The Pull of the CIA: Italy Capitulates

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-us-cia-pardon-idUKKBN1683ZI

I've been following this story, especially as it has been in the news the past few days. How frustrated the Italian prosecutors and investigators must be. They've laboured to bring this to trial, to hold someone accountable for what was done within their borders, in violation of their nation's sovereignty. They're trying to demonstrate that America cannot act with impunity.

Well, they've wasted their time. Because the Empire has intervened and at the end of the day, the highest echelons of Italian power bow to their Washington masters. The CIA agent who was part of a project to kidnap people off the streets and torture them for intelligence will go free.

Apparently de Souza may still have to do some community service time. Well, few will pay attention as to whether or not that even happens. If she does, it's a small price to pay. I'm sure that the people in Washington regret the judicial process advanced as far as it did but I knew that there was almost no way they were going to let one of their own, even if they're less than pleased with her, get extradited to serve time in jail.

There have been occasions of CIA officers doing jail time but this is usually in the United States. These incidents are usually tied to narratives of CIA agents going rogue although many believe (and with reason) these are cases of agents either getting carried away (such as Michael Townley) or incidents wherein they failed in terms of operational security and were caught by the FBI. Bound by fear and the CIA's version of omerta, they do the time and keep the nature of the operations secret. In other cases such as Ed Wilson, a case could be made that policy changed and being left exposed, these agents were effectively betrayed by their own agency masters. Others perhaps even de Souza are set up as the patsy to deflect attention. And yet in her case it would seem Langley was willing to intervene and make sure that whatever grief she suffered would be so minor as to keep her quiet. She's been talking. It will be interesting to see if now she decides it's a good time to cease and desist.

See also:

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2014/01/allies-and-enemies-power-of-united.html