> What is interesting is not whether France (or Mexico, or Brazil, or Germany) is being hypocritical in pretending to be shocked at what the US is doing. It’s whether their response (hypocritical as it may be) has real political consequences. And it surely does
The UKUSA intelligence aparatus has been long used as a justification to increase powers of spy agencies in other countries. For allies it's the perceived political returns when they deliver more intelligence and get in exchange get on the good side of USA's foreign policy, and for others it's the perceived need to keep up in the arms race.
