Whether secret surveillance of other countries' leaders helps maintain global stability is a complex and delicate question. Here are some arguments on both sides: **Arguments for maintaining global stability:** 1. **Intelligence gathering:** Surveillance of other countries' leaders can provide governments with valuable information about their intentions, strategies, and policy decision-making processes. This can help governments predict and respond to potential threats or conflicts and maintain stability. 2. **Risk assessment:** With surveillance, governments can assess potential risks to their national security, economy, or interests. This can help them take proactive measures to mitigate these risks and prevent conflicts or crises from occurring. 3. **Diplomatic efforts:** Surveillance can inform diplomatic efforts, helping governments more effectively negotiate and resolve differences in negotiations with other countries. **Arguments for undermining global stability: 1. **Erosion of trust:** Secret surveillance may erode the trust of other countries' leaders in the monitoring country, which may lead to deterioration of diplomatic relations and even conflict. 2. **Amplification of instability:** Surveillance may amplify instability, especially if the monitored country views the surveillance as a threat to its sovereignty or security. This may lead to retaliation or military buildup, further increasing the likelihood of instability. 3. **Illegal activities:** Covert surveillance may involve illegal activities, such as hacking or wiretapping, which may violate international laws and norms. 4. **Power imbalance:** Surveillance may create a power imbalance between the monitoring state and the monitored state, with the latter being at a disadvantage due to a lack of knowledge of the monitoring state's intentions. **Real-world examples: 1. **National Security Agency surveillance program:** This program, revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013, demonstrated large-scale surveillance of American leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. This led to a crisis of trust among diplomats and countries that expressed dissatisfaction with US surveillance activities. 2. **Chinese intelligence gathering:** China has been accused of conducting secret surveillance of various leaders, including government officials and corporate executives. While this may contribute to China's national security and economic interests, it has also fueled concerns that China has undue influence in these areas. **Conclusion:** In summary, covert surveillance of foreign leaders can have both positive and negative effects on global stability. While it can provide valuable information and help with risk assessment, it can also erode trust in the monitoring state, amplify instability, and lead to power imbalances. Ideally, governments should prioritize diplomatic efforts, build trust, and establish transparency and accountability through international cooperation and norms. Covert surveillance should be exercised with caution and in accordance with international law and norms, and should be used as a last resort, not a first resort.