Hey, NSA, Enough With the Handyüberwachung

Word of the day comes courtesy of Roger Cohen at the New York Times: handyüberwachung. The Germans coined it to describe spying on cell phone calls, and it's been in heavy rotation of late given allegations that the US eavesdropped on Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal calls. She has every right to be livid, argues Cohen, and anyone worried about fraying US ties with Europe ought to be even more worried now.

"Intelligence, counterterrorism and military cooperation with Germany and France, the two nations most outraged by recent disclosures, is critical," writes Cohen. "The relative power of the United States and Europe is declining, so cooperation is doubly important." The problem is that Europe is angry over the ever-expanding Edward Snowden revelations, and the backlash is only going to grow. "A re-pivot to Europe is in order, as is an internal U.S. security-freedom rebalancing," writes Cohen. "Handyüberwachung on Europe’s most powerful leader is the last thing America needs." Click for his full column. Or click to read about how Merkel is far from the only world leader to have a beef with the NSA. (More handy?berwachung stories.)