Spying exposes crisis of mistrust

Germans used to joke that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s penchant for communicating via fleeting text messages effectively marked the end of traditional historiography.

Well, at least American spy agencies seem to have kept full track of the behind-the-scenes communications — in Berlin and beyond.

Regrettably, US president Barack Obama and his administration have yet to comprehend the scale and severity of the damage caused to America’s credibility among its European allies. The problem is not that countries spy on each other (they all do). Rather, it is the extent of US intelligence gathering and America’s attitude toward allies that is most damaging.