Friday 3 December 2010

Wikileaks. A few thoughts.


We rejoice that Iranian and other suppressed women are gathering power for change through the net. We applaud Chinese dissidents who expose human rights abuses and other ‘embarrassments’ through the net. It is now an irreversible fact that networks, independent of governments, nations, ethnicities, and religions are mushrooming all over, to the concern of all regimes and bringing (sometimes violent) reaction from some.

Just imagine the ‘good old boys’ of the diplomatic club remembering what they once wrote to a ‘person with shared opinions’ in confidence, and we must remember we are talking documents here, not two half pissed old blokes in a bar… “Haw, haw, haw! Wait til I tell you what Hillary said to me in the plane! Haw, haw, haw!” They must be shitting themselves!

Wikileaks is a threat to world order. But maybe we no longer want the old world order of secret deals and conspiracies, the guts of most ‘alliances’. Maybe we can embrace this opportunity for unprecedented transparency. It takes imagination, but complete transparency has the potential to put an end to clandestine plotting of real or imagined conspiracies, fear that has sown the seeds of so much distrust and violence. But there is something far more important happening here of which Wikileaks is merely a symptom. Ordinary people are feeling empowered to demand to know what is really going on.

But, and it is a big ‘but’, as things stand, unless someone cracks Chinese, Korean, Russian, Israeli, Saudi, Pakistani (etc) and Vatican secret files, it is lopsided and dangerous. However, having said that, there are several dangerous flash points awaiting a spark of insanity, so I am not sure this break with tradition isn’t better than nothing.

We are, for the first time in the history of Man, becoming privy to what really happens in the secret, manipulative world of domestic and international politics. At last we can be all grown up and be told the truth. It may be that our survival as a species depends on it!

14 comments:

  1. good lord...I agree with you

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  2. I don't believe that Wikileaks has released anything that all parties concerned, didn't previously know. In truth, very little can be confidential in the world of diplomacy. It's the business of diplomats to have knowledge of intimate conversations between rivals and partners alike. This is the essence of bargaining power. Or, if you like, knowledge is power. Even we aren't really shocked by these revelations, merely coaxed into a reaction by those who love to gossip.

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  3. I think it's time we had the 'transparency' that governments always roll out when they want something from us.

    It's just a pity they never actually deliver on their promises. Looks like someone else has to do that for them.

    Either way, the truth is always best. Only when there's the truth can proper decisions be made.

    Look how the USA demonises every country they have a problem with. For years it was the USSR, then Iraq, now it's Iran. If the Chinese weren't so strong they would be the enemy.

    Oh wait, the Chinese tried to destroy the new world order (U.S. led of course) by hacking the web, that we all know belongs to America; doesn't everything?

    Governments lie about everything, to keep us 'idiots' safe, of course. For the first time in history we 'idiots' have options. Wikileaks is one of them.

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  4. Surely Mr Wikileaks is demonstrating how easy it is to discover the secrets of nations. And nations ought to be more embarrassed and less indignant.

    He is a modern web savvy investigative journalist.

    Too many of us accept Big Brother in a fantasy of being kept safe for our own good. Like the physical touch up at American airports in the name of security.

    Bring it on Mr Wikileaks. Bring it on.

    Gees Ford. I'm really enjoying venting over here. Thanks.

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  5. I'm all for transparency. Why governments have to take that paternalistic 'Don't tell the public, they'll panic' attitude has me beat. Surely we all have a right to know what is being 'arranged' and how it will affect us.

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  6. Dear Stafford: I was giving this Wikileaks much consideration, considering I "LIked" the founder on FB. Who knew? Ok the guy did push it a tad too far over the edge and into a murky area. Realizing the danger of said transmission must have stuck in his craw but it did not. This was a fatal error. If the founder had thought for a minute, or perhaps attended journalist school he would have known that the imformation he was allowing to transmit would have been international security breach, in other words, people, innocent people could possible die with this "information". On the other hand, I am a believer in free speech, freedom of the press etc. unless it is endangering the free world (what's that?we do so need more definitions today)and putting lives at risk, civilian lives, etc. So the point is; there is always a very fine line with "too much information" unfortunately Wikileaks founder floundered and forgot this vital journalistic rule of thumb. Perhaps he could plead "dumb" or "crazy". He is so so wanted. Poor Assange!

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  7. Transparency makes everyone clean up their act. Wouldn't it be better if the actions of our private world matched our public world? Is that too much to ask? We are falling so quickly behind, soon no one will care what we have to say, public or private. Makes sense to me.

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  8. Well! Since we are now all transparent since we have new scanners that see all at the airports I see no reason not to have transparency in governmental affairs...humpf....in our local government there are so many meetings behind closed doors it ain't funny...especially when it affects us the lowly taxpayers that are supposed to empty out our pockets and say "Will there be anything else sire?"

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  9. Thanks for the thoughtful responses. Most seem in favour of the leaks and like Chicoreal, I too worry about the damage to innocents.
    However, if there had not been such documents existing there would be nothing to leak and that is his point.
    From here on, there should be a lot of pressure to be absolutely transparent because if we aren't???
    But as usual the messenger will be shot not the liars and plotters!

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  10. I know you are waiting for a NON-sensical response: Here goes ........

    Beam me up Scotty!

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  11. If you had a "like" button I would click it.

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  12. Governments will KILL the LEAK; they'd prefer (like North and South Korea) to discuss who as the biggest dick and/or who can pee the furthest!

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  13. ** TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN STAFFORD **

    ** World Support for Julian Assange Growing **
    ** Wonderful Geoffrey Robertson now on his case**

    ** BRING IT ON **

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