Muslim Radicals
Tagesschau, Germany: Reports Expose America's 'Secret War' in Germany
News Switzerland: Swiss Asylum for Snowden Would Win Points with Berlin
ABC, Spain: German 'Snowden-Mania' Puts All Europe at Risk
Guardian, U.K.: New York Times Defends Guardian's Snowden Leaks
Die Zeit, Germany: Germany Warns U.S. Facilities Could be Attacked Over NSA Anger
Okaz, Saudi Arabia: NSA Crisis Exposes American Dream as Counterfeit
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Izvestia, Russia: Moscow Tongues Wag Over 'Downfall' of U.S. Ambassador McFaul
de Volkskrant, Netherlands: Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Dutch 'Laundering' of NSA-Acquired Data
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Folha, Brazil: Shaming the NSA is First Step to Ending 'State of Nature'
Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: John Kerry May Bring Happy NSA Surprise for Poles
Rzeczpospolita, Poland: Europe's 'NSA Envy'
Polityka, Poland: Allies or Enemies? American Intelligence Has Lost the Plot
Der Spiegel, Germany: Without Our Own Internet, We Have No Sovereignty
Der Spiegel, Germany: Et Tu, UK? Anger Grows over British Spying in Berlin
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany's Quandary: The Debate over Asylum for Snowden
Der Spiegel, Germany: Free Press? Guardian Editor Laments 'Retrogressive' Government
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codependent: Merkel's Pragmatic Approach to the NSA Scandal
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Spying: It's 'Unlikely' White House Didn't Know
Folha, Brazil: NSA Scandal No More than a Temporary Annoyance
O Globo, Brazil: U.S. Must Employ Famed 'Checks and Balances' on NSA
China Daily, China: American 'Anti-Terror' Spies Have No Place in China
NZZ, Switzerland: NSA and Germany: a 'Highly Toxic Outrage Cocktail'
Ryukyo Shimpo, Japan: Japan Must Safeguard Data from 'Superpower in Decline'
Japan Times, Japan: NSA asked Japan to Tap Regionwide Fiber-Optic Cables in 2011
La Jornada, Mexico: Human Rights, the NSA, and U.S. Moral Decline
Le Monde, France: After PRISM, E.U. Must Safeguard 'Emerging Global Consciousness'
Le Nouvel Observateur, France: NSA Snoops on France: 'Like Spying on Family'
Le Monde, France: 'How the NSA Spies on the French'
Le Monde, France: Fighting 'Big Brother'
Le Monde, France: NSA Wiretapped French Diplomats in America
Le Monde, France: French Phone Networks in NSA Crosshairs'
El Pais, Spain: NSA: For Europe, it's Better to be 'Heard than Ignored'
El Pais, Spain: Rather than Rajoy's Phone Calls, NSA Should Focus on JFK's Assassin!
El Pais, Spain: Conflicted Europe Must Defend Citizen Liberties
El Pais, Spain: Mass U.S. Monitoring of Innocent Non-Americans Must End
BNR Nieuwsradio, The Netherlands: The NSA Proves Dalai Lama Wrong
Dar Al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia: NSA, Drone Strikes, and Obama's 'Ethical Collapse'
Telegraph, U.K.: David Cameron 'Spies' Trouble
Der Spiegel, Germany: Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany: Say it isn't so, NSA!
Guardian, U.K.: Spain Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Claim NSA Tracked Millions
Die Zeit, Germany: NSA Blackmail of Obama Himself is Not Far-Fetched
Trouw, The Netherlands: U.S. Spying? Don't Put Your Open Data in the Town Square!
La Jornada, Mexico: Latest NSA Leak Puts President Nieto's Credibility at Stake
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Snowden Exposes NSA Christmas Holiday Loophole!
