German spy chiefs will travel to the US next week to demand answers following allegations that US intelligence has been tapping Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, as a row over US snooping threatened to hurt transatlantic ties.
http://news.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8745544
Oh mang, here we go again
/s
Big countries spy on each other all the time. I'm pretty sure there were agents in Germany and France even before the NSA had any mass digital surveillance. But actually spying directly Angela Merkel, Chancellor of a very democratic wealthy and powerful country, like they were an enemy, cannot go down well for anyone. It will be interesting how this story unfolds in the future though. I might very well be wrong, but the best case scenario is they reach some type of agreement, not to spy on EU citizens, if things escelate even more, maybe the EU passes certain laws to protect their citizens...who knows! Worse case scenario, Germany and the EU backs down, and look the other way.
I just hope the subject won't be sweeped under the carpets.
Well, since i'm a german i have to say: FU** THIS SHIT! I still can't believe that most of the germans voted for merkel again. And now the CDU and the SPD are making a grand coalition - and germany will do nothing against it. I absolutely hate that.
A former U.S. diplomate was in a german talkshow last week and said something like "America has no Friends, America has only partners, and you just don't trust partners"
It deeply saddens me, that somehow america looks alsways like the aggressor (at least in the last 60 years...) - i'm not anti-american-citizen, but i'm definately anti-american-government at the moment. America was the land of the free, the land of the right, justice, fairness and especially the truth where things held high...it looks like those times are gone for good... =(
corporations took over.
This is one of my favorite stories which was made to seem like an amazing random event. In retrospect I'm surprised the german people have not vented their spleen in anger.
http://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/960011/trans-atlantic-espionage-claimed-german-wind-company
It doesn't seem that random to me. We have vented, but that's unfortunately all we do. We talk angrily about those things - and that's it. Sometimes there are trade embargos but most of the time, the companys that have been spyed on from the NSA, just don't deliver to the U.S. anymore.
Only about 5% of german export goes to america - 15 Years ago it was about 25 %, IIRC.
Also Enercon delivers more to China, India, South-Africa, then to the U.S. Unfortunately i can't find any "real" numbers... Nevertheless, Kenetech and GE have lost that case spectaculary, IMHO at least...
But there are a few 100.000 germans protesting against all this and those 5% of export are from last year, prognosis for this years is, that they have gone down another 1 or 2 %. The U.S. Gov should ask itself, if they are prepared to pay the price for spying on "friends"...
And although i'm not convinced that Merkel is going to do anything - she is only temporary our cancellor and this time has to act accordingly. The CDU did not win the election with the majority, wich means they have to form either a coalition or there are going to be reelections next year.
Oh and ECHELON was supposedly shut down - and the dagger complex is now under constant surveillance from the people that live around it...
But to be blunt, i doubt, that anything is going to stop the NSA from the Outside...and i fear, we germans are quite hopeless. There is so much hesitation to protest, i would even go that far and say it's the same as it was in 1938...