Surely all American trade agreements must be re-examined due to PRISM??

renegademaster

if i had "negotiated" trade "agreements" or contracts with everyone around me and it comes out i've done so with inside knowledge of the other persons strengths/weaknesses due to a massive spying operation would I be allowed the same grace after the fact as the united stasi of america does?

are we really expected to pretend we don't know about the levels of corruption and just let our respective governments continue like everything is hunky dory?

Zombrex

renegademaster wrote: »

if i had "negotiated" trade "agreements" or contracts with everyone around me and it comes out i've done so with inside knowledge of the other persons strengths/weaknesses due to a massive spying operation would I be allowed the same grace after the fact as the united stasi of america does?

are we really expected to pretend we don't know about the levels of corruption and just let our respective governments continue like everything is hunky dory?

Er, I don't think trade agrements are entered into in the manner of a poker game where each side is bluffing and hoping the other side doesn't figure them out.

While American spying on foreign governments and citizen is of deep concern I think every major country already assumed America was doing this anyway. I don't see how it effects trade agreements, which are agreed out in the open.

Needn't worry about the EU re-examining anything.

The possible odd Latin country aside, clear the track, this train is moving on, full steam ahead.


CHOO! CHOO! CHUGGAH-CHUGGAH! CHUGGAH-CHUGGAH!

renegademaster

Zombrex wrote: »

Er, I don't think trade agrements are entered into in the manner of a poker game where each side is bluffing and hoping the other side doesn't figure them out.

While American spying on foreign governments and citizen is of deep concern I think every major country already assumed America was doing this anyway. I don't see how it effects trade agreements, which are agreed out in the open.

so, by that standard if i was competing for say an Irish government contract/tender i can spy away on all their phone calls, txts, emails, faxes and mail to get the upper hand or at least be in receipt of full knowledge surrounding all government communications/activity and that's ok? I wonder how long i'd be allowed this level of intelligence gathering before i was stopped in my tracks with the full weight of law coming down on me!!

Deleted User wrote: »

Needn't worry about the EU re-examining anything.

The possible odd Latin country aside, clear the track, this train is moving on, full steam ahead.


CHOO! CHOO! CHUGGAH-CHUGGAH! CHUGGAH-CHUGGAH!

all aboard :pac:

Jonny7

A lot of countries spy on each other to varying levels .. all major powers do, been going on a very long time.

China got a lot of it's advanced tech through spying, the Russians take it so casually they employ some pretty comical spies, the US just spies on everyone

The "b-b-but it's not fair" argument is all good and well, but who's gonna enforce it.

Manic Moran

Presumably nobody enters into trade agreements if they don't think they're getting some value out of the agreement. Whether or not they know the true motivations behind the person they're agreeing with is irrelevant to what they're getting out of it.

20Cent

Pretty sad state of affairs that any country meeting or negotiating with the Americans will have to bring some surveillance experts with them to sweep their hotel rooms, cars etc. Then go face the lot who are spying on them and pretending to be friendly.

Brian?

20Cent wrote: »

Pretty sad state of affairs that any country meeting or negotiating with the Americans will have to bring some surveillance experts with them to sweep their hotel rooms, cars etc. Then go face the lot who are spying on them and pretending to be friendly.

Any country who thought the US wasn't spying on them in the past must have been pretty naive.

renegademaster

http://rt.com/usa/wikileaks-tpp-ip-dotcom-670/

US President Barack Obama and counterparts from 11 other prospective member states have been hammering out the free trade agreement in utmost secrecy for years now, the result of which, according to the White House, would rekindle the economies of all of those involved, including many countries considered to still be emerging.

“The TPP will boost our economies, lowering barriers to trade and investment, increasing exports and creating more jobs for our people, which is my number-one priority,” Obama said during a Nov. 2011 address. The deal, he said, “has the potential to be a model not only for the Asia Pacific but for future trade agreements” by regulating markets and creating opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses in the growing global marketplace.

Upon the publication of an excerpt obtained by WikiLeaks this week, however, opponents of the act are insisting that provisions dealing with creation, invention and innovation could serve a severe blow to everyone, particularly those the internet realm.

clairefontaine

Germany is still not allowed a permanent seat on the UN security counsel.

OOH big shock. US still spying on an old war enemy. Of course they are. The Germans are spying on the US no doubt, just not as good at it as the US is, never where as good as the Brits or the US and now they want to milk it for all its worth.

20Cent

clairefontaine wrote: »

Germany is still not allowed a permanent seat on the UN security counsel.

OOH big shock. US still spying on an old war enemy. Of course they are. The Germans are spying on the US no doubt, just not as good at it as the US is, never where as good as the Brits or the US and now they want to milk it for all its worth.

Surely being good at spying is that the whole world doesn't know you're doing it?
By that measure the Germans and the Irish are best at it.

clairefontaine

20Cent wrote: »

Surely being good at spying is that the whole world doesn't know you're doing it?
By that measure the Germans and the Irish are best at it.

Yes, that is a good point. The US got caught because they have a whistleblower.

But no.... seriously the Germans always sucked at it.

Eggy Baby!

The Germans are spying on the US no doubt, just not as good at it as the US is

I assume that because the Germans have not been caught yet (unlike the Americans with their spying), they are better at it?

Pedantry aside, the fact that it's not surprising the Americans have been spying on the EU doesn't legitimise their actions or make them any less immoral. The usual apologists come out and try to shift the focus by saying that we should expect this sort of guff from "the leader of the free world"