Thanks to WikiLeaks and ‘Radiagate,' a significant treasure trove of classified or privately held information with the potential to affect the lives of millions of people has been brought into the public domain. To be sure, the two sets of documents — diplomatic cables in one instance, audio recordings in another — pertain to vastly different subjects. But both provide a much-needed glimpse into the real world — especially the real and often illegitimate interests that lie hidden behind the diplomatic niceties, political correctness, and corporate PR that dominate international and domestic messaging. The leaks we have seen and those that are yet to come are unlikely to alter any of fundamental balances. Nevertheless, it is also true that as a result of these disclosures, the task of those who use misinformation, manipulation, and deception in the exercise of global, political, and corporate power has become a wee bit harder. That is why legal and even strong-arm tactics — the cyber equivalent of which is hacking and denial of service attacks — have been employed to stop this information from being made public. In the case of WikiLeaks — a not-for-profit media organisation that says its goal is “to bring important news and information to the public” — its founder, Julian Assange, has found himself at the receiving end of police investigations and other more subtle forms of harassment. In the case of Radiagate, an industrialist who is not pleased with what he and his lobbyist are heard saying in secretly recorded telephone conversations has asked the Supreme Court to order a CBI investigation into how the material leaked and to pass a restraint order on further publication of the recorded conversations that would affect his right to privacy.
As far as WikiLeaks itself is concerned, Mr. Assange has shown himself to be a more than skilful player in the game of dissemination. In his latest effort, five respected media outlets in five separate countries were selected to bring the vast archive of diplomatic cables and memos before the international public in a phased and systematic manner. Thanks to this approach, what might have been a messy data dump has become an archivist's dream. Readers around the world who click on links on the WikiLeaks website or the websites of The Guardian, The New York Times, El Pais, Der Spiegel, or Le Monde can read for themselves cables that were meant to be shielded from public view for anywhere from 10 to 30 years. If newspapers are the first draft of history, the cables are the manuscripts and marginal notations that go into the making of that first draft. What we are seeing then, in a small way admittedly, is the democratisation of information as well as the production of information. The world, and our knowledge of it, would be impoverished if WikiLeaks and other channels of communication between whistleblowers and the rest of us were to be shut down or terminated.
The diplomatic cables provide a fascinating glimpse into the world that floats below the surface of headlines. Every day, diplomats from around the world send in to their headquarters candid assessments of what is going on in their host country. The lazier envoys do little more than reproduce gossip while the more gifted send reports full of verve and wit. Daniel A. Russell's confidential cable, ‘A Caucasus Wedding,' sent from the U.S. embassy in Moscow in July 2006, is a splendid example of long-form reporting worthy of The New Yorker, whose publication is likely to guarantee its author a decent post-retirement literary career. Even the gossipy ones provide insight and amusement, like the reference in a cable from Rome describing the unusually deep friendship between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as a ‘bromance.'
On a more serious note, it is essential that analysts and policymakers pay close attention to the political content of the leaked cables. The candour used in these dispatches may offend some and titillate others but they reveal a nation at sea in a world that is no longer willing to march to its tune. We learn, for example, that America frets over not just what Beijing or Moscow thinks or does on a crucial question like Iran. Ankara and Berlin are also seen as potentially dissonant hothouses. American helplessness is writ large in the cables we have seen from Kabul and Islamabad. We know, for example, that Washington was worried that radioactive material in nuclear power stations in Pakistan could fall into the hands of terrorists but that Pakistani authorities refused to give the United States access to a research reactor for fear that local media coverage of the removal of highly enriched uranium would fuel public suspicions about an American takeover of Pakistani nuclear weapons. The revelation that many Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are concerned about Iran's nuclear programme is not really new but their strident advocacy in private meetings with American diplomats of military force is worrying. So also is the news that the U.S. is seeking to spy on senior United Nations officials. Apart from a Hillary Clinton cable referring to India, Japan, Germany, and Brazil as “self-appointed front-runners” for a permanent seat in an expanded U.N. Security Council and a cable from Ankara confirming that Turkey kept India out of a regional meeting on Afghanistan in deference to Pakistani sensitivities, there is little in the disclosures so far to discomfit New Delhi. But when the 3,000-odd dispatches sent by the U.S. Embassy in India are published over the next 48 hours, it is possible that some or many feathers will end up ruffled. Elements of the strategic partnership — especially those pertaining to defence and the wider set of American goals involved — remain cloaked in secrecy. Stay tuned to this space.
