U.S. Cyber-Espionage Targeting Allied Nations
Despite long-standing alliances and shared security interests, the United States has not hesitated to direct its formidable cyber espionage capabilities at its closest partners. While collaboration through frameworks such as NATO and intelligence-sharing agreements like Five Eyes suggests a foundation of trust, a series of high-profile leaks over the past decade have revealed a more complex reality. Since 2013, multiple disclosures have shown that even “friendly” nations are not exempt from American surveillance efforts, particularly when strategic or economic interests are involved.
One of the earliest and most controversial revelations came in 2013 when documents leaked by Edward Snowden confirmed that the National Security Agency (NSA) had intercepted communications from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her inner circle. The incident severely strained German-American relations, prompting Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to remark, “You don’t do that among friends.” The breach was not just a diplomatic affront – it signaled to other allies that their privileged status did not shield them from U.S. monitoring.
Subsequent disclosures reinforced this view. In 2015, WikiLeaks published the “Target Tokyo” files, revealing that the NSA had conducted surveillance on Japanese government entities, including the Cabinet Office, central bank, and Trade Ministry, as well as major corporations such as Mitsubishi and Mitsui. These operations coincided with critical trade negotiations, suggesting that economic intelligence was a primary objective.
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