O Globo, Brazil: NSA's 'Anti-Privacy Services' and NASA's 'Earth-Shaking
Guardian, U.K.: France Summons U.S. Envoy Over NSA Surveillance Claims
Dep Speigel, Germany: Fresh Leak: NSA Accessed Mexican President's E-mail
La Jornada, Mexico: Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
Guardian, U.K.: World Editors: 'What Guardian is Doing is Important for Democracy
Guardian, U.K.: Surveillance, Democracy, Transparency - Views from Across the Globe
Guardian, U.K.: EDITORIAL: Spies and Journalism: When Worlds Collide
Izvestia, Russia: Global Call to Arms Against 'American Exceptionalism'
Huanqiu, China: Letter By Vladimir Putin Exposes 'Exceptional' American Inequality
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Putin's Note to Americans a Guilty Pleasure for World
Epoca, Brazil: America's 'Undemocratic' Surveillance is More Invasive than China's
Guardian, U.K.: Committee to Protect Journalists Issues Scathing Report on Obama
Guardian, U.K.: NSA Reform Under Threat by 'Business-as-Usual Brigade' - Wyden
Estadao, Brazil: Warning to Brazil Lawmakers Before Meeting with Snowden
Folha, Brazil: NSA's Great Power Challenge to Brazil
El Mundo, Spain: The U.N.'s Yearly Show Again Plays a Vital Role
Folha, Brazil: 'In His Heart,' Obama Knows Rousseff is Right about Spying
Opera Mundi, Brazil: Outraged Evo Morales Wants Obama Tried for 'Crimes Against Humanity'
Pagina Siete, Bolivia: U.S. Fears, Not Evil, Motivate Desperate Search for Snowden
El Nacional, Bolivia: Snowden: South America Must Take Stand Against Old Europe
El Universal, Venezuela: Maduro Uses Snowden Asylum to Distract Venezuelan People
El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua: 'Imperial Nations' Mock International Law
El Nacional, Venezuela: Bienvenido to Venezuela, Double Agent Snowden!
Hoy, Ecuador: Snowden Highlights Ecuador's Decision-Making Paradox
Folha, Brazil: Dilma Postpones Her U.S. State Visit; Saves Face for Both Sides
Epoca, Brazil: President Rousseff: Snowden Documents Show U.S. Economic Espionage
Epoca, Brazil: After NSA Scandal, Brazil Seeks Reduced U.S. Control Over Internet
Carta Maior, Brazil: Invasions of Privacy and the Tools of Terror Maintenance
O Globo, Brazil: Adjusting to Our 'Brave New World' of Liberty
O Globo, Brazil: NSA Targeted Latin American 'Trade Secrets'
O Globo, Brazil: Brazil 'Gravely Concerned' Over Massive NSA Espionage
O Globo, Brazil: Leading Brazilians Condemn U.S. Surveillance Against the Nation
O Globo, Brazil: President Rousseff's U.S. State Visit Imperiled By NSA Spying
Der Spiegel, Germany: 'Follow the Money': NSA Monitors Financial World
Guardian, U.K.: Edward Snowden 'Living Incognito in Russia'
BBC News, U.K.: Reporter Glenn Greenwald to Testify at Brazil Spy Probe
Der Spiegel, Germany: iSpy: How America's NSA Accesses Smartphone Data
Estadao, Brazil: Explaining John Kerry's Shellacking in Brazil
Cuba Debate, Cuba: Castro: 'Who Was Paid to Lie' about Snowden Being Allowed in Cuba?
Jornal Do Brasil, Brazil: Chancellor Tells Kerry: 'Terminate' Spying on Brazilians
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia: The Prohibitive Global Price of Poor U.S.-Russia Relations
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codename 'Apalachee': How America Spies on Europe and the U.N.
