Well, well, well. Looks like Brazil’s president got their feathers ruffled and angrily canceled a state visit to Washington a decade ago. What could have caused such a diplomatic row, you may ask? None other than the infamous Edward Snowden and his leak of classified documents that spilled the beans on American surveillance programs. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good leak? Snowden called it a public service to expose government overreach, but we all know he just wanted to stir the pot and cause a little chaos.

Fast forward to the present day, and we have yet another leak of classified documents. This time, we’re talking about U.S. spy agencies getting their noses into the business of some friendly countries like Egypt, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. Oops, did they do it again? And we thought only nosy neighbors were a problem.

These documents may have focused mostly on the war in Ukraine, but they also include juicy tidbits about C.I.A. intelligence briefs describing conversations and plans at senior levels of government in those aforementioned countries. Of course, this is all thanks to good ol’ electronic eavesdropping, aka signals intelligence. We always knew the U.S. had a talent for spying, but we didn’t know they were Olympic level competitors.

Now, you would think that the U.S.’s allies would be up in arms about all this spying business, but to our surprise, they’re mostly just shrugging it off. Maybe they’re just as jaded as we are about the long reach of U.S. spy agencies. Or perhaps they’re too preoccupied with their own shenanigans to care. The governments of Egypt, Israel, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates have all called the leaked reports false or fabricated, but they don’t seem to be too bothered about the actual spying. Maybe they’re secretly impressed by the U.S.’s impressive espionage abilities.

Let’s not forget that the United States’ enemies are always waiting for an opportunity to exploit any awkward or embarrassing moments. It wasn’t too long ago that the U.S. was condemning Beijing for its prying eyes in the form of spy balloons drifting over multiple continents. But now, China’s foreign ministry spokesman is insisting that the U.S. owes the international community an explanation for its “indiscriminate secret theft, surveillance, and eavesdropping on countries in the world, including its allies.” Looks like the tables have turned, and the U.S. is now the one being spied on. It’s like a game of international spy vs. spy.

But let’s get real, is anyone really surprised by all this spying business? It’s not like Snowden’s leaks in 2013 were the first time we found out about the U.S.’s spying ways. We all knew that the U.S. was spying on its allies, but we just didn’t want to say it out loud. And thanks to Snowden “letting the cat out of the bag,” it’s no longer a secret. It’s old news, baby.

President Biden must be breathing a sigh of relief that the latest leaks haven’t caused too much of a diplomatic row. His predecessor, President Obama, had to work the phones to clean up the mess caused by the revelations of surveillance of allies. Remember when the N.S.A. directly targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone, and she told Mr. Obama that “spying on friends is not acceptable”? Yeah, that was awkward. Maybe the U.S. should stick to spying on its enemies and leave its friends alone.

All in all, it seems like the latest leaks haven’t caused too much of a stir. Sure, South Korea’s opposition leaders have denounced the United States for “violating the sovereignty” of the country, but let’s be real, it’s just some grandstanding. President Yoon Suk Yeol has no interest in a diplomatic row with Mr. Biden, and South Koreans are generally tolerant of the U.S.’s eavesdropping. They see the U.S. as an important guardian against China’s growing power, after all. At least the U.S. now knows that it’s embarrassing to still have to spy on its friends.

Serious News: nytimes