Cables obtained by WikiLeaks shine light into secret diplomatic channels

[Boothbabe]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html
Very interesting.

 

[JoeV]

This wikileak douchebag should be black bagged and thrown in a hole to rot. These are leaked documents that contain top secret information. Information that the public has no business knowing.

 

[Boothbabe]

This wikileak douchebag should be black bagged and thrown in a hole to rot. These are leaked documents that contain top secret information. Information that the public has no business knowing.

I disagree strongly. We have "elected" these leaders, we pay their salary and they should serve us, not their own interests. If their scheming and backroom dealings cannot stand the light of day it should tell you something is wrong. They make decisions that affect the entire world and these people are left completely unchecked while they do it. They are now held accountable as they should be.

Btw, americans on other forums have reacted exactly the same way as you have. If a large amount of condemning documents about lets say Russia was leaked you would applaud it. It shows how America sees the world, that's why you don't like it.

 

[vodkazvictim]

Hoorah! Finally an interesting thread that isn't simply about racial provocatioN!

 

[Namreg]

wikileaks US diplomatic files

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_diplomatic_cables_leak#28_November_release

excerpts:

* Strong Arab distrust for Iran, and encouragement from Arab leaders for a military strike on the nuclear facilities in Iran.[27][28][29] Saudi King Abdullah has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.[30]
* US intelligence has assessed that Iran obtained from North Korea advanced missiles (derived from a Russian design) that are more powerful than publicly admitted by the United States to be in Iran's possession.[31] These missiles, designated the BM-25, have a range of up to 2,000 miles (3,200 km).[31]
* An unidentified ally of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani stated that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has terminal leukemia and is expected to die within months, and Rafsanjani's unwillingness to act after the disputed Presidential election in 2009 comes from his wish to succeed Khamenei and annul Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election afterwards.[32]
* Claims that the Iranian Red Crescent is actively controlled by the government and are involved in illicit arms smuggling and intelligence gathering on behalf of Iran.[33]
* Israel was ready to attack a nuclear-armed Iran, and saw 2010 as a pivotal year.[34]
* In August 2007, Israeli Mossad chief Meir Dagan suggested to the US to make use of local fringe groups to try and topple the Iranian regime.[28] Dagan suggested this over a memo sent to the US nearly two years prior to the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests.[28]
* Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak consulted with Fatah of the Palestinian Authority and asked if they could take over control of Gaza Strip after expected Israeli victory during Operation Cast Lead, but met with refusal.[35]
* Increased Syrian arms shipments to Hezbollah despite their claims that new shipments have ceased.[36]
* Saudi donors remain chief financiers of militant groups like Al Qaida.[37][36]

According to a cable from the American Embassy in Kabul, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Vice President of Afghanistan, was found carrying $52 million in cash that he “was ultimately allowed to keep without revealing the money’s origin or destination.” The discovery was made in the United Arab Emirates by local authorites working with the Drug Enforcement Agency.[42]

* The United States apparently used bargaining to move prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to other countries. In one case, U.S. President Barack Obama would not agree to meet with Slovenian officials if Slovenia did not take one of the prisoners.[43] Other offers include economic incentives or a visit from Obama.[44]
* Secret US military missions flown from a UK base, which Britain alleged could involve torture.[39]
* A directive from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered US diplomats to gather biometric information on the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and top UN officials, including passwords and personal encryption keys used in private and commercial networks for official communications.[45]
* American officials sharply warned Germany in 2007 not to enforce arrest warrants for CIA officers involved in a bungled operation in which an innocent German citizen with the same name as a suspected militant was mistakenly kidnapped and held for months in Afghanistan.[36]

# Special intelligence campaigns were run to spy on the leadership of the United Nations including secretary general Ban Ki-moon and the permanent security council representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK, as well as many other countries.[45]
# Alleged links between the Russian government and organised crime.[39]

emphasis added by me.
and as far as the last point is cocerned: i know a few russians here in montreal, and they all tell you the same thing: of all the mafia bosses in russia, vladimir putin is the biggest.

 

[pete rose]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

I'm still crossing my fingers for the JFK assassination documents.

