US spying — cest la vie

Sept.8, 2008

US spying — cest la vie

IS ironic that the Iraqi government is upset that US spied on Iraq's prime minister, Nouri Al Maliki, and has warned that future ties with the US could be in jeopardy if the report were true.
It is ironic because the Iraqis should have known that spying/information gathering is an integral part of the functions of any state and the US has proved itself to be the leader of the field.
According to a new book, "The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008," by journalist Bob Woodward, the United States spied extensively on Maliki, his staff and other government officials.
On its own, the revelation does not mean much except affirming the obvious. It becomes all the more relevant when one considers how the information gained through spying was used.
The Iraqi government spokesman, Ali Dabbagh, has warned of future bad relations between Iraq and the US if the allegations proved true. It shows a lack of trust, he said.
"It reflects also that the institutions in the United States are used to spy on their friends and their enemies in the same way," Dabbagh said.
That the White House declined direct comment on Woodward's revelation is an implicit confirmation that it is true. But then, there should never have been any doubt at all since it would have been naive to expect the US to handle Iraq without having "inside" information of how its politicians felt, talked and acted in given situations.
The Iraqis, who have lived for long under the reign of Saddam Hussein's highly effective intelligence network which did not spare his closest confidants, should have taken for granted that the US would follow the same track. Keeping close tabs on the Iraqi prime minister and indeed every member of his cabinet and members of the Iraqi parliament enables the US to be forewarned of their thoughts, ideas and actions and outsmart them by taking pre-emptive action.
A bonus, if indeed it is one, of spying is that it could yield surprising and perhaps shocking revelations that could in turn be used to pressure the person concerned and even resort to blackmail as and when needed.
Iraqi politicians are now demanding that the US deal with their country on equal terms and as a partner. Well, that is the last thing the US would be ready to do. The leaders and people of Iraq might not consider themselves to be a vassal nation within the US empire, but US President George W Bush and his administration consider Iraq to be a conquered nation and an American colony. That should explain why they are going ahead with plans to build the largest US embassy in Baghdad and set up permanent military presence in the country.
Whether the Iraqis like it or not, US spying/intelligence gathering has become part of their life and there is practically little they could do to eliminate it completely even in the unlikely event that the US decides to pack up and go home.