Thursday, July 10, 2014
Spies V. Diplomats
The US finds itself in a pickle after Germany caught yet another spy who was working for America within the German defense ministry. The Germans are angry and well they should be. If a government can't trust an ally then who can it trust? For the United States, it is a blow to reputation and an example of poor international relationships. The breach is a matter of trust. There is the cliche that President Reagan used often, "Trust but verify." The question is whether verification should be in the form of spying or more transparent methods. Based on the anger of the German government, the latter is what the US should have been doing. The result of the exposure is that diplomacy will be made more difficult for the two countries. US diplomats most likely won't know whether there are American spies in German ranks, and German politicians can assume there are. In other words, trust has been damaged with the leader of the European Union.
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