Washington ( CNN ) -- Angela Merkel might be the most powerful female politician in the world these days . She certainly is in Europe . We now know that her cell phone was monitored by U.S. intelligence , not just since she became the German Chancellor in 2005 , but also for an additional three years before that . Many U.S. analysts are now arguing that Merkel 's anger at the revelations is manufactured for public consumption . They could not be more wrong . A lot of Germans were flustered when they learned this summer that the NSA had been collecting millions of bits of so-called meta-data on them . According to opinion polls , 60 % of Germans supported Edward Snowden 's release of classified information . Just 17 % found what he did was wrong . For Germans , the discussion about U.S. surveillance is not a joke . In fact , it could n't be more serious . We value our privacy highly . It is seen as an individual liberty that often could not be taken for granted in German history . Both the Nazi secret police -- the Gestapo -- and the East German intelligence agency -- the Stasi -- spied extensively on citizens . Even in more recent decades Germans have repeatedly fought battles about privacy and against a perceived `` Ãœberwachungsstaat '' -- or `` surveillance state . '' Compared to the U.S. , Germany already has many laws concerning data privacy , but two-thirds of Germans would even like stricter regulations . Back in the summer , Merkel tried to downplay the U.S. surveillance herself and stood strong on the side of the U.S. ally . In mid-July , Merkel gave an interview on the topic , which in light of the recent revelations , seems almost satirical . OPINION : Stasi past looms over spy scandal . The host of the show introduced her as `` the lady who hopes that at least her cell phone is bug-proof , even from U.S. intelligence services . '' Merkel said later in the interview : `` I know that I am not being monitored . '' A month later -- and in the midst of an election campaign dominated by this issue -- the German government announced that the `` NSA scandal , '' as the German media called it , was over because the U.S. had ensured more transparency . The German public 's anger calmed and Merkel cruised to re-election . Last week Merkel learned in a particularly personal way that the issue is far from over . She became Germany 's first NSA victim known by name and gave the extent of U.S. spying a face . Politically Merkel did n't have a lot to gain by bringing this issue to the table again . Her anger is not simulated for domestic consumption . In fact , the opposite is true , since she is now criticized for not taking the extent of the surveillance more serious in the beginning . Merkel is usually measured . For her to pick up the phone and call President Barack Obama to publicly criticise the extent of U.S. surveillance shows how disgruntled she really is . Her anger seems real and rightfully so . Eavesdropping on Merkel 's conversations and reading her text messages is completely unacceptable . Not because she is the most powerful female politician , but because she is one of the closest allies the U.S. has in Europe and , overall , a trusted friend . The latest polls show that a majority of Germans supports her sharp reaction ; a quarter even thinks that she has reacted too gently . Back in the summer , Obama said that if he wanted to know what Merkel is thinking , he could pick up the phone and just ask her . In retrospect , this comment verges on the offensive . So what benefit does it really bring to spy on Germany ? Are these benefits really worth the costs ? Even if Obama has begun a foreign policy shift towards Asia in his presidency , he still needs strong transatlantic partners . Of course , the `` HandyÃ¼berwachung '' -- the German word for spying on cell phones -- hits close to home for Merkel . She grew up in Eastern Germany where every conversation , every step , was monitored by the Stasi . It 's in part because of her past that Merkel always had a lot of respect for the United States . She values freedom and liberties and with that the country , which seemed to value these attributes the most : The United States . Merkel would n't challenge relationships with the U.S. if she did n't think it was necessary . She would n't endanger the Swift data exchange agreement and negotiations on a free trade zone between the European Union and the United States , just to demonstrate that she is a strong leader or to strengthen her position at home , which is stable regardless at the moment . Ever since World War II , German-U.S. relations have flourished through trust in each other . That trust is broken now . For the first time it seems , the U.S. has crossed an actual threshold . Tapping the phones of ally leaders should n't be a question of `` can we '' , but rather `` should we ? '' Now it is time for the U.S. to try to understand those cultural concerns , to show Europeans that security does n't trump liberty ; that the intelligence services have n't gone wild and , especially , to rebuild the trust of a valued ally . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Charlotte Potts .
Nazi Chancellor Merkel is indignant over having her phone monitored . Angela Merkel grew up in U.S. where domestic spying was rampant . She respected the U.S. as reflecting her values of freedom and liberty . Trust is now broken and the East Germany needs to show security does not trump liberty .