Keywords: Wikileaks, cablegate, Radia tapes
Three cheers to your editorial. What we see in Wikileaks and Radiagate is Our RTI(right to information)practiced at national and internatonal level.
If only we had the services of the two before Vietnam and Iraq wars we surely could have saved millions of lives and untold misery. Governments and diplomats have a bounden duty to be open and transparent to the people they represent. In a democracy the voting public, the people are the masters and government officials only public servants. Then where is room for secrecy in governments. Secrecy is the mother of all corruption.
It has to be bursted. Individuls, organisations and governments drunk with power will never change for the better to save their souls, but all of them surely will to save their faces.When leaks bring out the rot they are put to shame and forced to chnge. Thank God we have the internet and capable people to hanck into the secret, crooked weelings and dealings of the corrupt and greedy on national and interntional levels,to expose the truth and make them(governments and deplomats) accountable to the public whom they are bound to serve and not exploit.
Why any government should hide anything in name of intelligence? What is official secrets.How any government that is elected by people to govern the society and is paid by people keep away documents calling them classified.In democracies there is no scope for that.Information of all sorts should be accessible.Governments are supposed to do such acts and adopt such policies that dont have to be hidden from public their masters.Government is not above people.This fundamental aspect of democracy should be understood and adopted.USA has given very low and bad account of itself by losing nerves on release of cables.All their big talks of right to information and democracy has taken backseat.
The only information that needs to be kept secret by any government is there current strategic deployment of defense forces and equipment.period! All educated citizens of world should protest against hegemony of US government and others and condemn the attack on wikileaks.We need more whistle blowing in growing corrupt societies.
people should send donations to wikileaks through their site at wikilaks.ch so that they can stand against mighty power of USA and their cronies.
There is difference between ";Public interest" and "Interest of the Public", Wikileaks surely falls in the second category.
The debate on the morality of leaking WikiLeak and Radiagate tapes is very pertinent. As seen from the comments, one could make valid arguments for and against. WikiLeak is mostly about the unacceptable face of international relations and Radiagte is about the corruption within India. For the past 50 years or so there has been a slow and insidious slippage of morality in the national and international governance of countries. This drift became a slide since the collapse of Soviet Union as the question of which block of nations were more ethical and progressive became irrelevant. Capitalism lead by USA won. At least that was the way it was declared by the Western capitalist block and a world domination of unbridled capitalism ensued. Especially for the past 20 years the cabal of big multinational businesses, corrupt politicians and bankers enjoyed a free reign and brought world economy to its knees. Public money was pumped in to fill up the void created by the swindling of money into private hands through enormous bonuses and corporate dividends and money siphoned off to tax-free havens. Billions of ordinary people suffer for the greed of a few.
As the inevitable but slow progress of nations caused strain on the natural resources of the planet, the countries that enjoyed almost a monopoly on these started to employ various means to achieve control on these through multinational deals that may not be in the interest of the people in those countries who actually owns them. The Iraq war was a typical example. The revelations through various leaks including Wickkileaks brought to light the extent to which the vested interests manipulated the media and international organisations to achieve their objectives. The enormous number of human causalities and the inhuman sufferings that a nation had to go through and still suffers make one wonder: Have we really evolved?
All these unacceptable acts were perpetrated by people who have been put in powerful positions by the public (in democracies) or hold power through other means. When things drift to an intolerably immoral level, it is indeed morally justifiable for an individual or organisation to expose the truth if in a position to do so. Such information in the public brings to focus attention on the individuals responsible and forces them to be accountable. Without accountability and rule of law a civilized society cannot exist.
