We live in a digital age; anything said, written or photographed can theoretically exist forever. Things like an offensive tweet, a letter of resignation riddled with vulgarity or nude pictures sent to a significant other will live on thanks to the Internet.
While we as college students on the cusp of our careers should be mindful of what we do and say, our biggest faux pas will always pale in comparison to those of individuals who hold positions of authority and influence.
Victoria Nuland, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, was heard in a phone conversation leaked on YouTube, allegedly saying, “f*** the EU.”
In the call, Nuland was speaking with Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, regarding the ongoing crisis there. Coming to a point in the conversation discussing the lack of action, Nuland states, “That would be great to help glue this thing and to have the UN help glue it. And you know, f*** the EU.”
Nuland’s apparent frustration with our European allies stems from their indecision regarding sanctions against Ukraine, despite many European ministers calling for them, should the government’s violent campaign against protesters not end.
In the call, she also allegedly badmouths one of the Ukrainian opposition leaders, Vitali Klitschko, saying he should be excluded from any new government.
While Nuland is entirely founded in her anger toward the EU, a senior diplomat in the U.S. State Department should know when to exercise a small amount of tact, especially while speaking on an unsecured line. The most important quality of an ambassador of the United States is the ability to be diplomatic. Instead, Nuland chose to insult an entire block of allies and a future anti-Russia Ukrainian leader.
The Russian government is suspected of tapping the call and subsequently leaking the audio. Moscow stands opposite the West in the tug-of-war for influence in Kiev and has everything to gain from a crack in U.S. and EU relations.
While never taking responsibility for leaking the call, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said of the Russian government, “I would say that since the video was first noted and tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia’s role.”
This comes on the heels of leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, where he revealed that the U.S. government was spying on many of our closest allies, even tapping the personal cell phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The irony is palpable.
However, even before the Second World War, it was largely accepted that all major powers spy on one another, friend and foe alike. It should not come as a surprise at all that Russia may have tapped the line. And why wouldn’t they? The West is doing its best to wrest control of Kiev away from Moscow, just as Russia is once again flexing its muscles and trying to exert Soviet-era control over Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Nuland, and any other government official involved in foreign policy and international affairs, should always be on guard against espionage. While rather insignificant in terms of actual intelligence, this conversation was enough to throw a pretty sizable wrench into our plans for Ukraine.
So while you may be embarrassed about the circulating screen shot of a text you thought was sent in confidence, don’t worry. It’s not like you caused an international incident.
Ryan McGehee is a 21-year-old political science, history and international studies major from Zachary, La.
We live in a digital age; anything said, written or photographed can theoretically exist forever. Things like an offensive Tweet, a letter of resignation riddled with vulgarity or the nude pictures sent to a significant other will live on thanks to the Internet.
While we as college students on the cusp of our careers should be mindful of what we do and say, our biggest faux pas will always pale in comparison to those of individuals who hold positions of authority and influence.
Victoria Nuland, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, was heard in a phone conversation leaked on YouTube, allegedly saying, “F*** the EU.”
In the call, Nuland was speaking with Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, regarding the ongoing crisis there. Coming to a point in the conversation discussing the lack of action, Nuland states, “That would be great to help glue this thing and to have the UN help glue it. And you know, f*** the EU.”
Nuland’s apparent frustration with our European allies stems from their indecision regarding sanctions against Ukraine, despite many European ministers calling for them, should the government’s violent campaign against protesters not end.
In the call, she also allegedly badmouths one of the Ukrainian opposition leaders, Vitali Klitschko, saying he should be excluded from any new government.
While Nuland is entirely founded in her anger toward the EU, a senior diplomat in the U.S. State Department should know when to exercise a small amount of tact, especially while speaking on an unsecured line. The most important quality of an ambassador of the United States is the ability to be diplomatic. Instead, Nuland chose to insult an entire block of allies and a future anti-Russia Ukrainian leader.
The Russian government is suspected of tapping the call and subsequently leaking the audio. Moscow stands opposite the West in the tug-of-war for influence in Kiev, and has everything to gain from a crack in U.S. and EU relations.
While never taking responsibility for leaking the call, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said of the Russian government, “I would say that since the video was first noted and tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia’s role.”
This comes on the heels of leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, where he revealed that the U.S. government was spying on many of our closest allies, even tapping the personal cell phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The irony is palpable.
However, even before the Second World War, it was largely accepted that all major powers spy on one another, friend and foe alike. It should not come as a surprise at all that Russia may have tapped the line. And why wouldn’t they? The West is doing its best to wrest control of Kiev away from Moscow, just as Russia is once again flexing its muscles and trying to exert Soviet-era control over Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Nuland, and any other government official involved in foreign policy and international affairs, should always be on guard against espionage. While rather insignificant in terms of actual intelligence, this conversation was enough to throw a pretty sizable wrench into our plans for Ukraine.
So while you may be embarrassed about the circulating screen shot of a text you thought was sent in confidence, don’t worry. It’s not like you caused an international incident.
Ryan McGehee is a 21-year-old political science, history and international studies major from Zachary. Follow him on Twitter @JRyanMcGehee.