The NSA’s New Partner in Spying: Saudi Arabia’s Brutal State Police

Speculation on what a candid NSA response to this might be: "If helping a brutal regime find more targets to brutalize also helps us find terrorists, then the collateral damage--which are entirely Saudi nationals anyway--is acceptable."

You could also throw in the old chestnut about "Well, if they didn't get our help with this, they'll get it from someone else (probably the Chinese)."

Truth is, I have an open mind. Perhaps this calculus is correct against the backdrop of what is a cruel and violent game played by nations against each other. Much of the horror we all feel is predicated on the false belief that this is happening in a US state, or that Saudi Arabia is even really our friend. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," the saying goes. Unless we're willing to take strong action against Saudi Arabia, what good would weakening the relationship serve? Just as in the game "Diplomacy", when you backstab, you better make it count.

That said, if there was an Arab Spring type movement on the peninsula that had even a small chance of winning, and the US helped to crush it, even a little, then we'd have crossed the line. This? It may be defensible as a "least evil" option.

The problem that the NSA faces, along with the entire executive branch, is that their credibility is almost completely shot. We don't (and shouldn't) believe them. They have lied to Congress and to us. We can't really know what their reasoning was or is. And in this great shadow of doubt, collaboration with brutal regimes no longer seems like a less evil option, but rather training ground for new domestic policy.

there's nothing new about this