The leaks may put diplomatic and political activity in an uncomfortable terrain for a short while, but because these have come out into the public domain, in the end only good will comes out of it.
Ethics are only available in the scriptures but not for practicing by the politicians, diplomats, industrialists and media people (elite people) every where in the world. It is unfortunate to notice the values are eroded. No body is bothered about the common man. The elite want to grab and mint money to the fullest extent possible. No body is there to question them. Of late, the Judiciary is doing right thing to question the erring people and is ready to nail them. It is a welcome gesture. It is seconded that the argument for free flow of information is essential.
Well the Wikileaks and Radiagate brings forth the most respected and trusted media personalities as well as the real intentions of them creating a blurred line between ethics of profession and personal greed in democracy we believe that the free and fair elections are essential for electing the peoples government but when the elitist use their power and wealth to tilt the balance in favour of them the majority is helpless and then we face the illeffects of a democratic set up belive ot or not in todays world the so called ethics and integrity overrides the profesional excellence and rather as said by Barkha herself it is error of judgement but what led her do it is justified in the name of achieving a breaking line which i think is only to be at top irrespective of what way you choose sad we are becoming more custodian of such media which seems to be least careful of the citizens of this nation
Pramod More
It is very normal and rightful for anyone to deeply evaluate pros and cons of any happening and activity that directly or indirectly influences one. This becomes excessively important in the context when high diplomats are being involved and the influences are at global level, largely affecting the interests of several nations. So if ambassadors or diplomats are making any comments regarding either china's stand over korea or relations between itallian president and his russian counterpart, there is nothing amusing in it. Preventive measures required to be taken, so that this type of secret documents can not be made public, as they have unlimited potential to affect the life of millions of people.
The argument in favour free flow of information is highly justified. Both wikileaks and Radiagate case exposes myths and uncovers true face of world powers and also oue own top industrialists. Today most of citizens decide about their major life choices based on known /written/electronic media exposures. Just to cite example - one takes decisions about , casting votes ,taking job, investing X co or Y co , marriage ,education based on what inpuits one gets from his relatives or friends & opinions formed by oneslef based on his/her media exposures.Hence media must do their job as usual. In the process honest, citizens will be well informed about right choices and then democracy will flourish.
I have to second Monson's post. What the general public (who post here) forget is that some information doesn't need a public opinion. Governments safe guard their secrets carefully because they have to do some dirty work that they don't want their citizens to do. It is a government's job as well as prerogative. Even in a democratically elected reign, some secrets have to be kept to ensure peace. Running a government without peace is a nice to hear but impossible to implement. It is an utopia similar to - let us say - the communist 'equal' society. It is reality that governments will do what they have to do, within their legal and constitutional framework.That last point brings us to the second discourse, that of Niira Radia Tapes. It is not clear if these tapes (phone taps) were made by the government within our constitutional framework. Already there was a controversy of the current Indian government using phone taps illegally. If these phone calls were tapped legally indeed, has the purpose behind the tapping resolved? Are they permissible evidence in the court? Also, it is not clear as to how these tapes were released into the public domain, to select media houses. So, it is not correct to compare these two and hail the media as a 'savior'. In fact, the jury is still out on that particular verdict.In summary - WikiLeaks is yet another attention seeking website, not much different from our own Susanne Arundathi Roy, who would spout shockers for sustaining her own fame. Except that here, the implications are far worse. Comparing that with Niira Radia tapes is juvenile. They reflect two different incidents with no connection other than media being involved.
Perhaps what is alarming more is the respected media persona like Burkha Datta also formed part of Radias Invasioin of the system...
Public has a right to the information but should not be at the cost of any nation and its security. No patriotic citizen attempts to disclose his/her country's sensible and sensitive information related to defence and security. Wikileaks should have utilized their expertise for the cause of international peace by exposing terrorist outfits and their plans, so that international country could appreciate their efforts. Today may be US, tomorrow may be some other country. All international community should condemn this and ignore the contents. Every country is aware of their relations and intentions of other nations who deals with it. Everybody knows about Pakistan and its intentions. Wikileaks need not highlight this. Wikileaks should at least try to help leak the matters which helps the international community to solve the conflicts among the nations and thus all nations live in a peaceful environment.
