The New Cold War?

So, here's an interesting bit of international news, this time concerning Bolivia, and possibly by extension, Latin America. Article courtesy of ABC News. Kind of a strange concept, asking Fulbright Scholars and Peace Corps volunteers to spy on citizens, some of them from a country where democratic elections are held regularly, as if they were communists from the Soviet Union or China. Since when was Venezuela, or Cuba for that matter, an existential threat to the (so far) lone superpower in the world (at least, until China and possibly India come into their own)?

Kudos to those mentioned in the article, especially John Alexander van Schaick, for not doing what they were asked to do, and respecting the rights of other non-Americans to exist relatively free from U.S. surveillance and interference. Of course, the U.S. Government does have other methods at its disposal to gather intelligence. Check out Noam Chomsky's website for more information.

Anyway, same shit, different day. Such is the great game of espionage, some people might say; after all foreign nationals spy on us all the time, right? Still doesn't make it right, though.