Wikileaks - US Embassy Cables

[InkyStamp]

Has anyone seen and digested this yet?

Thoughts?

[InkyStamp]

Ok having read it more thoroughly, I think this is going to have massive implications world wide!!

[Chil1234]

I think Wikileaks are operating to their own one-sided agenda and that, in previous centuries, would have been shot for treason....

[BadgersPaws]

"in previous centuries, would have been shot for treason."

WikiLeaks isn't American and it's main public face isn't either, so by the very definition of the world this isn't treason.

WikiLeaks claims roots with Chinese dissidents. If it had applied the same methods to the Chinese Government then the US Government would probably be portraying WikiLeaks are brave heroes. However turn the spotlight on the US and suddenly it becomes a great international evil.

It's not what you do, it's who you do it to.

[midnightexpress]

My suspicion is that if anything, the continuing leaks will make things in future less transparent rather than more so, as the US will be keen to stop any further embarrassment by whatever means necessary. I'm not sure that blanket 'publish and be damned' is necessarily the right approach if you want to encourage better behaviour/more transparency.

[giveitago]

spying on UN is bad and middle eastern stuff about nations asking US to bomb iran is not great (but not exactly surprising). Not much new news there so far.

Looking forward to the stuff on the UK - it might help us to finally reassess our 'special relationship' with them. But not holding my breath.


Nice to see Hilary running around like a headless chicken actually.

Agree with midnight - will lead to less transparency.

[CaveMum]

I like the way Hilary apologised for the fact that the memos were leaked, but not for the content of the memos!

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

been following that.

The wikileaks guy is now wanted by interpol on an unrelated matter.

Yeah, sure.

Now he's suddenly wanted by interpol for alledged sex offences - the one thing guaranteed to make him despised.

If he has done something, then I hope he's caught and punished.

But I cannot help thinking this is all just too convenient.

[BadgersPaws]

"Now he's suddenly wanted by interpol for alledged sex offences"

This has been going on for a few months now, the Interpol Warrant is new but the allegations and criminal investigations are not.

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

really? I stand corrected, thanks. I didn't know that.

These allegations and investigations predate wikileaks series of embarrassing revelations about major powers then?

[BadgersPaws]

"These allegations and investigations predate wikileaks series of embarrassing revelations about major powers then?"

Well they predate these latest leaks. The allegations date back to the middle of August this year. They also came before the Iraq War logs were released.

WikiLeaks has been around embarrassing Government's for a few years though. In particular the Afghan War documents were released before the allegations were made.

[AbsofLatkes]

There's interesting stuff on wikileaks on wikipedia

A lot of the stuff that has come out so far for the diplomatic cables isn't that surprising. So Prince Andrew thinks the Kazakhstanis are corrupt - anyone who's had any dealings with Kazakhstan would know this. They're CRAZY corrupt (as are the Russians. And the Nigerians). Also, Chinese government involved in computer hacking. Meh.

I had no idea though that they were behind the whole BNP party list being released, or releasing the report on Trafigura (yay wikileaks!)

[scaryteacher]

Dh read it this morning and commented that there was really nothing in there that wasn't already known or surmised from the releases.