Privacy and Power: A Transatlantic Dialogue in the Shadow of the NSA-Affair

Edward Snowden's leaks exposed fundamental differences in the ways Americans and Europeans approach the issues of privacy and intelligence gathering. Featuring commentary from leading commentators, scholars and practitioners from both sides of the Atlantic, the book documents and explains these differences, summarized in these terms: Europeans should 'grow up' and Americans should 'obey the law'. The book starts with a collection of chapters acknowledging that Snowden's revelations require us to rethink prevailing theories concerning privacy and intelligence gathering, explaining the differences and uncertainty regarding those aspects. An impressive range of experts reflect on the law and policy of the NSA-Affair, documenting its fundamentally transnational dimension, which is the real location of the transatlantic dialogue on privacy and intelligence gathering. The conclusive chapters explain the dramatic transatlantic differences that emerged from the NSA-Affair with a collection of comparative cultural commentary.

Russell A. Miller is Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law where his research and teaching focuses on comparative constitutional law. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including The Constitutional Jurisprudence of the Federal Republic of Germany, 3rd edition (2012) and US National Security, Intelligence and Democracy (2008). He has lectured and published extensively in the US and Germany on the issues of privacy and intelligence oversight.