The US is a superpower, and therefore, in its view, it must have access to the secrets of other countries.
LAHORE: Edward Snowden is a US citizen, bound by the same oath of citizenship, which a naturalised citizen has to take — an oath that every Pakistani-origin citizen has to pledge to when he chooses to take a US, Canadian or British passport. As an American citizen, enjoying rights, privileges and welfare perks of citizenship, he was bound to serve and protect the national security interests of that country. The former head of the National Security Agency, Michael V Hayden, has stated that the idea that countries do not spy on one another is naive.
The US is a superpower, and therefore, in its view, it must have access to the secrets of other countries. It is foolish to assume that countries, which are close allies, do not spy on one another. The American establishment does not allow its citizens, who have access to sensitive information, to indulge in the luxury of listening to their conscience, while still enjoying privileges of citizenship.
The oath of citizenship, in the view of the US security apparatus, is an irrevocable act, which does not allow a citizen to make decisions based on his conscience, even if such acts may seem immoral, discriminatory and against the established fundamental rights of others, who are not citizens of the US. This is precisely the reason why a US passport holder cannot pledge an oath of loyalty to another country, or its laws, for the US expects its citizens to uphold national interests of the US alone. Every US, British, Canadian passport holder has to serve the interests of their respective countries, which include collecting information for them and following their dictates, if and when called upon to do so.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2013.
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