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Rival Calls for Suspension of Trade Talks
Telegraph, U.K.: NSA Employees Spied on their Lovers Using Eavesdropping Program
Reuters, U.K.: Close Cameron Aides Asked Paper to Destroy Snowden Data
People's Daily, China: America Must Come to the Table on Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.: Innocent have Nothing to Fear? After Miranda, We Know Where that Leads
Guardian, U.K.: Groklaw Legal Site Shuts Over Fears of NSA E-Mail Snooping
Guardian, U.K.: 'Sending a Message': What U.S. and U.K. are Attempting to Do
Guardian, U.K.: U.S. Senators Warn NSA Privacy Breaches Just 'Tip of the Iceberg'
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel and the NSA: The Scandal That Will Not Die
Guardian, U.K.: Dangers All Reporters Now Face: David Miranda and Journalism
Guardian, U.K.: David Miranda's Detention a 'Betrayal of Trust and Principle'
Guardian, U.K.: 'Attempt at Intimidation Will Result in More Disclosures'
Savon Sanomat, Finland: Better For Finland that Obama Goes to Sweden
Yezhednevniy Zhurnal, Russia: Snowden: Kremlin Tool for Reducing U.S. Web Dominance
Huanqiu, China: 'United Global Front' Defeats America in Snowden Affair
Die Tageszeitung, Germany: Manning Trial: Superficial Justice to Save American Face
El Pais, Spain: Manning Verdict a Warning to Future 'Heroes of Transparency'
Izvestia, Russia: Turning Mr. Snowden into a Tool of Russian 'Soft Power'
De Morgan, Belgium: U.S.-E.U. Meeting on NSA Surveillance a 'Sham'
Der Spiegel: Three PRISMS? Parliament Seeks Clarity in NSA Espionage Scandal
ABC, Spain: Fear of Vladivostok Escape for Snowden Drives U.S. Threats Against Venezuela
Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russia: Snowden: Putin's Perfect 'Anti-Magnitisky' Weapon
Gazeta, Russia: Chapman and Snowden in: 'The Ghost of Sheremetyevo'
Izvestia, Russia: South vs. North: Snowden's Place in History is Assured
Kommersant, Russia: Snowden's Presence May Scuttle Obama's Visit to Russia
Izvestia, Russia: 'Servile Europeans' Inflict Huge Insult on Bolivians
Wiener Zeitung, Austria: Edward Snowden is No Enemy of Our State!
La Stampa: Europe Will Rue Toppling Obama Over Snowden
The Hankyoreh, South Korea: What Hugo Chavez Would Say about U.S. Surveillance
Le Monde, France: French Big Brother is Watching You!
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's Indiscriminate Mass Spying on Brazilians
Le Monde, France: French Political Class Holds 'Outrage Contest' Over NSA Spying
DNA, France: Espionage ... From Washington, With Love
Liberation, France: The NSA 'Panopticon'
Der Standard, Austria: Mass NSA Surveillance Implies 'Bizarre Presumption of Guilt'
Guardian,U.K.: NSA/GCHQ Metadata Reassurances are 'Breathtakingly Cynical'
Observer, U.K.: U.S. Attempts to Block Edward Snowden 'Bolsters' Case for Asylum
Der Tagesspiegel, Germany: NSA: Merkel Ignores the Nightmare of 'Stasi Squared'
Der Spiegel: What's All the Fuss About U.S. Spying?
Guardian, U.K.: Britain Blocks Crucial Espionage Talks between U.S. and Europe
Guardian, U.K.: France 'runs vast electronic spying operation using NSA-style Methods'
Guardian, U.K.: Venezuela and Nicaragua offer asylum to Edward Snowden
Elsevier, The Netherlands: Snowden's Revelations are of 'No Benefit to Society'
Der Spiegel, Germany: NSA Spying on Germany: How Much Did Angela Merkel Know?
Der Spiegel, Germany Bolivia Irate Over Forced Landing
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany Rejects Asylum for Snowden
News, Switzerland: Humanity's Cyber-Hypocrisy Overload
El Comercio, Ecuador: Wanting to Keep U.S. Trade Privileges is Not Treason!
