When Freedom and Sovereignty Are Hollow Words By Julio Godoy* | IDN InDe!

th NewsAnalysis BA"#$%&NA 'IDN( )he German !oliti*al *omedian +arl ,alentin on*e *oined a wonder-ul !hrase to !arody the *owardi*e o- !eo!le who .etray their own will/ 012gen h3tt4 i*h s*hon wollen56 ,alentin mo*7ed them5 0a.er d8r-en ha.e i*h mi*h ni*ht getraut96 %oosely translated/ 0say 0I a*tually would have loved to want5 .ut I did not dare to *an96 ,alentin4s grim humour is a !er-e*t mat*h -or the !resent !redi*ament o- $uro!ean governments vis : vis the ;9S9 and British glo.al surveillan*e o- tele*ommuni*ations5 revealed .y the .rave $dward Snowden9 All heads o- governments5 -rom Angela 1er7el in Germany to 1ariano "a<oy in S!ain5 !assing through Fran=ois Hollande o- Fran*e5 have e>!ressed their alleged outrage towards the ;9S9 s!ying o- their o--i*ial and !rivate tele!hone and Internet *ommuni*ations9 All o- them have used the same e>!ression/ What the ;9S9 National Se*urity Agen*y 'NSA( and the British Government #ommuni*ations Head?uarters 'G#H@( have .een doing all these years is 0una**e!ta.le96 But it seems as i- this $uro!ean o--i*ial -ury is -a7ed5 aimed more to satis-y national audien*es4 <usti-ied wish to de-end sovereignty5 than to warn the se*ret servi*es in Washington or in %ondon9 For5 when it *omes down to a*tually ta7ing ste!s to sto! the ;9S9 and British s!ying on all o- us5 neither Berlin nor Aaris5 not to s!ea7 o- 1adrid5 have the *ourage to dare9 In Germany5 -or instan*e5 !u.li* !ressure to ta7e a*tions against the ;9S9 has .een mounting sin*e Snowden revealed that the NSA has .een ta!!ing *han*ellor 1er7el4s tele*ommuni*ations -or several years9 In this *ase5 0ta7e a*tions6 means mostly that Germany should o--i*ially than7 Snowden with a sa-e haven against ;9S9 !rose*ution5 .y o--ering him asylum5 in addition to giving him a !u.li* -orum to dis*uss the im!li*ations o- ;9S9 and British glo.al s!ying and how to !rote*t German *onstituen*y against it9 Snowden5 who en<oys !rote*tion .y the "ussian government until ne>t summer5 has said that he is ready to *oo!erate with German authorities to analyse the NSA s*andal .ut only i- he is allowed to travel to Germany9 However5 .e*ause the ;9S9 government has issued an international warrant against him5 Snowden *annot leave 1os*ow without ris7ing .eing e>tradited to Washington9 In a re*ent !oll5 the German !oliti*al wee7ly Der S!iegel !u.lished o!inions o- BC res!e*ted <ournalists5 musi*ians5 a*tors5 and !u.lishers on what 1er7el4s government should do a.out Snowden9 All o- them agreed that Snowden is 0a hero69 All o- them also urged the German government to give Snowden5 who is tra!!ed in 1os*ow5 !oliti*al asylum9 As theatre manager )om Strom.erg !ut it5 0For Snowden should a!!ly/ Something .etter than '!rote*tion under ,ladimir( Autin should he -ind everywhere else56 a dou.le re-eren*e5 to a 1iddle Age German -a.le on o!!ression and -reedom on the one hand5 and to the !resent des!oti* "ussian regime on the other9 In the same issue5 Der S!iegel !u.lishes an analysis o- the magaDine4s de!uty *hie- editor +laus Brin7.3umer5 in whi*h he *on*ludes that o--ering asylum to Snowden would .e 0a sel- *on-ident measure6 -or the German government5 to retaliate 0the em.arrassment6 *aused .y the NSA ta!ing o1er7el4s tele*ommuni*ations9 However5 1er7el and her li7ely allies in the *oming German government !re-er to !lay5 to use a ;9S9 e>!ression5 0the mil?uetoast96 Sin*e the very .eginning o- the NSA a--air early last summer5 the German government !re-erred to down!lay its dimensions and *onse?uen*es9 )he head o- *han*ellor 1er7el4s .ureau "oland Ao-alla de*lared last August that the NSA has always res!e*ted German law5 that there was no hard eviden*e that the NSA had .een s!ying on !ra*ti*ally all German *itiDens5 and that there-ore the a--air was *losed9 1er7el4s minister o- the interior Hans Aeter Friedri*h even dismissed the revelations on the NSA glo.al es!ionage as 0naEve anti Ameri*anism6 whi*h 0is !issing 'him( o--96 %ast August5 a-ter a tri! to Washington to dis*uss with ;9S9 government o--i*ials the NSA a*tivities in Germany5 Friedri*h *ame .a*7 to Berlin *onvin*ed that the a**usations against the agen*y had 0ended in smo7e96 Vassals

