Lord Palmerston, twice prime minister of Britain, once said that a nation has no eternal allies, only eternal interests. His words ring as true today as they did 175 years ago. Suggestions that the US has been bugging offices of the EU and other western allies should shock no one. Countries have been spying on friends for millennia.
Europe’s public outrage over the latest revelations from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, is misplaced. There are plenty of examples in recent history to show that espionage targeted at allies is nothing more nor less than business as usual. Twenty years ago the US was discovered eavesdropping on French officials during trade talks. Israel recruited Jonathan Pollard, a US government analyst, to steal military intelligence from its closest ally. And European member states, the French and British among them, have also had their secret services out there listening, gathering and analysing.
There is a fine balance to be struck when deciding whether to spy on friends. A useful relationship might be spoiled if agents are caught. But it might be legitimate for a country to look after its security interests by, for example, collecting information on an ally’s foreign relationships, including with unfriendly third parties. That has long been the diplomat’s role.