1 November 2013

Spy Games: Trans-Atlantic Relations Should Not Be

Jeopardized

A Commentary By Annette Heuser

Reuters

No one now denies that everyone is spying on everyone else.

The ongoing NSA spying scandal has put major strain on the relationship between Germany and the

US. But both sides should stop reacting emotionally and look at the political realities. With trans-

Atlantic trade on the line, there's simply too much at stake.

One week after German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered a stark message to President

Barack Obama about the inadmissibility of spying on friends, there is little doubt that the issue

has fractured trans-Atlantic relations. It has been the focus of nearly incessant debate among

relevant government officials, the media and the public at large. But emotion has framed this

debate when a deep and mutual understanding of one another's positions is needed. The black-

and-white attitudes must give way to more nuanced approaches that reflect the complexities of

the issues at hand.

So what have the US and Europe learned from all the clamor? And how can they recoup the

understanding that is more characteristic of their postwar relationship?

The silence from the White House and the president has gone beyond irritating the Europeans to

frustrating and angering them. They firmly believe that Washington must respond seriously and

comprehensively to the spying allegations, and take transparent measures to ensure that NSA

encroachments on German civil liberties are permanently terminated.

Scandal Not Obama's Top Priority

The Obama administration, however, is occupied with a series of major domestic problems. Its

top priority is to turn around the hapless launch of "Obamacare," the president's struggling

flagship effort to provide health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. There is also

ongoing political gridlock in Congress that continues to hinder progress on issues as diverse as

government spending and immigration.

Finally, the commander-in-chief is ultimately responsible for the nation's security. He cannot be

expected to turn against his own intelligence services, especially when threats from terrorists

remain acute. A White House apology for alleged spying is consequently not at the top of the

agenda. In fact, it is fairly far down. If Europeans want to salvage the trans-Atlantic relationship,

they must accept that they will have to do so without an official, public apology.

As for the Americans, even the most Europe-friendly power brokers in Washington are irritated

by the fact that the Europeans, and particularly the Germans, immediately turned the NSA

controversy into an issue of trust. They argue that their quarrels and disappointments with past

German policies never chipped away at their fundamental trust in Berlin.

Europe Is Taking a Risk

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's stinging critique of Washington's Iraq policy,

which became one of his electioneering planks, the 2011 German abstention in the UN on

establishing a no-fly zone over Libya and, most recently, the clear refusal to contribute to any

military action in Syria, perturbed and disappointed Washington. But none of these setbacks led

to a fundamental re-evaluation of US-German relations. But Europe is taking a risk by reacting

to suspected NSA activities by calling for overhaul of the entire trans-Atlantic relationship. After

a week of this, a change in rhetoric would be worthwhile.

Related to this second point are the calls to suspend negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and

Investment Partnership (TTIP). US and European policymakers have already realized that it

serves no one's interest to tie alleged NSA activities to a potential US-EU free-trade pact. Such

an accord is of geopolitical importance. It would boost employment and economic growth from

North Carolina to North Rhine-Westphalia. It would also seal agreement on a data protection

portfolio that should prevent a recurrence of the momentary rift. Detaching the NSA debate from

the TTIP talks would put back on course the only major new project in which both sides are

invested.

No one now denies that everyone is spying on everyone else. Yes, friends spy on one another,

including their political leaders, and will continue to do so. The current trans-Atlantic tension has

forced a serious and long-overdue debate among allies about the appropriate balance between

liberty and security.

Any concrete outcome from this discussion remains unclear, but the good news is that both sides

are talking. Their conversations must consider the totality of what is at stake, with a clear

acknowledgement that a fundamental rupture risks great losses on the political, economic and

security fronts. This is no time for visceral reactions. This is a time -- and an opportunity -- to

comprehend each other's perceptions and political realities.

Annette Heuser is the executive director of the Washington, DC-based Bertelsmann Foundation.