Der Spiegel, Germany: Spying 'Out of Control': EU Official Questions Trade Negotiations
Der Spiegel, Germany: Growing Alarm: German Prosecutors To Review Allegations of U.S. Spying
Guardian, U.K.: New NSA Leaks Show how U.S. is Bugging its European Allies
Der Spiegel, Germany: Partner and Target: NSA Snoops on 500 Million German Data Connections
Diario de Noticias, Portugal: America 'Summons World' to Renewed Cold War
Guardian, U.K.: Ecuador Rejects U.S. Trade Pact to Thwart Snowden 'Blackmail'
Guardian, U.K: Glenn Greenwald on Personal Side of Taking on NSA - Personal Smears
Guardian, U.K: How NSA Continues to Harvest Your Online Data
Guardian, U.K: Edward Snowden's Next Step: Live Q&A
Gazeta, Russia: Why Russia, China, and Others, Love 'Poking America in the Eye'
Guardian, U.K.: Snowden Affair Revives Politics of the Cold War
Guardian, U.K.: 'History will be Kind' to Edward Snowden
Guardian, U.K.: Latin America is ready to defy the US over Snowden and other issues
Guardian, U.K.: Putin Confirms Snowden in Moscow Airport; No Extradition
The New York Times, U.S.: China Said to Have Made Call to Let Leaker Depart
People's Daily, China: U.S. Internet Hypocrisy Creates Global Suspicion
Global Times, China: Internet 'Muckraking Frenzy' Damaging China's Global Interests
Huanqiu, China: 'Demented' Hacking Charges Betray U.S. Scheme for Cyber Domination
Guardian, U.K.: Snowden Leaves Hong Kong for Moscow: Seeks Asylum in Ecuador
Financial Times, U.K.: Snowden Fallout Impacts China and Russia
Russia Today, Russia: VIDEO: Former MI5 Agent Judges Snowden 'Canny'
Folha, Brazil: Trust in the State Inadequate as a Pretext for NSA's Spying
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France: Edward Snowden is Not the Issue
El Pais, Spain: Powerless, Europe Must Nevertheless Stand Up to NSA Spying Program
Global Times, China: Demonizing China Will Backfire on Americans
Global Times, China: Extraditing Snowden Would Be a Mistake
Xinhua, China: 'Idealistic' Edward Snowden Should be Welcomed by China
Mediapart, France: 'Autonomous Machines': World Reawakens to U.S. Web Dominance
Guardian, U.K.: Britain's GCHQ Intercepted Data from Foreign Politicians at G20 Summits
Le Monde, France: French Lawmakers Scramble Over News of NSA Surveillance
Le Temps, Switzerland: Last Resort for Confronting 'Electronic Big Brother'
The Frontier Post, Pakistan: On Global Spying for Selfish National Interest
Mediapart, France: The NSA is Spying on Us! What a Surprise!
El Espectador, Colombia: Please Consider Yourself Watched!
Le Monde, France: NSA Surveillance Storm Gathers Over Cloud Market
Folha, Brazil: Being 'Carioca' Helped Glenn Greenwald Break NSA Surveillance Story
Sol, Portugal: WikiLeaks and Facebook: What Came Before Will Soon Be Rubble
Guardian, U.K.: World Leaders Seek Answers on NSA Data Collection Programs
Guardian, U.K.: Artist Ai Weiwei: The U.S. is 'Behaving Like China'
Russia Today, Russia: Putin: Government Surveillance 'Should Not Break the Law'
Guardian, U.K.: Russia Offers to Consider Edward Snowden Asylum Request
Handelsblatt, Germany: Obama's Data Nightmare is Europe's
FAZ, Germany: Protect Us from Terrorism ... and Government Snooping
SCMP, Hong Kong: What Will Hong Kong do with Snowden? ... The World is Watching
SCMP, Hong Kong: Why Hong Kong? Chinese Wonder if Edward Snowden is in Wrong Place
Suedostschweiz, Switzerland: Exposed: Spy Powers that Obama Shouldn't Use
Le Temps, Switzerland: Exploring the Limits of Sino-U.S. Compromise
Business Day, South Africa: Obama Sets 'Dubious Example' on Freedom
Economist, U.K.: The Reason We Fear Broad Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's Secret Tool to Track Global Surveillance Data

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By Worldmeets.US Jan. 19, 2014, 8:39pm