Nobody should find fault if leaked conversation came into public domain, given America’s own history of surveillance.
MUMBAI: This refers to the article “A leaked conversation” (February 10) by Sabina Khan. The US has been paid back in its own coin when its diplomat’s phones were intercepted and the conversation that took place came into the public domain. The National Security Agency (NSA) of the US has been accused of tapping the phones of heads of state of several European states. The US is frustrated with the European Union (EU) over the handling of the Ukraine crisis, as the country’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, has favoured closer ties with Russia rather than with the EU. Ukraine has been ravaged by massive public protests over this issue. It must be noted here that Russia has given asylum to Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who leaked details of the NSA’s surveillance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has managed to form the Russian Federation with some of the erstwhile nations of the Soviet Union, and the world has once again become multipolar, which I believe is essential for world peace. China is the third superpower, which is emerging on the global stage and the US has taken note of its growing prominence. Coming back to the leaked phone conversation of the American diplomat, the US State Department has acknowledged the authenticity of the conversation. Nobody should find fault if the leaked conversation came into the public domain, given America’s own history of surveillance.
Deendayal M Lulla
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2014.
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