What allies are supposed to do

[Berkut]

So let's say it's France. If French officials cooperated with the FBI on this matter, it must have been particularly galling when the Biden administration then struck a deal to share nuclear technology with Australia, thus squelching a contract that France had negotiated long ago. This is the same nuclear technology that the Toebbes thought they were providing to France. If France had taken the Toebbes up on their offer, it might have been able to save the contract with Australia. Instead, the French notified the FBI—and for their trouble, they got screwed. This may be the backstory on why French President Emmanuel Macron was particularly peeved.

They seem to know a lot about this spy case but they don't seem very well informed about the troubles of the French /Australian deal.
And I say this as somebody who has only skimmed that saga.

They definitely could have saved the Australia deal, but sacrificed it for the greater good of co Franco-American cooperation. Because that is just what France does!

My point is France already has nuclear technology and wasn't willing to sell it.
Its simply mad to think getting access to some American secrets would somehow change this.

I know.

The entire thing makes no sense, but it does give Zoupa a vague feeling of justifiable arrogance. It's very French of him.

[Jacob]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

[Sheilbh]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

Or Australia

[Jacob]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

Or Australia

[grumbler]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

I'd certainly put France as my #2 suspect.  Toebbe doesn't sound like the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so may have thought France wouldn't turn him in.  Israel remains my #1, though.

[Zoupa]

LOL. You keep on being you Zoupa. Don't ever change.

With all due respect, Berkut, you're giving Zoupa an awful advice.

[Zoupa]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

It would but

I wrote "suggest", not "provide evidence". It might turn out to be Zimbabwe, that's not my point.

There are certain ways or etiquette that is generally agreed upon when dealing with allies or their military technology. This story was just a nice reminder of that

Fuck me for posting a general feel-good story I guess 

[Berkut]

It'll be pretty hilarious if it turns out it in fact was France in the end.

Not really. It's not like if it was France it somehow makes France look like some "good ally" anyway.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I think France is definitely in a list of countries that would make sense; but for reasons that undermine Zoupa's post. France has historically shown itself to not be all that loyal of an ally, and you could conceive of a scenario where France would happily take pilfered nuclear submarine reactor data, while it is unlikely France is going to dramatically redesign its extant reactors, having certain types of data could help them with designing their next generation reactors whenever they do design them. There is little evidence Toebbe actually was offering that level of information, though.

Like there are some countries like the United Kingdom who would almost certainly instantly contact us if someone tried to sell them pilfered nuclear data. There are then countries like Russia or India that would all but certainly actually buy the data. There are then countries like France and Israel who could conceivably go either way, based on past behavior, it's quite believable either country was country1, and quite believable either country would have declined the offer and ratted Toebbe out. It's also the case those countries are plausible simply because there's a chance either country might actually take the data had it been valuable.

All that being said, not a single bit of the reporting on this has demonstrated any hard evidence as to which country is "country1." Whichever country it is, also would not be getting a medal for "doing what allies are supposed to do", considering they sat on a serious espionage leak in our defense establishment for 7 months. A true ally would want those people caught immediately since there's no way to know what other, more nefarious country, with which they might be trying to do business.

[grumbler]

(snip)
Whichever country it is, also would not be getting a medal for "doing what allies are supposed to do", considering they sat on a serious espionage leak in our defense establishment for 7 months. A true ally would want those people caught immediately since there's no way to know what other, more nefarious country, with which they might be trying to do business.

Too true.  If it was France and the headlines had been reversed, the Zoupas of the world would have gone absolutely apeshit that the US had waited seven months top tell France that it had a traitor in its midst.  That is not what allies are supposed to do.

Time will tell whether Zoupa is wrong about France being country1, or whether he is wrong that France did what allies are supposed to do.

[Razgovory]

Wait, we are allied with France?  I didn't think France had allies, only interests.

[Eddie Teach]

De Gaulle said that, but so did Kissinger. 

[grumbler]

De Gaulle said that, but so did Kissinger. 

"Nations have no friends, only interests."  -Charles de Gaulle

They have allies, just not "friends."

[Zoupa]

This thread really reinforces NATO's obsolescence and the urgent need for European Defense. I guess Macron read the tea leaves earlier than I did.

[grumbler]

This thread really reinforces NATO's obsolescence and the urgent need for European Defense. I guess Macron read the tea leaves earlier than I did.

  Yes, if your poor feelings get hurt, it reinforces "NATO's obsolescence!"  Because NATO is all really about you, isn't it?

Another classic Languish Zoupa post.