Striking Back: Germany Considers Counterespionage Against US

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-considers-counterespionage-measures-against-united-states-a-953985.html



Unsatisfied with the lack of answers provided by Washington in the NSA spying scandal, officials in Berlin are considering a new approach. Germany might begin counterespionage measures aimed at allies.

Striking Back: Germany Considers Counterespionage Against US
By SPIEGEL Staff
February 18, 2014 – 12:44 PM

The question seemed out of place, especially when asked three times. A female journalist from a satire magazine wanted to know if Thomas de Maizière liked cheese snacks. "Questions like that are more appropriate for breakfast television than here," the minister snipped back. It was de Maizière's first visit as interior minister to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency. And he was in no mood for jokes.

Instead, the minister preferred to focus on the basics during the appearance two weeks ago, with counterespionage at the top of his list. The issue, he warned, shouldn't be underestimated, adding that the question as to who was doing the spying was but of secondary importance.

In other words: Germany intends to defend itself against all spying efforts in the future, even if they are perpetrated by supposed friends.

While the minister's words may have sounded innocuous, they marked nothing less than the start of a political about-face. Away from the public eye, the German government is moving toward implementing plans to turn its own spies against partner countries like the United States, putting allies on the same level as the Chinese, Russians and North Koreans.

[DetlefK]

1. Kerry: "Let's turn the page." You wish.

We Germans prefer it direct and clear. As Christoph Waltz quipped: We suspect anything else as "suspect and slimy".

For example:
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was the defense-minister of Germany and at his time THE most popular politician of all of Germany. Then it turned out that he cheated with his doctorate thesis. The university revoked his doctorate degree, he lost his position as minister and his name became so tainted in public and media that he was practically unemployable in Germany and had to take a job in the US in a think-tank.
This is what we did to a guy we LIKED!

For example:
Christian Wulff was federal president of Germany, head of state. Then it turned out that he once got a "private loan" from a businessman, back when Wulff had been a representative in a state-parliament. The media and state-attorneys jumped on it and the political climate became so poisoned that he had to step down.
That's what we did to our HEAD OF STATE.

What do you think, how we react, when a supposed friend suddenly turns traitor?
Forgive and forget, turn the page?
That's not how Germans roll. We have a special distaste for liars and cheaters.

And one more thing: We Germans don't like quick changes. Once the new counterintelligence-measures are in place, we will most likely keep them indefinitely, just out of habit.