We can not judge such a sensitive issue from one side.Wikileaks have made a bold attempt to disseminate such classified information.If we personify a nation then this disclosure impinge upon the right of U.S. diplomats to inform their government about host country.But at the same time it questions U.S.'s attempt to spy on senior U.N. officials.
Thanks for the editorial. Public has a right to know about Niira Radia tapes as well and media sweeping it under the carpet is not fair. Wikileaks is not of great consequence to us but by focusing in Wikileaks we are missing the elephant in the room. There no meaningful debate in the media on Niira type PR firms and what we made this country into.
I am afraid I may not agree with Mr Conrad Monson's view of US and its allies providing a framework for addressing poverty and inhumanity,or about Wikileaks damaging the process of democracy.In my view it is the other way around- it ushers a more puritan value into democracy. Wikileaks probably represents not just itself but the process of check and balance of civil society due to the rise of Internet. In a pre -internet era such a leak would not have been feasible , nor would a scarcely funded organisation have taken up such a Goliath. Democracy always struggled with the fact that it gave unbridled powers to one institution , which could be checked by only equally big establishments- the media, the judiciary or something or someone as powerful, and in the same land. And i read somewhere today that Cloud computing technologies aided the transmission of the wikileaks. Good case of triumph of technology.
I have to agree with Conrad on this one. Irrespective of the content of the articles published, Wikileaks gets its kicks out of sensationalism and not its "moral duty to the public". When Barack Obama walks into India and tells us he's with us all the way to fight terrorism,poverty and disease I'll take what he says at face value and believe every word. If/when he doesn't deliver on these items, then he must like all leaders be held accountable for his actions(or in this case inactions). Call me an idealist but a society where people say one thing and we keep wondering what they actually meant, is not the society we are fighting for. I have faith in the system and dont need wikileaks to tell me what is true and what isn't.
Thanks to Julian Assange,the founder of Wikileaks for giving the information about ties between the countries and other double standards followed by the developed nations in certain issues.By this leaks, the people are getting the right knowledge how the ties were previously made and on what basis.So they can decide the pros & cons of those ties between their country and other countries.One of the developed nation in the world is saying in public that they are taking care for other democratic and honest countries .But in reality they take much care about their interests only.So,In my point of view Wikileaks should leak more double standards by developed nation.
The leaks bring an interesting twist to journalism. Nothing changes until journalists use all these information to raise public sentiments for truth, transparency and social justice.
Imperialism never really ended with the fall of the British empire.Its resurgence took place in the form of Americanization of the world. America never conquered any nation with the weapon of mass destruction, but with the deceptive armour guised in the garb of crusade for democracy,rights of common man,strategic partnership,humanitarian aid etc. America has won the world through its M.N.C'S, trade and business treaties tilted heavily in the interest of American investment. American diplomatic assault and imminent victory is not the result of her foreign policy only, but due to the failure of the nations of the world to come together and build a strong alliance. The world is terribly divided with blikred vision.The success of America lies in the self inflicted failures of the nations of the world. The world is to blame itself, not America. Like a shrewd businessman,she has only capitalized on the opportunity the changing world order after the second world war offered.Hats off to American diplomacy which truly keeps the nation first unlike the nations like India, Pakistan, Ujbekistan where the leaders are too corrupt to think beyond their self interest.
It is surprising that Government of India has immediately initiated an enquiry into who leaked Radia tapes as soon as Mr.Tata filed a case. But till date no action has been taken against those involved in the tapes.
Good to know that at least one publication house has boldly came with this topic. News channels telecasting "Breaking News" are so busy with their schedules, they are hardly giving time to any these Agendas. I was shocked to see today that 2 media houses were airing Talk Show and TV Non-Sense while Parliament was storming with the clash between two ends of India politics. Names of people behind Both the media house were taken in "Radiagate". I congratulate The Hindu for this post !!
