I’ve not read everything put out by WikiLeaks, but I get the impression that there are several ways of looking at it ...
a) It’s been embarrassing to individuals at high levels in government and business because what they’ve said and done behind closed doors is not always in line with what they portray of themselves, and their actions, in public.
b) It’s been equally embarrassing for governments for much the same reasons.
c) Unfortunately, as much as we, the public, would like to know what’s going on and would like to be kept informed, there are genuine cases where certain types of classified information should remain classified as it could be detrimental to the security of a country, and may even put individuals at personal risk.
As a general rule, if one has not done anything unlawful or reprehensible, then it shouldn’t matter to that extent if it becomes public knowledge. I’d say that individuals in “high places” have got very agitated and have wanted to target and silence WikiLeaks because they have a self realization that what the public can now read of their actions puts them in a very bad light. And if those same individuals are politicians then they will have much to answer for when seeking re-election.
No doubt there are governments who would not want their “allies” to discover that they were not as “allied” as they thought they were.
From now on when we see Heads of State, or opposite numbers in governments, shaking hands, “warmly”, and smiling benignly at each other, we may not take it at face value as we may have done in the past !!
Even back in his day, I’m sure Thomas Jefferson had already found good reason to regard “Information as the Currency of Democracy”. |
