Indonesian Politicians Plan To Quiz Snowden Following Visit By Russians

cold fjord writes "Yahoo reports, 'Indonesian politicians plan to quiz former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in Russia about revelations Australia tapped the phone of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The move came as Indonesian protesters again laid siege to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, burning images of Tony Abbott, throwing eggs and calling for a hard line against Australia. More than 1600 police were deployed to the Australian and US embassies and at several other potential targets in the capital after reports that hardline group the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) planned to hold the rallies ... Indonesian media reported MPs had 'permission' from Moscow to go to Russia to meet with Snowden ... The Jakarta Post said a delegation of Russian politicians was in Indonesia this week to discuss the Australian phone tapping revelations. Indonesia also launched an investigation into local telecommunications companies to see what role they may have played.'"

Blame it on Snowden

[Art Challenor]

I don't condone the violence, but it's interesting that you'll get headlines blaming the violence on Snowden and his release of the documents - not on the real source of the problem which was the covert activities of the US, and it seems now also the Australians.

Re:Blame it on Snowden

[AHuxley]

Yes the UK and US sell weak encryption, give the keys to Australia and Australia goes and 'plays' spy in the region.
The problem for Australia is they where very nice to Indonesia in public pre Timor, over oil, gas, during and after Timor, with unique security agreements, generations of military training and lots of aid.
Now the usual sock puppets try and spin 'blame' Snowden on the release :)
Australia could have been more diplomatic over the issue but selected the classic Dutch, cold war CIA/Moscow 'talking to' Indonesia approach.
Decades of hard diplomatic work by Australian govs is now been lost over wanting spy gossip. Russia and China will be back in the region offering their tech help, trade deals, friendship and regional expertise.
Indonesian experts have learned not to trust crypto offered and will work harder to protect their networks.
Australia is left looking a bit lost. The UK and US trusted Australia with the keys to crypto, Indonesia was on good trade terms.
The main problem for Australia is they only had one good trick - the NSA magic and deep reach for all regional signals. Now the region knows and Australia is back to been seen as a colonial outpost, a listening station for the UK and USA.

Re:Quiz?

[philip.paradis]

Given Snowden's background, it doesn't seem he has issues with divulging information. As part of fleeing to Russia, I'm certain he understood that he would have many conversations with many interesting people. I hardly think any sort of "working over" will be necessary in this case.

Re:Wonder is well see

[girlintraining]

the end of an Empire or a WW soon? Russia must be loving this as the US keep inching towards their own noose and their allies looking quite guitly.

Oh hardly. This is a tempest in a teapot. Every country spies, but they have the good sense not to get caught out on it. Now these NSA "revelations" have just become cannon fodder for anyone with an agenda. To suggest it'll lead to military action though is far-fetched to say the least. This is how international politics play out. It's nothing of any real import.

Many people gain by seeing the US cock-blocked in certain economies. Cisco was on track to grow 12% this quarter and instead shrunk by 6% -- as a major telecommunications provider, Snowden and this NSA business have cost them billions. And those billions have gone to its competitors.

All this talk isn't about the military, but about the economy. Anything that can be used to give other countries an edge against the largest country's economy is going to be leveraged to its fullest.

Re:Wonder is well see

[G3ckoG33k]

"All this talk isn't about the military, but about the economy. Anything that can be used to give other countries an edge against the largest country's economy is going to be leveraged to its fullest".

There some problems with "largest country's economy" (or "largest country's economy"). From Wikipedia:

China is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP and by purchasing power parity after the United States. It is the world's fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world. China is the largest manufacturing economy in the world, outpacing its world rival in this category, the service-driven economy of the United States of America.

The relevant part here is that the US economy may be larger but much of is becoming people scratching other peoples backs; think of hair dressers, restaurants, banking etc.

CH: GDP by sector agriculture: 10.1%, industry: 45.3%, services: 44.6%% (2012 est.)
US: GDP by sector agriculture: 1.2%, industry: 19%, services: 80% (2011 est.)

Oh, there is ample of oomph left:

The US has abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.[24] It has the world's sixth-highest per capita GDP (PPP).[2] The U.S. is the world's third-largest producer of oil and second-largest producer of natural gas. It is the second-largest trading nation in the world behind China.[25] It has been the world's largest national economy (not including colonial empires) since at least the 1890s.[26] As of 2010, the country remains the world's largest manufacturer, representing a fifth of the global manufacturing output.[27] Of the world's 500 largest companies, 132 are headquartered in the US, twice that of any other country.[28] The country is one of the world's largest and most influential financial markets. About 60% of the global currency reserves have been invested in the US dollar, while 24% have been invested in the euro. The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization.[29] Foreign investments made in the US total almost $2.4 trillion, which is more than twice that of any other country.[30] American investments in foreign countries total over $3.3 trillion, which is almost twice that of any other country.[31] Consumer spending comprises 71% of the US economy in 2013

Note that consumers spending comprises 71% of the US economy in 2013 and put that in relation to

US Exports: $1.56 trillion (2012)
US Imports: $2.3 trillion (2012)

Ouch.

This is a tempest in a teapot? Oh hardly.

.

.

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_China [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_US [wikipedia.org]

Re: Quiz?

[erikkemperman]

You are so stupid. Snowden has plenty of stuff left.

Name calling isn't very helpful. But yes, it would surprise me if he doesn't have anything tucked away for a rainy day. He is in the kind if situation where some "insurance" might come in handy.