Everyone is spying to the extent their budget allows. Keep in mind US military spending is larger that the rest of the world combined. Nobody else on the planet has the ability to bribe or coerce equipment and software makers like the NSA.

There is without doubt an asymmetry at play. Try to read the following headlines with reversed roles: http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/01/06/us-ambassador-to-spai... In many countries the patience is running out. If that turns out to have political consequence remains to be seen. But I do not believe that all governments are the same in that respect.

Agreed.

However, there is a thing called economic espionage. Depending on what you're doing, having your own government spy on you can be a very different thing from having a foreign government spy on you.

And no, I don't believe for a second the NSA isn't involved in economic espionage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/820758.stm

> everyone is spying.

Gut feeling? Not all countries have can afford an expensive program like NSA.

Then, what you do, is what Cuba, Vietnam, Venezuela did/does, you organize local watch committees. These bodies are set-up so that neighbors rat on neighbors. No big budgets necessary. You trust on one and by and large, you outwardly toe the party line.

Or maybe you do what Estonia does. False dichotomy?