Daily Times

The recent revelations of US whistleblower Edward Snowden exacerbated the possibilities of an intelligence war between European states that look at each other with suspicion. Germany cancelled its Cold War era pact with the UK while European intelligence agencies became more vigilant about UK intelligence tactics. The National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had prepared a comprehensive list of individuals and institutions including the European competition commissioner, buildings and NGOs that provide financial assistance to Africa. Brussels reacted furiously to claim that the NSA and GCHQ spied on the European commissioner.

The European commissioner has access to highly confidential commercial information. The commissioner’s spokeswoman has said, “This is not the type of behaviour that we expect from strategic partners, let alone from our own member states.” Now, the EU has decided to create its own intelligence agency by beginning the development of surveillance drones and spy satellites. The Italian prime minister attacked British Prime Minister David Cameron over allegations that the UK intercepted secret Italian communications and then passed them on to the NSA. The latest revelations from Edward Snowden show that the NSA and GCHQ spied on 100 top officials from 60 states, including the Israeli prime minister, European policy makers and several aid groups.

These illegal interventions of the US and UK governments in the privacy of European states created a climate of mistrust across the continent, while Germany strongly protested against the UK spying on its institutions. In the UK, parliamentarians and politicians expressed deep concern over the complaints of European leaders against the UK’s intelligence politics. Last month in the UK the three chiefs of the intelligence agencies — MI5, MI6, and GCHQ — appeared before the Intelligence and Security Committee to explain the way intelligence operates. The US and UK are members of the Five-Eye intelligence sharing alliance, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but their method of surveillance clearly violates the principles of the alliance. French intelligence is cooperating with the Five Eyes alliance by systematically providing them with information. Sweden, Israel and Italy are also cooperating with the NSA and GCHQ.

The war of intelligence started between European states and the UK when France, Germany and Spain summoned both the UK and US ambassadors to explain their motive behind surveillance politics. Germany became very angry when it found that the Berlin-based UK embassy was involved in alleged eavesdropping. The revelations by Mr Snowden also sparked widespread outrage not only in Germany but also created an alarming situation in other European states. With this, the intelligence war of all euro-states may possibly start on UK soil as we have already experienced the arrest of several foreign spies in the past. With the arrival of thousands of European citizens into the UK, the biggest challenge for the British intelligence infrastructure would be to control invisible people, groups and criminal gangs in the streets of its towns and cities. Russia and China have already been identified as having strong espionage networks in the country.

When the KGB-trained former Eastern European intelligence networks shift here, the real game will start and it will increase the vulnerability of UK state institutions. A government security document published in The Daily Telegraph has warned that the UK is a high priority target for 20 foreign intelligence agencies. Intelligence reports revealed that Iranian, Korean, Serbian and Syrian intelligence agencies have roots in UK society while the intelligence agencies of some European states, such as France and Germany, are also present in the field.

In January 2014, thousands of European citizens will cross the border into the UK with new messages, cultures and ways of life. As a small country, the UK cannot accommodate such a large, unskilled population to provide jobseeker allowances, benefits and housing. Their arrival will create a bigger social and security crisis in the country as the incidents of terror-related crimes, theft and benefit fraud have already exacerbated. History tells us that the EU represents the hostile nations of the first and second world wars, which share poverty, unemployment and homelessness with each other. The MI5 warned that the threat of espionage did not end with the collapse of Soviet communism in the early 1990s. Espionage against UK interests continues and is widespread, insidious and potentially very damaging. The security service, on its website, has warned about the vulnerability of institutions to foreign intelligence agencies: “The UK is a high priority espionage target. Many countries actively seek UK information and material to advance their own military, technological, political and economic programmes. The activities of intelligence agencies identified as posing the greatest threat are subject to particular scrutiny. The threat against British interests is not confined to within the UK itself. A foreign intelligence service operates best in its own country and therefore finds it easier to target UK interests at home, where they can control the environment and take advantage of any perceived vulnerabilities.”

The Sunday Telegraph reported Whitehall’s concern about the Russian spying network in the UK. According to the newspaper report, Britain’s European neighbours, including Germany and France, were also engaged in industrial and political espionage within the UK. Diplomatic ruction between the UK and other European states over intelligence surveillance has now caused mistrust as they blame each other for spying on their citizens and leaders. The flames of this conflagration are now felt in the UK and can ignite the violent fire of a crucial intelligence war on the country’s soil. In this possible war, the UK might face an uneven situation if the European intelligence infrastructure entered into revenge politics. In the near future, this intelligence war may make the UK more vulnerable to hostile secret networks. The police may face an uncontrollable situation in tackling serious organised crime, and intelligence agencies will be in trouble countering unexpected invisible forces.

The writer is the author of Punjabi Taliban and can be reached at zai.musakhan222@gmail.com