> What does shock me, however, is that so many European countries
> have been completely blind to what has been going on up to this
> point.
Let us eliminate the impossible so that the
remainder, however improbable, is true.
(1) If the NYT has it, then it cannot be news to the victims
(2) If it is not news to the victims, then it cannot be news to
at least some of their governments
(3) If it is not news to their governments, then governments
must have a reason for tolerance
(4) If there is a reason for tolerance that appears irrational,
then there be either hidden paybacks or blackmail; either
(4a) Hidden paybacks -- the spies "sell" some goods to anyone, or
(4b) Hidden blackmail -- the spies "sell" anything to some buyers
(5) If the broad spectrum is for sale, then there's some question
of who's in charge; either
(5a) Civilian US government is run from elsewhere, or
(5b) The spies are not under civilian control
Apolocalyptists and conspiratorialists will make much of this as
it will tend to reinforce their view. Even Phil Agre observes:
"The global integration of the economy is likewise commonly held to
decentralize political power by preventing governments from taking
actions that can be reversed through cross-border arbitrage. But
political power is becoming centralized in equally important ways:
the power of national governments is not so much disappearing as
shifting to a haphazard collection of undemocratic and
nontransparent global treaty organizations, and the power to
influence these organizations is likewise concentrating in the
ever-fewer global firms. These observations are not pleasant or
fashionable, but they are nonetheless true."
--dan
