Agency Quote by Edward Snowden
“A political decision has been made not to irritate the intelligence community. The spy agencies are really embarrassed, they're really sore - the revelations really hurt their mystique. The last ten years, they were getting the Zero Dark Thirty treatment - they're the heroes. The surveillance revelations bring them back to Big Brother kind of narratives, and they don't like that at all.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Documentary “Citizenfour”, 2014
Political leaders often appease intelligence agencies to avoid upsetting them, revealing tension between transparency and secrecy.
In simple terms: Leaders avoid upsetting spies.
Key Takeaway
Balance openness with security concerns.
Themes
politics
intelligence
transparency
media
power
Mood
cautious
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
informative
When to use this quote
- policy making
- journalism
- whistleblowing
- public debate
Key Concepts
government
public trust
information control
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies ensure oversight without provoking backlash?
- What mechanisms protect both security and transparency?
A Different Perspective
Such appeasement can erode democratic accountability.
![“The [Barack] Obama administration almost appears as though it is afraid of the intelligence community. They're afraid of death by a thousand cuts - you know, leaks and things like that.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/483/edward-snowden-555_administration_the-barack-obama-administration-almost-a_2650901.jpg)
![“[Brazil] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data sovereignty."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/af7/edward-snowden-555_brazil_brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-n_14906.jpg)
![“There was a real choice when [Barack Obama] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold senior officials to account with the same laws that every other citizen in the country is held to," or "This is a nation that believes in the rule of law."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/edward-snowden-555_accounts_there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obam_27838.jpg)
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
