I'm taken aback by the media furor surrounding the newest WikiLeaks post of US diplomatic cables. There are a few novel, quirky, and indeed embarrassing things in there, but on the whole, very little of it sounds new to me, and even that which is new isn't particularly surprising. A few examples:
"Saudi King urges US to confront Iran over nuclear program"
Is this supposed to be shocking? Should I be appalled that an ally would agitate for violence? How about when US senator Lindsey Graham does it habitually, or that other American hawk Joe Lieberman? I think it says something quite good about the American government that, despite the pressure, the US has not attacked Iran.
"Putin called 'alpha-dog'"
Okay, so this is a new way of saying something people have been saying for years. Everyone knows Putin's a manly man, that he's the domineering type, that he's a... well, an alpha-male, or "alpha-dog." What's the big deal?
"Angela Merkel is 'risk averse'"
Good for her. She should thank them for the compliment.
"US diplomats spy on UN officials"
Embarrassing? Yes. Reprehensible? Yes. Surprising? Not at all. World leaders are spied upon, whether they be leaders of countries or world organizations. That's what happens. The US does it; every country with the means probably does it. Is it a good thing? I think not, but it's the truth and it should not surprise us.
"Karzai paranoid"
Wow. Really? This is supposed to be news? I read this in the NYT and Bob Woodward's new book months ago.
"Karzai's brother a narco-trafficker"
Sorry, I knew this too.
Why all the drama and indignation over this new cache from WikiLeaks?
3 comments:
The problem is not so much in the content of what was revealed, as in the fact that relationships of trust between countries (or their representatives) have been damaged. If countries can't count on information they have shared in confidence to remain secret, they'll stop sharing it. That could easily leave us worse off. See this column for more on this viewpoint.
(Previous comment deleted because the link in it to the column was incorrect.)
keep in touched
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