EU’s Quantum Leap

Alarmed by supposed industrial espionage, the European Union (EU) is seeking to develop a $13 million secure communication system based on quantum cryptography (www.arcs.ac.at/IT/ITS/MF/quanten.htm) to counter U.S. eavesdropping systems such as the National Security Agency’s Echelon, which some allege intercepts phone, e-mail, and fax messages. If successful, the EU’s impenetrable system, which embeds information on ...

Alarmed by supposed industrial espionage, the European Union (EU) is seeking to develop a $13 million secure communication system based on quantum cryptography (www.arcs.ac.at/IT/ITS/MF/quanten.htm) to counter U.S. eavesdropping systems such as the National Security Agency's Echelon, which some allege intercepts phone, e-mail, and fax messages. If successful, the EU's impenetrable system, which embeds information on particles of light, will make an "essential contribution to the economic independence of Europe," says Austrian project coordinator Christian Monyk. Although claims of industrial espionage remain unproven, GlobalSecurity.org Director John Pike says that the United States might use such surveillance to determine if European firms used bribes to win contracts. And there may be more incentive to secure communication in an age of trans-Atlantic acrimony. The United States' Echelon also coordinates with intelligence agencies in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The French and Germans have long resented U.S.-British snooping. As Pike notes, "Ever since the end of World War II, the French keep asking the British ‘are you in or out?'"

Alarmed by supposed industrial espionage, the European Union (EU) is seeking to develop a $13 million secure communication system based on quantum cryptography (www.arcs.ac.at/IT/ITS/MF/quanten.htm) to counter U.S. eavesdropping systems such as the National Security Agency’s Echelon, which some allege intercepts phone, e-mail, and fax messages. If successful, the EU’s impenetrable system, which embeds information on particles of light, will make an "essential contribution to the economic independence of Europe," says Austrian project coordinator Christian Monyk. Although claims of industrial espionage remain unproven, GlobalSecurity.org Director John Pike says that the United States might use such surveillance to determine if European firms used bribes to win contracts. And there may be more incentive to secure communication in an age of trans-Atlantic acrimony. The United States’ Echelon also coordinates with intelligence agencies in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The French and Germans have long resented U.S.-British snooping. As Pike notes, "Ever since the end of World War II, the French keep asking the British ‘are you in or out?’"

Soyoung Ho is an editorial assistant at the Washington Monthly.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.