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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Friday, December 20, 2013

Obama's NSA spying sends American jobs to Sweden


Saab JAS 39 Gripen

Obama The Job Killer
  • Brazil gives Sweden's Saab a $4.5 Billion fighter jet contract.  Boeing is cut out in retaliation for Obama's NSA spying on Brazil.
  • “The NSA problem ruined it for the Americans,” a Brazilian government source told Reuters.
  • NSA spying in Brazil had nothing to do with terrorism, but was all about Brazilian plans for oil production. 


Brazil has rejected a contract for Boeing’s F/A-18 fighter jets in favor of the Swedish Saab’s JAS 39 Gripens. The unexpected move to reject the US bid comes amid the global scandal over the NSA’s involvement in economic espionage activities.

The announcement for the purchase of 36 fighters was made Wednesday by Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim and Air Force Commander Junti Saito.

Shares in Sweden's Saab jumped almost 30% after it won a $4.5 Billion (£2.7bn) deal to supply the 36 fighter jets to Brazil.

The deal is one of the most valuable ones in emerging markets and Saab had faced competition from rivals Boeing and Dassault Aviation.

Many had expected Boeing or Dassault to emerge as the winner reports BBC News.

The BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says Boeing's cause was not helped by a recent row between the US and Brazil over spying allegations.

Obama's NSA was spying on the
President of Brazil and the state
oil company Petrobras.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of intercepting emails and messages from President Dilma Rousseff, her aides and state oil company, Petrobras.

David Fleischer, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia, said that Ms Rousseff "had been favouring the Boeing plane and a lot of people thought she would announce her decision during her state visit to Washington".

"Boeing was very close but then the NSA booted them out of the air," he said.

The spying allegations were made by Rio-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, who obtained secret files from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Just before her address at the UN summit, Rousseff canceled a state visit to Washington, scheduled to take place in October, because of indignation over spying revelations. Rousseff has stated she wants an apology from US President Barack Obama reports RT News.

Snowden has promised to aid Brazil in a probe into the NSA’s spying program in the country.

“A lot of Brazilian senators have asked me to collaborate with their investigations into suspected crimes against Brazilian citizens,” said Snowden, in an open letter published by Brazilian paper Folha de S.Paulo. Snowden hinted in the letter that he may ask Brazil for asylum.

“The American government will continue to limit my ability to speak out until a country grants me permanent political asylum,” wrote Snowden.

The whistleblower is currently under temporary asylum in Russia. Brazil plans to host a global summit on internet governance in April 2014.

Brazil resident Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian journalist renowned for publishing Snowden’s leaks, criticized on Wednesday European Union governments’ muted response to the revelations about the NSA’s mass surveillance apparatus.  He also contradicted Washington’s claim that no economic espionage is involved amid NSA spying.

“What a lot of this spying is about has nothing to do with terrorism and national security. That is the pretext. It is about diplomatic manipulation and economic advantage.”


Obama - Sending jobs to Sweden.

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