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MSNBC/NY TIMES: Wikileaks leaks Cables, shines light into secret diplomatic channels (HOLY COW, THIS WILL GET UGLY)

heyholetsgogrant

By heyholetsgogrant
in The Tailgate

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heyholetsgogrant

heyholetsgogrant

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Cables shine light into secret diplomatic channels

NY TIMES

updated 1 hour 28 minutes ago

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WASHINGTON — A cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables, most of them from the past three years, provides an unprecedented look at backroom bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats.

Some of the cables, made available to The New York Times and several other news organizations, were written as recently as late February, revealing the Obama administration’s exchanges over crises and conflicts. The material was originally obtained by WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing secret documents. WikiLeaks intends to make the archive public on its Web site in batches, beginning Sunday.

The anticipated disclosure of the cables is already sending shudders through the diplomatic establishment, and could conceivably strain relations with some countries, influencing international affairs in ways that are impossible to predict.

More U.S. news

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and American ambassadors around the world have been contacting foreign officials in recent days to alert them to the expected disclosures. On Saturday, the State Department’s legal adviser, Harold Hongju Koh, wrote to a lawyer for WikiLeaks informing the organization that the distribution of the cables was illegal and could endanger lives, disrupt military and counterterrorism operations and undermine international cooperation against nuclear proliferation and other threats.

The cables, a huge sampling of the daily traffic between the State Department and some 270 embassies and consulates, amount to a secret chronicle of the United States’ relations with the world in an age of war and terrorism. Among their revelations, to be detailed in The Times in coming days:

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Source: NY TIMES/MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40405218/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

Click Link for video and leaked cables.

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heyholetsgogrant

heyholetsgogrant

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Gonna be a lot of embarrassment and worse,at least the media that got the early releases plan to redact names.

Funny the feds can seize piracy web sites yet this is allowed.

True :ols: However, I am sure the Defense Dept is DDOS attacking his site was we speak (as they should). Assange said his site has been useless over the last few days.

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The 12th Commandment

The 12th Commandment

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True :ols: However, I am sure the Defense Dept is DDOS attacking his site was we speak (as they should). Assange said his site has been useless over the last few days.

Expected but not effective. He already go the data to other outlets so what is slamming his site really going to accomplish? The big things here, IMO, are the working language of our state department will be made public. Think about how you (or anyone) might talk about an irritating client when they aren't around. In this case the clients are all going to made aware of what was said.

The effectiveness of these employees in dealing with these clients (to further the analogy) is not going to go well. Can we replace all the people that will be made ineffective? This could possibly be the worst thing that has ever happened with respect to our country's diplomacy. Or am I reading more into this than what there is?

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heyholetsgogrant

heyholetsgogrant

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Expected but not effective. He already go the data to other outlets so what is slamming his site really going to accomplish? The big things here, IMO, are the working language of our state department will be made public. Think about how you (or anyone) might talk about an irritating client when they aren't around. In this case the clients are all going to made aware of what was said.

The effectiveness of these employees in dealing with these clients (to further the analogy) is not going to go well. Can we replace all the people that will be made ineffective? This could possibly be the worst thing that has ever happened with respect to our country's diplomacy. Or am I reading more into this than what there is?

I believe it is bad all of this got out there. To have things like this released now is unprecedented, this is the type of stuff that get released 30 years down the road. However, I don't feel bad because we all know everyone else is doing the same stuff.

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Teller

Teller

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A 23 Year Old Specialist in the Army, who is currently in custody. Yah, no systemic breakdown there. :doh:

There is no way that kid had access to all of the information that's been leaked. He may have had some of it, and he may become the scapegoat for ALL of it. But it's simply not possible, IMO.

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zoony

zoony

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There is no way that kid had access to all of the information that's been leaked. He may have had some of it, and he may become the scapegoat for ALL of it. But it's simply not possible, IMO.

That seems to be the government's story at this point. Which quite frankly wouldn't surprise me given their track record*. We've seen low level CIA analysts dumping info to the Soviets and Chinese in the days of snail mail and fax machines. I guess the question is, will we ever get the story if there is more to it?

*Except that 9-11 thing. That was masterfully orchestrated by big brother...

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zoony

zoony

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From I read ( so far), none of the stuff that has been leaked is surprising.

I think Yemen's pres is gonna have some 'splainin to do.

That said, we're talking about 1 million pages. My guess is that things will be coming out for weeks to come

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The 12th Commandment

The 12th Commandment

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There is no way that kid had access to all of the information that's been leaked. He may have had some of it, and he may become the scapegoat for ALL of it. But it's simply not possible, IMO.

One of my friends is a security consultant for DOD in germany. He's not much different than me and he gets access to stuff just like this, or even more high level than diplomatic stuff. He could do something like this because he deals with all the data. You have to understand how enterprise level IT is put together. There has to be some lower paid slug doing work on just about data created by our government.

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Pedro

Pedro

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The truth is sometimes painful, but it's good to know what 'people' really think of you. Short term I feel this could pose security issues around the world but long term I believe it will be good in general. I believe this will be as good for you guys as it will be for the rest of the world, long term.

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China

China

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That seems to be the government's story at this point. Which quite frankly wouldn't surprise me given their track record*. We've seen low level CIA analysts dumping info to the Soviets and Chinese in the days of snail mail and fax machines. I guess the question is, will we ever get the story if there is more to it?

Yes, if WikiLeaks leaks it.

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USS Redskins

USS Redskins

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The big revelations on the Today show this morning:

Quaddafi is called "strange" and followed around by a blonde nurse.

If that is all they have, its laughable... I would have thought that mr. Wikileaks would have provided some real meaty tidbits for the initital release. The ones they listed were more than lame and more like a high school girls diary entries. Its silly.

Either way, What an a-hole.

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alexey

alexey

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The truth is sometimes painful, but it's good to know what 'people' really think of you. Short term I feel this could pose security issues around the world but long term I believe it will be good in general. I believe this will be as good for you guys as it will be for the rest of the world, long term.

The problem is much more than just security issues. This negates a lot of hard and expensive work done by many people. It puts a lot of our friends in danger, and it reduces incentives for people to work with us. For many people this probably changes the calculation of benefit vs cost of cooperating with the USA.

This is different from, for example, breaking a story about us doing crappy things like installing a dictator in some third world country.

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AsburySkinsFan

AsburySkinsFan

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Over/under. 14 days until Julian Assange is in a tragic car accident?

No way, the only way you can assassinate someone and get away with it is to not have everyone blame you for the death. They can't kill him lest they look worse, if anything the US should be out right protecting this man from any real misfortune lest this whole thing look worse.

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Pedro

Pedro

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The problem is much more than just security issues. This negates a lot of hard and expensive work done by many people. It puts a lot of our friends in danger, and it reduces incentives for people to work with us. For many people this probably changes the calculation of benefit vs cost of cooperating with the USA.

This is different from, for example, breaking a story about us doing crappy things like installing a dictator in some third world country.

Long term I think it's a good idea. How can people living in a democracy think it's ok for their tax money to support dictators in other countries who deny their citizens rights, like Saudi Arabia as a prime example? Given these leaks will reduce cooperation with the US it may well speed up the fall of such dictatorships. Of course what replaces them is subject to some concern for those of us in the west but if it's good for the goose then surely...

It shows the double speak of all politicians/leaders involved, regardless of nationality, which IMO is a good thing. It's a shame war isn't like the good old days when the leader who decided to fight led the charge. Wouldn't be anything like the troubles in the world if the person at the top was going to be among the first to die, and if it's not worth their life it's not worth mine....

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