&ther $uro!ean governments also !re-erred to .e *hi*7en9 %ast July5 Austria5 Fran*e5 and S!ain violated the most elementary di!lomati* norms when they -or*ed the air!lane o- Bolivian !resident $vo 1orales5 -lying -rom 1os*ow to %a AaD5 to reroute5 to sto! it and sear*h it9 )hey -eared that 1orales had !rovided Snowden a -ree ti*7et to leave 1os*ow and -lee to South Ameri*a9 As Bolivian am.assador to the ;nited Nations5 Sa*ha %lorenti5 said at the time5 these $uro!ean governments were -ollowing 0orders F -rom the ;nited States9G Indeed5 $uro!ean governments .ehaved as vassals o- the ;nited States o- Ameri*a9 Now5 a-ter Snowden revealed that the NSA ta!!ed the tele*ommuni*ations o- heads o- state or government around the world5 in*luding those o- Angela 1er7el4s5 Fran*ois Hollande4s and 1ariano "a<oy4s5 su*h .ehaviour is the more em.arrassing -or Ao-alla5 Friedri*h5 and the Austrian5 Fren*h5 and S!anish governments9 And yet5 the German ministers 'and most li7ely5 all their $uro!ean *ounter!arts( *ontinue to o!!ose the *alls to o--er Snowden !oliti*al asylum in Germany9 )heir reasons are !oliti*al5 not legal5 -or !ra*ti*ally all e>!erts agree that Germany would not .e o.liged to e>tradite Snowden to the ;9S9/ )he .ilateral agreement on e>tradition e>!ressly does not *over !oliti*al o--en*es as de-ined .y German !oliti*al !enal *ode9 A**ording to German law5 the revelation o- state se*rets is a !oliti*al o--en*e5 and as su*h5 is not *overed .y the e>tradition agreement with the ;9S9 In other words5 Germany *an o--er !oliti*al asylum to Snowden and must not e>tradite him9 Alas5 as +arl ,alentin said5 Germany would very mu*h love to give Snowden asylum5 .ut it does not have the *ourage to dare9 )his !usillanimity is not e>*lusive o- the !resent government9 It is shared .y the So*ial Demo*rati* Aarty 'SAD(5 whi*h is li7ely to rule Germany during the ne>t -our years as <unior !artner in *oalition with 1er7el4s #hristian Demo*rati* ;nion9 As )homas &!!ermann5 leading SAD se*urity e>!ert and most li7ely new minister o- the interior5 said in an interview5 Germany must a*hieve three o.<e*tives/ First5 Germany must *lari-y the NSA glo.al es!ionage and end it in $uro!e9 )o do that5 it needs the hel! o- $dward Snowden5 under the *onditions mentioned a.ove9 Se*ond5 it has to o--er Snowden a !ermanent humanitarian solution -or his !resent situationH and third5 a**ording to &!!ermann5 Germany must !rote*t its relations with the ;9S9 government9 How Germany5 and .y e>tension $uro!e5 *ould a*hieve the -irst two aims without endangering the allian*e with the ;9S95 &!!ermann did not say9 The Good Ones and the Neighbours )he allian*e with the ;9S9 that &!!ermann would li7e to !reserve inta*t re*alls John F9 +ennedy4s !oli*y towards %atin Ameri*a5 o--i*ially du..ed 0the good neigh.ourhood96 As %atin Ameri*an *riti*s othe ;9S9 a.usive !oli*ies towards the region said at the time/ In this *onte>t5 we5 %atin Ameri*ans5 are the good ones5 and the ;9S9 the neigh.ours9 But what allian*e with the ;9S9 &!!ermann wants to !reserve inta*tI Snowden4s revelations indeed indi*ate the ne*essity -or $uro!e and other regions othe world too J to re*onsider this allian*e5 and !ut it on a new .asis5 whi*h would res!e*t ea*h other4s sovereignty9 )hat *an only .e !ossi.le .y tea*hing the ;9S9 government the lessons -or instan*e5 granting $dward Snowden !oliti*al !rote*tion and a sa-e haven5 away -rom the ar.itrariness oWladimir Autin it seems too su!er*ilious and im!udent to learn9 German rea*tions to !ast ;9S9 ar.itrariness give a hint how it will .ehave in Snowden4s *ase5 and not re*on*ile &!!ermann4s three o.<e*tives/ %ast Se!tem.er5 the German writer Il<a )ro<anow signed a !u.li* de*laration against the NSA glo.al surveillan*e5 *alling it 0an atta*7 against -reedom96 Some wee7s later5 )ro<anow was s*heduled to !arti*i!ate in a literary *on-eren*e in Denver5 #olorado9 He was s*heduled to travel -rom Salvador da Bahia5 BraDil5 to the ;9S9 But at the BraDilian *ity4s air!ort5 lo*al trans!ort authorities in-ormed him that des!ite o- satis-ying all legal re?uirements to enter the ;9S95 he was not allowed to travel9 )he ;9S9 government sim!ly !rohi.ited )ro<anow to .oard the air!lane9 #ommenting the in*ident5 he said5 0It is more than ironi* i- an author who raises his voi*e against the dangers o- surveillan*e and the se*ret state within a state -or years5 will .e denied entry into the Kland o- the .rave and the -ree496 Germany sim!ly ignored this ;9S9 a*tion and never *om!lained a.out it9 What would it do the ne>t time5 when the ;9S9 government !rohi.its the entry in its territory o- all the German !oliti*al5 *ultural5

and <ournalisti* !ersonalities who have dared to su!!ort SnowdenI "ight now it is only a rhetori*al ?uestion9 *Julio Godoy is an investigative <ournalist and IDN Asso*iate Glo.al $ditor9 LIDN InDe!thNews J &*to.er MB5 MNCOP )he writerQs other IDN arti*les/ htt!/RRwww9inde!thnews9in-oRinde>9!h!Rsear*hIsear*hwordSJulio TMNGodoyUorderingSnewestUsear*h!hraseSall MNCO IDN InDe!thNews | Analysis )hat 1atters Ai*ture/ Atta*7 thru .urning tan7 in Syrian town o- Al 1umidiyah | #redit/ Western Hemis!here Institute -or Se*urity #oo!eration 'WHINS$#( Send your *omment | Su.s*ri.e to IDN newsletter Follow us on )witter and Fa*e.oo7/ htt!/RRtwitter9*omRInDe!thNews htt!/RRwww9-a*e.oo79*omRIDN9GoingDee!er