Switch Theme:

USA spying on Germany?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in gb
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





Oxfordshire UK

The USA have alledgedly been spying on the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. If it's true, one has to ask, why?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24651975

I thought this sort of thing went out with 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'? It does bring to mind some delicious images of gritty 50's Spy Movies though.


 
   
Made in us
Bloodthirsty Chaos Knight






I thought the USA spies on everyone. Doesn't really surprise me.

Space Wolves: 3770
Orks: 3000
Chaos Daemons: 1750
Warriors of Chaos: 2000

My avatar 
   
Made in gb
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





Oxfordshire UK

I guess not, but if true it shows a remarkable lack of tact by the US Govt. After all, it seems as though Obama needs all the Allies he can get at the moment...


 
   
Made in us
Imperial Admiral




 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
I guess not, but if true it shows a remarkable lack of tact by the US Govt. After all, it seems as though Obama needs all the Allies he can get at the moment...

For what?
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Not as Good as a Minion






Brisbane

Yeah I can't really bring myself to care. It is a big power spying on people. It happens. If they used it to hurt Germany or something then it'd be an issue, but as it is it's just a big power spying on people around them, asking them to stop that would be...well, pointless.

I wish I had time for all the game systems I own, let alone want to own... 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

Yes, and France, Mexico, Brazil, it's own citizens; etc, etc.

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






Atleast we are not denmark those guys are crazy when it comes to spying
Spoiler:

5000pts 6000pts 3000pts
 
   
Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







On one hand, yes, all governments spy on all other governments. This sort of thing really shouldn't come as a surprise. Conversely though, the fact that it doesn't come as a surprise does not necessarily mean that it is acceptable. The Germans in particular are a bit touchy on this sort of thing, as they were still fairly recently under the boot of the Stazi, and remember all too well what 'surveillance in the name of state security' can entail.

Ultimately, this is a relatively minor incident. A small hiccup and something interesting to talk about for a short while in the halls of power.

As a historian though, one tends to note that major world history, shifts, and trends are often made or caused by groups of such hiccups. The US and Europe have been steadily binding ourselves together tighter and tighter for the last sixty years or so. I am personally inclined to believe that over the course of the next hundred and fifty or so years, the end result will be either the arisal of a new superpower to rival the US (the United States of Europe, as it were), or an eventual amalgamation of the US & the EU.

Naturally, the US Government worries more about the former, and as such, attempts to keep extensive tabs on the slow machinations, intrigues, and realpolitik of Europe. Getting caught out to this extent though, may well turn out to be one of those hiccups that shifts the potential outcome a notch or two towards an independent European power. We're already seeing calls for European databanks and cloud servers based away from the US for security reasons. There's also been symbolic (if largely devoid of significance) handwaving in the European Parliament to exclude the US from the SWIFT data exchange. I would also be surprised if the respective intelligence agencies of Europe were not even now reviewing American access to their files and operational methods (as US knowledge of such things aids them in circumventing European security).

The interesting thing to note will be whether this stagnates the free trade talks currently underway between the US and the EU. If that one becomes a dead duck, I'd say the odds of eventual amalgamation would be severely compromised.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 13:31:29



 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
The USA have alledgedly been spying on the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. If it's true, one has to ask, why?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24651975

I thought this sort of thing went out with 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'? It does bring to mind some delicious images of gritty 50's Spy Movies though.


Why? Because its what they get paid the big bucks to do. The Germans and French spy onthe US and US corporations all the time. So does the UK.
Welcome to the real world.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 15:07:43


-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in gb
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





Oxfordshire UK

Oh, I love being patronised... Gives me shudders.....

It was a rhetorical question really. I mean, what have the Germans got that the mighty US doesn't?


 
   
Made in us
Bloodthirsty Chaos Knight






 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
I mean, what have the Germans got that the mighty US doesn't?


Decent cars?

Space Wolves: 3770
Orks: 3000
Chaos Daemons: 1750
Warriors of Chaos: 2000

My avatar 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans are made here. There are giant honking VW and Mercedes plants here. What are you talking about?

-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in us
Bloodthirsty Chaos Knight






 Frazzled wrote:
Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans are made here. There are giant honking VW and Mercedes plants here. What are you talking about?


Well, the people who designed them certainly weren't from here.

Space Wolves: 3770
Orks: 3000
Chaos Daemons: 1750
Warriors of Chaos: 2000

My avatar 
   
Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
Oh, I love being patronised... Gives me shudders.....

It was a rhetorical question really. I mean, what have the Germans got that the mighty US doesn't?


Just about everyone in the halls of power of the West have been worried about the German industrial juggernaut for the last hundred plus odd years. The EU was originally designed by the French as a bridle and harness to control it and cease it from ever posing a risk to them again.
Unfortunately for them, the latest economic crisis, combined with a reunified Germany and a shaky economy at home mean that the horse is now riding the jockey. Germany is now the main industrial and economic power of Europe once again, and is beginning (if shakily and slowly) to reassert the political power that goes with that.

