
The NSA’s New Partner in Spying: Saudi Arabia’s Brutal State Police - dan_bk
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/07/25/nsas-new-partner-spying-saudi-arabias-brutal-state-police/
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javajosh
Speculation on what a candid NSA response to this might be: "If helping a
brutal regime find more targets to brutalize also helps us find terrorists,
then the collateral damage--which are entirely Saudi nationals anyway--is
acceptable."

You could also throw in the old chestnut about "Well, if they didn't get our
help with this, they'll get it from someone else (probably the Chinese)."

Truth is, I have an open mind. Perhaps this calculus is correct against the
backdrop of what is a cruel and violent game played by nations against each
other. Much of the horror we all feel is predicated on the false belief that
this is happening in a US state, or that Saudi Arabia is even really our
friend. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," the saying goes.
Unless we're willing to take strong action against Saudi Arabia, what good
would weakening the relationship serve? Just as in the game "Diplomacy", when
you backstab, you better make it count.

That said, if there was an Arab Spring type movement on the peninsula that had
even a small chance of winning, and the US helped to crush it, even a little,
then we'd have crossed the line. This? It _may_ be defensible as a "least
evil" option.

The problem that the NSA faces, along with the entire executive branch, is
that their credibility is almost completely shot. We don't (and shouldn't)
believe them. They have lied to Congress and to us. We can't really know what
their reasoning was or is. And in this great shadow of doubt, collaboration
with brutal regimes no longer seems like a less evil option, but rather
training ground for new domestic policy.

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inmyunix
there's nothing new about this

