COLUMN: Why this country needs Wikileaks
The beginning of a new era of U.S. foreign policy is upon us. At least, that is what the media has been saying these last few days as classified U.S. State Department cables were leaked Sunday night. The source of the leaks? Wikileaks.
Wikileaks is an international organization that publishes documents from anonymous sources. These State Department cables contain information from the mundane – analysis of political individuals – to dangerously serious – Israel prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike to prevent a nuclear armed Iran.
Some people called Wikileaks’ actions dangerous and reprehensible. I believe those people are wrong. I fully support Wikileaks and believe that the services they provide are desperately needed. They provide the average American citizen access to information about how our government truly operates. When we provide men and women to fight in the military, when we give the government our tax dollars and when we place our trust in their hands, we as Americans have the right to know what is being done in our name. This is why the recent State Department leak so important.
What makes the leak so amazing is the amount of information being released. Wikileaks has stated that it has 251,287 State Department cables in their hands and is working to release them as fast as possible. The depth and scope of these classified documents will usher in a new reality of U.S. foreign policy.
Here are some of the reports coming out:
• Saudi King Abdullah has urged the United States to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
• The United States has criticized the U.K. for its poor performance in Afghanistan.
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered U.S. diplomats to spy on U.N. top officials; including stealing passwords, DNA data, and computer passwords.
• Yemen’s deputy Prime Minister lied to the Yemeni parliament about U.S. involvement in bombings.
• China readying itself to abandon their ally North Korea.
This information came from only 278 of the 251,287 State Department cables as of the time this article was written. The New York Times stated the issue best: “… the cables tell the unvarnished story of how the government makes its biggest decisions, the decisions that cost the country most heavily in lives and money.”
This isn’t the first time Wikileaks angered the American government by publishing classified information. On April 5, Wikileaks leaked classified military footage showing a U.S. gunship killing 12 people, including two Reuters news staff. On July 25, Wikileaks released 92,000 classified documents about the Afghanistan war. It showed reports of a previously unknown, secret military unit known as Task Force 343. The unit’s mission is to kill or capture senior Taliban and al-Qaida figures through extrajudicial means. And on Oct. 22, Wikileaks released 391,832 classified documents relating to the Iraq War.
Wikileaks works to bring about more accountability within our government. All too often, reports and documents are classified as secret and hidden from the public eye simply to avoid political embarrassment. It is from these leaks that we have begun to see positive change.
Before Wikileaks released the military footage showing a U.S. gunship killing two Reuters new staff, the military straight-up lied about the incident and covered up their mistake by refusing to admit any wrongdoing. Reuters was essentially left in the dark and had no idea that two of their employees have been accidentally killed. Wikileaks, by their own accord, brought accountability to the U.S. military and cleared these two innocent names. Names that otherwise would have been forever labeled, incorrectly, as “enemy killed in action.”
During these next few months, Wikileaks will release the rest of the 251,287 State Department cables. During this time, new revelations and insights will show the true face of U.S. diplomacy. The media has done a piss-poor job informing the public about what is really happening. The only purpose they serve now is entertaining the ignorant masses with pundits such as Glenn Beck or Keith Olberman. Look at these documents yourself and see what real foreign policy is. I invite you to go to wikileaks.org and see what our government is doing yourself. Because after all, if the government isn’t doing anything wrong, they have nothing to hide, right?
Justin Hinh is a sophomore in political science. He can be reached at justintsn10@gmail.com.