France summons US envoy over spying claims

[JimC]

Every country has spies. They spy. It's what they do. Hence, the title: spy. So why does everyone always act shocked and outraged when spies are revealed to be...spying?

Largely, it is the scale of the NSA issue, as revealed by Snowden and others. This is not a certain country trying to take a peak at another's new missile plan, but the US winnowing the world's communication network, friend and foe alike, as they like. Outside of the US, it is not just the outline of the communication, but the contents as well that are potentially at risk.

Sheer arrogance and bullying...

China has - allegedly - stolen detailed information about all sorts of advanced US weapons systems, never mind all sorts of industrial/commercial intelligence as well.

Given the ability and the inclination - and the fact that we live in a world of data and communication - most countries will be unable to resist collecting all the information they can, by fair means or foul.

Even if that were so, it does not make them immune from criticism. And certainly China would be guilty of this as well. However, it is the spill over from large-scale data invasion of communications in allied countries that may come back and bite the US on the bum quite severely...

[Calilasseia]

The cynic in me is tempted to ask at this juncture, if the French would prefer the US to conduct espionage the old fashioned way ... such as blowing up trawlers in harbour ...

[Svartalf]

So long as they belong to al qaeda, greenpiss or other botherjobs...

[klr]

The cynic in me is tempted to ask at this juncture, if the French would prefer the US to conduct espionage the old fashioned way ... such as blowing up trawlers in harbour ...

Ouch.

[Calilasseia]

So long as they belong to al qaeda, greenpiss or other botherjobs...

In the first case, I suspect the French would prefer to do it themselves, and in the second, they already have ...

[cronus]

Two wrongs don't make a right. When the US was international policeman OK....now it is going for the full house....drunken on power. America is playing God.

[JimC]

The cynic in me is tempted to ask at this juncture, if the French would prefer the US to conduct espionage the old fashioned way ... such as blowing up trawlers in harbour ...

Yes, and that would of counted very heavily against at the time if we were assessing the relative civilisation level of France, no doubt...

But that was then, this is now...

[pErvinalia]

That was a truly shocking incident. It was an act of war, but because it was only NZ, they could easily get away with it. Thankfully, France seems to have grown up since then.