The thing is, for all the carping on that some people do about the US bearing the burden of world police and guarding European borders, the fact remains that the US prefers it that way. Europe is the only place in the world technologically on par with America, and whilst the militaries there remain weak and European politics remain restricted to backstabbing in Brussels, the US is in a position of unparalleled world dominance. But that will likely not remain the state of affairs forever, governments are always in flux. And if a new world rival is to arise out of Europe over the next century, Germany is where the power will be, both economically and industrially. France is too internally weak, and Britain too tied to America and suspicious of the continent.

The result being that the US keeps an especially close eye on Germany.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 16:00:28



 
   
Made in gb
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





Oxfordshire UK

Actually, the person that rescued the VW Beetle and made it hugely popular was English..

From Wikipedia

'The re-opening of the factory is largely accredited to British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst.[27] Hirst was ordered to take control of the heavily bombed factory, which the Americans had captured. His first task was to remove an unexploded bomb that had fallen through the roof and lodged itself between some pieces of irreplaceable production equipment; if the bomb had exploded, the Beetle's fate would have been sealed. Hirst persuaded the British military to order 20,000 of the cars,[13] and by March 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month, which Hirst said "was the limit set by the availability of materials". During this period, the car reverted to its original name of Volkswagen and the town was renamed Wolfsburg. The first 1,785 Type 1s were made in 1945.'

Edit: Sorry, posted after Ketara made some fine points about the whole 'Spying' thing. The above comment seems a little out of place now.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 16:03:30



 
   
Made in gb
Major





Intelligence agencies are bound to keep tabs on prominent world leaders, it’s what they are there for. The BND almost certainly has a large file on David Cameron and President Obama as well.

"And if we've learnt anything over the past 1000 mile retreat it's that Russian agriculture is in dire need of mechanisation!" 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

 Wilytank wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans are made here. There are giant honking VW and Mercedes plants here. What are you talking about?


Well, the people who designed them certainly weren't from here.


You'd better research that more. Much of the design work is done in Cali.

-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






New Orleans, LA

 Wilytank wrote:
I thought the USA spies on everyone. Doesn't really surprise me.



Everyone can, does, and should spy on everyone else. Just be good about it.

DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Leerstetten, Germany

Well, if Merkel has nothing to hide then she shouldn't have any problems amiright?
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






New Orleans, LA

You are supposed to add "Citizen" at the end of that line.

DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
The USA have alledgedly been spying on the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. If it's true, one has to ask, why?




As a general rule, everyone collects intel on everyone else. Just about the only exceptions to this, to my knowledge is that we (the US) don't "spy" on the UK or Canada, due to us being such chummy mates and all, we have intel sharing agreements in place, etc.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






New Orleans, LA

Of course we spy on Canada. They have the Strategic Maple Syrup Reserves.

DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

This Just In:

Countries Spy On Each Other

I bet Hollywood can make a buck or two on this revelation.

Oh wait:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_films

   
Made in us
The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

 kronk wrote:
Of course we spy on Canada. They have the Strategic Maple Syrup Reserves.


Maybe we just solved the Syrup heist.

Peckish US Spies decided to make off with it.

Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
Made in us
Shas'o Commanding the Hunter Kadre





Richmond, VA

No surprise here, group A spies on group B who spy on group A and group C spies on both A and B while A and B spy on group C.

What?

Desert Hunters of Vior'la The Purge Iron Hands Adepts of Pestilence Tallaran Desert Raiders Grey Knight Teleport Assault Force
Lt. Coldfire wrote:Seems to me that you should be refereeing and handing out red cards--like a boss.

 Peregrine wrote:
SCREEE I'M A SEAGULL SCREE SCREEEE!!!!!
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






New Orleans, LA

And group C and A are the same group!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 17:10:22


DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Silence is golden, Mr. Kronk.

*shoots Kronk with silenced pistol made of gold in super-expensive Parisian hotel room*

   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Dundee, Scotland/Dharahn, Saudi Arabia

I find it incredibly naive of people to think that governments around the world aren't spying on each other.

If the thought of something makes me giggle for longer than 15 seconds, I am to assume that I am not allowed to do it.
item 87, skippys list
DC:70S+++G+++M+++B+++I++Pw40k86/f#-D+++++A++++/cWD86R+++++T(D)DM++ 
   
Made in nz
Longtime Dakkanaut





 marv335 wrote:
I find it incredibly naive of people to think that governments around the world aren't spying on each other.


They're not supposed to get caught doing it.
   
Made in us
Shas'ui with Bonding Knife





Everyone spies on everyone, nations only complain about it when they catch someone.

Seriously. If you think the French and Germans are not spying on us, you're either incredibly naive, or simply have no concept of how foreign intelligence services work.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/24 22:50:28


 daedalus wrote:

I mean, it's Dakka. I thought snide arguments from emotion were what we did here.


 
   
 
Forum Index » Off-Topic Forum
Go to: