Snowden's revelations have exposed America's hypocrisy. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
Mr Snowden’s fate then hangs in the balance. The US is desperate that he be extradited to its shores to face trial for treason. But whether it succeeds or not in getting hold of Mr Snowden, whose story came to the world via a correspondent at The Guardian, remains to be seen. The fact is that the damage has been done. Mr Snowden’s revelations about accessing electronic communications illegally and tapping into internet hubs around the world have exposed American hypocrisy. As a self-proclaimed champion of human rights, the US has always stated that it upholds the right to privacy and has criticised other countries, including China, for prying into the lives of citizens. Being caught doing so has left many faces blushing bright red in Washington.
What we have heard first from Wikileaks, and now from Mr Snowden, gives us an insight into the world of international espionage and politics. Admittedly, most countries of the world are involved in some form of spying, but the fact that the US was involved in it at such a massive scale, as well as its attitude, which shows that it feels it can get away with whatever it pleases, even if it is illegal, is what has come under much criticism. The question now is whether what we have been hearing will change the reality for all of us.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (11)
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I really do not understand why does this argument lead to Shakil Afridi, Tribune editorial or US allegiance. Espionage is a reality but that does not mean that it is legal. Hence, when these people are caught they usually do not get a five-star treatment in the 'enemy state'. If US is doing all of what Mr Snowden has said then that is plain wrong. Whether Afridi did something, whether Tribune is joining a bandwagon these events have got nothing to do with wrongness of preying on people's private lives. Mr Kentucky has really surprised me and so has sidjeen. And if some CIA director says they dont look into the content, why is it justified from a civilian point of view. Why do we have to blindly follow the hypocritic narrative forwarded by the state. Pakistan may be the most evil country on the face of this planet, but how does that absolve the NSA from the crime of evesdropping on the people of other countries.
BBC had interesting interview with former CIA director James Woolsey who pointed out that the allegations against NSA are not illegal. He indicated the infamous telephone spying was simply looking at to/from information without looking at the content - akin to examining the outside of posted mail which has been ruled legal by the US Supreme Court. He also indicated that nations spying on other nations is something that has been occurring since nations were formed and is not illegal. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23041628
In this game of morals there are no morals. Nice to say well done Mr Snowden, when he is an American citizen. If he had been a Pakistani you would have been coming down on him like a ton of Bricks. We humans have become very flexible in how we differentiate between right and wrong, to suit our own biases. Better not to be judgmental and rejoice at others discomforts and miseries, considering we all live in glass houses.
@Siddique Malik
I'm curious....why do you think Snowden is on the run? Why does the US Government want him extradited in the first place? Why is the US threatening every country that harbors him? You don't believe in espionage or that spies exist? Pakistan wants to make the US look bad? I'm amazed at your ignorance! When threatened by the US to hand him over did the Chinese do that? No! Instead they issued this statement: "Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong." "But for a newspaper editorial to join the chorus and thank Snowden for his treachery is tragic and reflects a propensity to jump on the loudest bandwagon — something to which a newspaper worth its name should always be averse." You need to go back to school and re-learn what journalism is! The meaning of the word alone will do! Their job is to report independently! Thats the wonderful thing about free speech! Its a journalists job to report on any issue be it their own Governments wrong doings! Get real!
@sidjeen:
"i believe our very own Dr Shakil Afridi also deserves our gratitude, but most pakistanis would disagree."
Only if he had been really after Bin Laden, not after money, and in course didn't damage the vaccination campaigns for a long time to come.
@sidjeen: Sure, our very own Dr Shakil Afridi also deserves our gratitude, for providing unprecedented help to polio campaigns in Pakistan esp. in KPK and Fata.
i believe our very own Dr Shakil Afridi also deserves our gratitude, but most pakistanis would disagree.
@Siddique Malik:
"First, no country in the world has laws that prohibit it from spying in other countries."
I am amazed by the power of your reasoning abilities - twisted, of course. Don't most of the countries, including USA, legally prohibit spying in their countries, and their laws carry maximum possible punishment for the persons who indulge in spying? "Would US be pleased if the other countries do the same in USA". More importantly, is this just a matter of spying in self defense - vigilance only in USA could protect her from any physical harm from terrorists - or it is an indiscriminate intrusion in to the personal lives and privacy of billions of people of the globe? Perhaps you may not mind being watched 24/7, but most people in this world, including myself, certainly do. The editor has presented his views from Pakistan's perspective whose laws are blatantly being violated. Not everybody on this planet has pledged their allegiance with USA like you did, and, hence, bound to present only US perspective. The editor has rightfully praised Mr. Snowden for his courage to bring in to light and inform the general public what insidious activity violating their legal rights to privacy was going on secretly without their knowledge, though most of the governments and informed people of the world already knew this.
@Siddique Malik:
"Would you thank a Pakistani intelligence worker if he runs to New Delhi with four laptop computers full of sensitive material?"
This part of your comment deserves a separate mention. My answer is "He should", but only if Pakistan is secretly snooping on every email Indian people ever write, log all the web pages they ever visit, and record every conversation they ever make using telephone or Internet, archive their moment-by-moment movements using cellular tracking facility, and then profile every single person using that information. That is just insidious, not justifiable intelligence gathering for self-defense.
You accuse America of "accessing electronic communications illegally and tapping into internet hubs around the world . . ." This is an absurd argument. First, no country in the world has laws that prohibit it from spying in other countries. Second, the program that Snowden leaked was operating under a statute administered by a court to which "doctrine of necessity" is unknown. So how can you call the program illegal?
I do realize that quite a few people in Pakistan would love anything that has even the remote possibility of harming America -- their unwavering love for Green Cards notwithstanding. But for a newspaper editorial to join the chorus and thank Snowden for his treachery is tragic and reflects a propensity to jump on the loudest bandwagon -- something to which a newspaper worth its name should always be averse. The least you could have done is provided some logic on how you think Sonwden's illegal action deserves your gratitude. Would you thank a Pakistani intelligence worker if he runs to New Delhi with four laptop computers full of sensitive material?
Are you going to post this comment? Probably not, but I would be thankful if you prove me wrong on this prediction. Siddique Malik, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Also violated, are the 'terms and conditions' and the 'privacy policies' of Google, Facebook, Yahoo and numerous other corporations who run online services we use each day. I, like many Pakistanis, am an Android user. Google has access to my location all day every day. It knows where I live, thanks to the very popular Google Maps. The NSA purchasing information on Pakistanis, is a greater blow to our sovereignty and integrity than drone fleet targeting our own enemies. Pakistan stood second among various countries in terms of the amount of data collected.