I have some bad news for you: the US is not at all exceptional in engaging in these behaviors. It's SOP for every country on the planet. The only ones who don't

I have some bad news for you: the US is not at all exceptional in engaging in these behaviors. It's SOP for every country on the planet. The only ones who don't are those who can't. If you want to boycott governments/countries that engage in these behaviors, you're going to have to live an ascetic lifestyle. And naturally, the biggest manufacturers/producers are generally those with the most horrific crimes in the recent past: the UK, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, etc. These are also the same countries with the most powerful global electronic surveillance operations - yeah, the US isn't the only one doing that, either. America gets most of the flak because it has the most power and influence. But out of all the hegemonies and empires in human history, I suspect the American one is among the most benevolent, if not the most benevolent. That isn't to excuse its behavior if you find it abhorrent. But it is what it is. We are very lucky to live in the times we live in. The world was not nearly so kind only a few years ago. World powers now talk soft and pass all kinds of laws and treaties and human rights conventions and pay lip service and quite a bit more to principles that would have been laughed at for most of our history. To take this particular example, almost all historical generals would have laughed in your face and called you an idiot if you told them depriving citizenry of food was evil and they shouldn't do it. What I wonder is how long this situation can last. We are a great aberration and I do not think it can last forever. We're already seeing some of the consequences: guerrilla warfare is effectively unstoppable as long as we have moral compunctions regarding civilians.