WikiLeaks Embarrasses U.S. State Department

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 29, 2010
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               Condemning the WikiLeaks release of thousands of classified and secret U.S. documents, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton accused Australian-born Julian Assange’s company of “attacking the world.”  Releasing 250,000 State Department cables, Assange wanted to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what really goes on in diplomatic circles.  “The disclosure is not just an attack on America’s foreign policy interests.  It is an attack on the international community,” Clinton said after meeting with the Turkish foreign minister.  WikiLeaks provided the uncensored version of private communiqués not meant for public consumption.  Some of the leaked material embarrasses the State Department with unflattering remarks against various foreign governments and leaders, causing acute humiliation, making a mockery out of official  diplomatic work.

            Early disclosures by Wikileaks exposed the Iraq Abu Ghraib prison scandal where U.S. military warders violated the Geneva Convention and abused Iraqi battlefield detainees.  “I want you to know that we are taking aggressive steps to hold responsible those who stole this information,” including taking steps to prevent future leaks.  Most the leaks occurred between 2007 and 2010, involving diplomatic indiscretions a so-called secret details about controversial topics.  If U.S. diplomats showed more discipline and refrained from making embarrassing comments, the government wouldn’t have egg on its face.  Saudi King Abdullah’s call for the U.S. to “cut off the head” of the Iranian snake with respect to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program should come as no surprise to those knowing the relationship between Riyadh and Tehran.  China’s attempt to hack into Google should also surprise no one.

            White House or State Department officials would like to prosecute 39-year-old WikiLeaks’ creator Julian Assange for creating the Internet’s premier whistleblowing Web site.  Assange studied physics and mathematics at the University of Melbourn before developing his hacking skills.  He was prosecuted in 1992 by Australian authorities for hacking into the computers of Canadian-based Nortel Networks.  Assange spent years developing his hacking skills before launching WikiLeaks in 2006 for the purpose of either exposing or possibly blackmailing foreign governments for various confidential activities.  Assange calls his latest disclosure as a “diplomatic history of the United States," revealing “every major issue.”  U.S. authorities view Assange’s release of 251,287 cables, 15,652 viewed as classified, as criminal.  Assange sees the release as “keeping ‘em honest.”

            Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad called the WikiLeaks’ disclosure about Iran’s nuclear enrichment program “worthless mischief.”  He dismissed as inconsequential calls by the Saudi leader to “cut off the head of the Iranian snake.”  Russian officials also dismissed off-the-record State Department comments that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin runs a mafia like state.  “There’s nothing new or deserving a comment,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Yulian Timakov.  Kremlin officials dismissed the leaks as not too unlike their own foreign service.  “Our own diplomats are sometimes just as open in their own private messages to each other,” said an unnamed Kremlin source.  Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai rejected statements that he was paranoid and his half-brother was an Afghan drug lord.  Assange’s leaks, while condemned by Hillary, are much ado about nothing.

            Hacker’s like Assange have other motives in getting the goods on foreign governments.  He knows that if something really juicy turns up, he may be able to blackmail foreign governments all in the good fun of controlling information.  Blackmail plots are nothing knew to garden variety extortionists.  Anyone believing that Assange just wants to “keep ‘em honest” doesn’t know how high-value leaks command considerable hush-money on the open market.  Off-the-record remarks about British Prime Minister, or any other major world leaders for that matter, are nothing new and, in all likelihood, will be repeated.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said diplomatic cables showing Israel did its utmost to expose Iran’s nuclear program to Arab leaders did nothing to harm Israel.  “I don’t think Israel was harmed at all,” said Bibi, dismissing the WikiLeaks’ revelations.

              U.S. authorities suspect the source of the WikiLeaks was former army intelligence officers Bradley Manning, who was arrested for releasing a video of U.S. air-strikes killing reporters in Iraq.  Former “Pentagon Papers” leaker 79-year-old Daniel Ellsberg hailed Assange as a true patriot for WikiLeaks.  Assange is “serving our [American] democracy and serving our rule of law precisely by challenging the secrecy regulations which are not laws in most cases in this country,” said Ellsberg, acknowledging that Assange sees himself as a fugitive from U.S. justice.  Ellsberg, who faced espionage charges in 1971 for leaking the “Pentagon Papers,” is the wrong person to render judgment about Assange.  While it’s tempting to glamorize Assange, he’s most likely a fugitive hacker who tried, but failed, to extort money from U.S. officials before dumping his trash on the Internet.

About the Au thor

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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