Not done, Old Boy

The snooping by the British government against the UN and its secretary general must be one of the more cynical acts undertaken by Her Majesty8217;s Government. Some would no doubt argue, with some justification, that intelligence operations have been a part of governance in any country. Our own Chanakya clearly supported spying as a vital component of statecraft. Numerous spies have been eulogised in history. Intelligence operations are an obvious activity that governments and their agencies conduct against potential adversaries and enemies. But most advanced nations also keep a tab on their allies and friends to ensure that they remain aware of any shifts and changes in their positions.

But what the world should be appalled at is the degree of sanguineness with which the British prime minister, Tony Blair, has dismissed the charge by an former cabinet colleague who has confirmed that intelligence reports on the UN and its secretary general8217;s discussions with other governments were placed at cabinet meetings. Such information was no doubt used in formulating British policy, especially during the hectic run-up to the war in Iraq last year. But snooping on the UN cannot be condoned as legitimate intelligence gathering since it violates the spirit of the UN Charter.

Second, and more important, the UN is an international organisation of 191 sovereign states which have come together to cooperate in preventive diplomacy to strengthen international peace and security. The secretary general is the world8217;s 8220;first diplomat8221; charged with the responsibility of building that peace. Snooping on him undermines that project. And to use information derived clandestinely to formulate national policies is a blatant attempt at undermining multilateralism and the democratic principle. What is perhaps worse is that while governments of the so-called 8220;rogue states8221; like that of Saddam Hussein may have been expected to indulge in such activity, it has been the government of a nation that has prided itself in laying down norms of civilised international relations that is now found guilty of such acts.