When we were children, our parents would frighten us with a character that had long ears and resembled a donkey. We were warned that it would bite us if we ventured out of the house after sunset. In those days, there was no electricity in the Gulf cities, so imagine the fear such a character would create in our childish minds.
We grew up to find that some organisations, though belonging to the 21st century and situated in the most advanced and powerful countries, have in fact those long ears, virtually. It is the deep state which is listening to intimate and private conversations of its closest allies, not just enemies, without their consent or knowledge. Naturally, there is an outcry in France, Spain, Germany and elsewhere. The public and officials in these countries are astonished, but the biggest surprise, at least till now, came in the form of a statement by these spy agencies, that the head of state (as they say) US President Barack Obama, had no knowledge about what they were doing. Such a statement adds insult to injury. So is it a deeper state within a state working outside elected bodies and institutions to find out what people are talking about? If this is the idea of democracy that the US is preaching, it is questionable in the eyes of the world.
So far, we have not heard from Middle Eastern countries on whether their leaders were eavesdropped on, although places like Egypt, Tunisia and some other Gulf states have been mentioned as targets of those long ears. We will probably never know the extent to which these intruders went to, but the information we have shows an apparent failure to take proper action against wrongdoing, either by states, groups or individuals. One needs no more than satellite imagery to understand the scale of the massacre being carried out by Bashar Al Assad’s regime in Syria, with no action being taken to stop it. It’s not hard work to identify the militant group behind the burning and looting of a large city on the outskirts in Bahrain, but nothing has been done. On the contrary, the US administration is indirectly blaming the government of Bahrain.
And all the eavesdropping has not reduced the body count in Afghanistan. It seems that some agencies would like to gather information for the sake of listening in, but will not make proper use of such information. One can’t help but think that the world is losing the battle against terror — look at what is happening in Iraq, Somalia and Lebanon. Look at what happened in the Kenya shopping mall where scores of innocent people lost their lives. It is an example of the shallowness of intelligence gathering methods, which lead nowhere.
These revelations on US surveillance have justifiable created negative publicity. Even in Washington itself we have witnessed a demonstration by ordinary people warring against the invasion of their privacy, and highlighting the clear cut articles of the constitution that preserve individual liberty.
What we are witnessing can make us think on the lines that do states suffer, like ordinary people, from agoraphobia — a disorder characterised by anxiety in situations where the sufferer perceives certain environments as dangerous or uncomfortable, often due to the environment’s vast openness or crowdedness. Is this also over-protection given the experience of 9/11?
These elements can be put under scrutiny to try to explain why a powerful state like the US adheres to such obviously useless actions. It is an illusion to think technology can bolster security. One would like to see proof — in numbers — of how many crimes or terrorist acts were prevented by listening to the private conversations of officials and private citizens, when the profiles do not suggest any links to terrorism. I believe the answer is ‘very limited’, or probably ‘none’.
Terrorism is thriving because a number of international political crises have not been resolved and many social, economic and political ills have been ignored by the international community. The big powers are reluctant to take proper action as is manifested in the United Nations, especially the Security Council, in recent years. No wonder many people are angry. The rise in violence and widespread social and political rifts, cannot be checked by spy agencies eavesdropping on people. The big powers just need to follow common sense and ensure that a good and decent life is the right of every human being.
Mohammad Alrumaihi is a professor of political sociology at Kuwait University.
