The «Snowden Effect» and the Problem of «Moles» in U.S. Intelligence
August 1, 2013
There have always been and still are internal dissidents in American intelligence agencies. Often these are people who do not wish to reconcile themselves to the trampling of the accepted norms of morality Dissidents have been fired, but more often they left on their own. These people have written confessional books in which the main theme, as a rule, is «Why I broke with the CIA». An especially large number of such people have appeared over the past decade, when during the administrations of presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama the practice of all-pervading surveillance over the personal lives of citizens and a complete disregard for all moral principles in implementing policy have prevailed. The resonance from the disclosures of such people in the future may be no less, and perhaps even greater, than that caused by Snowden.
Traditionally, the attention of the internal security divisions of U.S. intelligence agencies has been focused on identifying «moles» who are working for foreign governments. Many of them work against American interests for financial gain. Countries which are subject to threats do all they can to obtain reliable information about the hostile designs of the superpower. In the conditions of the global expansion of the United States, this is the natural modus operandi of countries with limited defensive capacity. Experts assert that the amount of remuneration paid to agents who operate in the government and military structures of the U.S. and its closest allies has now reached six-digit figures. Espionage in current conditions has become more profitable than in the Cold War years.
The problem with «moles» is complicated by the fact that American intelligence agencies, which are focused on creating conditions for defeating «hostile regimes», more and more often recruit immigrants from the countries which are or could become targets of U.S attacks to their regular operational staff. There will always be some among these American citizens with Iranian, Syrian, Pakistani, India or Chinese roots who are prepared to help their historic homelands - some for money, and some for ideological or patriotic reasons.
The flight of Edward Snowden created a qualitatively new situation in the sphere of U.S. national security. In commenting on the «Snowden affair», General Michael Hayden, the former director of the NSA, said of Snowden, «he believes he is acting for a higher good — an almost romantic attachment to the merits of absolute transparency».
And that is so. From the very beginning of his work in intelligence, Snowden wondered by what right and on what basis the unceremonious intrusion into the private life of citizens, both foreign and American, was taking place via electronic espionage. Yes, it is necessary to track the communications of terrorist organizations and identify and prevent their criminal designs. However, the global scale of surveillance conducted by the Empire goes way beyond the scope of identifying terrorist cells and conducting strikes against them. The total surveillance is closely linked with plans to achieve world supremacy and establish strict control over countries and citizens, to the point of creating an electronic dossier on each person.
Now Snowden is safe. According to Russian human rights activists who have spoken with him, outwardly he hardly expresses his feelings, but from some of his remarks and his reactions to pointed questions one can see that this is an inwardly independent and sincere person who has worked out his life philosophy through suffering. He is ready for any further developments. Many supporters and defenders of Snowden have emerged in the U.S. Signatures in support of him are being collected on a petition to free him from prosecution. It is possible that that is why the intensity of the attacks in American propaganda on the «traitor who deserves no quarter» has noticeably declined. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder even assured the Russian government in an official letter that upon his return to the United States Snowden would not face the death penalty or be tortured. Based on the scanty comments of CIA director John Brennan, National Security Agency director Keith Alexander, Defense Intelligence Agency director Michael Flynn and other intelligence leaders, one can draw the conclusion that a thorough analysis of the damage Snowden did to America's security and image is being made.
On the sites of several human rights organizations the possible influence of the Snowden affair on the situation of his potential followers is now being actively discussed. The conclusions do not show much variety. Intelligence agencies are faced with the task of identifying «insufficiently steadfast employees» who «have a tendency» to discuss human rights issues, «polemically» assess the achievements of the United States in this sphere, and maintain unofficial contacts with activists in this area without reporting them to their immediate superiors. It is stated that such actions are likely to be undertaken by individuals who want to become famous at any cost and motivate their actions through an intention to «fight for the ideals of justice, goodness and humanism». In connection with this, stricter standard procedures for checking and rechecking the political views of active employees are planned. Much more attention will be given to the «previous political history» of intelligence job candidates.
Will it be possible to attain a «healthy workforce» using such methods? It's hard to say. The United States is waging wars in various parts of the world, and daily reports of casualties are being made not only in the Pentagon, but in intelligence agencies as well. The most sensational episode in recent times was the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three CIA employees at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi during an attack by Libyan rebels. The prospect of intelligence work on the «front lines» in Northern Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Yemen or other countries does not seem too attractive to young Americans. They understand more and more that operations on distant approaches to the United States are not being conducted for the sake of defending democracy.
The problem of quality recruits for U.S. intelligence agencies is becoming acute not only because a “demonstrative» military rout of Iran is on the agenda. After all, the Pentagon sees that war as an intermediate one. In its safes it has secret plans for other much more massive campaigns, a «merciless 21st-century blitzkrieg», as a certain four-star American general colorfully expressed it in a private conversation. All the wars of the past decade have only been a prelude to them, a «clearing» of the adjacent territory which borders on the main Eurasian theater of future military operations.
U.S. citizens are tired of casualty reports, statistics on irreparable losses and the constant expectation of retribution. Snowden's decision to speak out for all to hear about the danger inherent in the total surveillance being carried out by U.S. intelligence is being acclaimed by more and more Americans: «The democracy we were once proud of has been reduced to nothing under the guise of fighting terrorism. Snowden's right. It's time to put an end to this!»