 

[Ace Bandage]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

I'm still crossing my fingers for the JFK assassination documents.

But then there wouldn't be any more wild conspiracy theories. What's the fun in that?

 

[Namreg]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

actually, i think any further docs on JFK would only fuel more conspiracies... because conspiracists (at 1:30 am that is a real word, damn it) will dispute anything that comes from an official source.

 

[vodkazvictim]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

:thumbsup:

 

[bustybbwlover]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

the real thing i wonder is why the fuck they keep releasing shit piecemeal...i'm not a fan of to be continueds

 

[shayd]

And they were promptly hit with a DDoS. Coincidence? Me thinks not.

 

[xfire]

Yeah, sure, the government should have no secrets. I mean, who needed secrecy for something like The Manhattan Project? It's not like there are hostile entities out there that might take advantage for fuck's sake.

 

[Namreg]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

i think it is because they try to verify he authenticity of the documents.

 

[Namreg]

i think the work done by wikileaks is very important, as it is so far the only way in which we, the people (the ones who should matter in a democracy, you know?) see what our governments are really doing. it is time that these politicians be held accountable for their actions.

and one important thing: the files do NOT contain top secret material, only 'secret' and 'confidential'. if you read up on this, you will find that 2.5 million americans (pentagon employees, diplomatic staff, etc etc) have access to files classified as 'secret', so what's being released right now isn't exactly news to millions of people.

 

[xfire]

I haven't bothered to read through much of what's come out. What I did see wasn't really impressive. I'm waiting for some big Bush bombshell to explode, and I'm pretty sure it will, then we're going to see a lot of reverse course by people applauding these leaks. You should get the mods to merge your two threads, btw because I've got a comment on a post you made over there, namely that WL is trying to verify the authenticity of the documents- The WH should invite them over to verify them firsthand.

 

[JoeV]

I disagree strongly. We have "elected" these leaders, we pay their salary and they should serve us, not their own interests. If their scheming and backroom dealings cannot stand the light of day it should tell you something is wrong. They make decisions that affect the entire world and these people are left completely unchecked while they do it. They are now held accountable as they should be.

Btw, americans on other forums have reacted exactly the same way as you have. If a large amount of condemning documents about lets say Russia was leaked you would applaud it. It shows how America sees the world, that's why you don't like it.

These top secret documents have nothing to do with backroom deals. These are top secret dealings with other nations and top secret operations. Leaking this information to the general public is reckless and endangers our foreign operations and operatives.

People like you love when this happens for some reason. You feel you deserve to know what our government is doing.

I've got an idea. How about next time right before we attempt to take out a terrorist leader we announce the plan online before we do it. Think that would work?

Also while we are revealing secrets why don't we post our top secret defense strategy on myspace. Sound like a good idea?

 

[JoeV]

and one important thing: the files do NOT contain top secret material, only 'secret' and 'confidential'. if you read up on this, you will find that 2.5 million americans (pentagon employees, diplomatic staff, etc etc) have access to files classified as 'secret', so what's being released right now isn't exactly news to millions of people.

The information is hush hush period. And it is kept quiet for a reason. Top secret or only secret is irrelevant.

Your example of why this is not a big deal is ridiculous. Of course certain American's have access to the information. But they are all given thorough background checks and interviews. It is not like some shit eating redneck has access. I know someone that has access to such documents and the background check is scary from what they say.

 

[Namreg]

does repeating the term 'top secret' over and over make you feel important?

 

[shimmy2]

Re: wikileaks US diplomatic files

thats bullshit they just want to string it along like a never ending soap opera. before you know it they'll have camgirls and penis pill banners on their sites. never been to it, dont care to

 

[Spreeuw]

None of the cables were considered "top secret" just secret.
There are indeed two sides to this tale, on the one hand diplomacy cannot live without secrecy. Reputation is crucial so deals sometimes have to be made behind closed doors.
On the other hand, the sovereignity of the state comes from the people, and the people are allowed to hold their government responsible for it's actions. Therefore it is vital to know what the government does.
Wikileaks, and the journals who reported the item, made sure that life threatening information was censored, like names. I think it's about walking this fine line between effective diplomacy and democracy.