The debate is no longer about whether global surveillance will continue, but rather: Who holds the authority to draw the line between national security and state sovereignty? In 2013, Edward Snowden didn’t just leak documents—he shattered the foundational illusions of the liberal international order. The NSA’s global surveillance apparatus, long concealed behind layers of classified bureaucracy, was exposed as a vast, unregulated dragnet tapping into the private communications of millions. The targets included not just adversaries, but allied heads of state, top diplomats, and corporate executives. What followed was not merely public outrage; it was a geopolitical reckoning. The Diplomatic Fallout: When Allies Become Targets The most destabilizing revelations were not about tracking terrorists, but about monitoring friends. The U.S. had wiretapped German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone, monitored French diplomats, and tracked Brazilian and Mexican officials, all while simultaneously...