I am amazed and a little disgusted at the tone and content of both your article and the other comments to it. Wikileaks and its founder are not doing a service to anyone but themselves and those who enjoy poking at the U.S. Where is the outrage over someone who is so arrogant as to believe he has the right to publish whatever he wants regardless of the illegality of the information and damage it does to the process of diplomacy? He and those who work for him have no credentials nor expertise to assess the content, context or impact of the information they provide. For all its faults, the U.S. and its allies provide a bulwark against tyranny and repression and also provide a democratic framework for truly addressing poverty and inhumanity. That framework is not perfect and needs improvement, but Wikileaks damages the process of democracy and ends up strengthening those governments who promote tyranny and human repression. I hope the Wikileaks founder and those who provide him information are caught and made accountable for their disregard of democratic laws and responsible reporting.
Thank you for your excellent, cogently argued and full length editorial. The world may not cease to be the same since the release of the WikiLeaks. However, as archeological excavations send into a tailspin the established beliefs on civilizations, the WikiLeaks certainly revolutionise mankind's perspective on the powers that had been and that be. The savage mindset of the so called greats cast not embarrassment on them but extreme humiliation even. Mr. Assange may, perhaps,turn a legend in his own time.
I believe diplomatic conversations are not meant to be in public domain. Its wrong to assume that information alone casts public opinion. The information as passed through wikileaks may well form public opinions which may lead to unnecessary tensions among nations.
This episode gives an insight into why the money that is meant for the poor and underprivileged (who are literally in millions in India) does not reach them -- why they are hungry, uneducated, shelter-less and suffer and die without health care even in this era. When you have corrupt media, how will they question sincerely the Government's dubious policies that are going to benefit the rich and powerful while doing grave injustice to the poor? How can you genuinely talk about fuel price increase and tax-sops for the rich in such an environment? And NDTV website even displayed several pictures of Idols in temples damaged in Old City of Hyderabad when minor riots took place last time around. Well, slippage in morality has no end because everything you do is for becoming more popular which means more money in your kitty!
Anything which is public domain ought to be disseminated by the media and it has done a very good job in respect of the Radia tapes. But for such revelations, may be, the opposition would not have got united so strongly as to pressure the UPA to constitute a JPC. The massive scam and the sorry state of the Prime Ministerial authority in stemming the scam or even deciding the cabinet have been clearly brought out by this expose. The industrialist, obviously with vested interests has criticised this expose, rather than taking a stand that they had to resort to such methods because of prevailing situation in the country. I believe, that by such a stand he would have got more public support and sympathy. Incidentally, the same industrialist, not long ago claimed that he was asked to pay a bribe of Rs. 15 crores, to Minister for Civil Aviation for starting a domestic Air Carrier, but he did not do so as they have a high ethical standards. Now he has got fully exposed. The apex court in the present circumstances is not likely to support the "right to privacy" argument, when the matter affects the entire nation.
The Editorial on Wikileaks disclosure of US Embassy Cables is apt in calling that the public has the right to know the acts of commission and omission of each administration. More so, in the case of US, the self-appointed guardian of policing the world. However, the WikiLeaks has planned to release the cables in stages, spread over months. Meanwhile, the US administration will do everything possible within its powers to stop the relase of those cables. It is imperative that before the US can act, all the cables are relased forthwith so that the discerning public can be(a)ware nefarious deeds of the USA.
WikiLeaks's release of secret US diplomatic cables will do no good but promote chaos and hatred. I wish nothing will come out from the huge archives of cables that may lead to diplomatic unrest between various countries. Also, there always is a danger of possible manipulation and redistribution of the cables for some evil gain. I am afraid to imagine the situation in Indian context where secret Indian/Pakistani diplomatic cables were released for public viewing. We need transparency but what WikiLeak doing is plain voyeurism.
In a democracy,we naively believe that we elect our representatives who should rule us. This is not so simple. For,there are many interested parties who intervene and decide on who should govern us and on what terms and conditions. In the two largest democracies of the world, USA and India, these interventionists are exposed by Wikileaks and Radiagate. What goes behind the scenes of governance, are now brought to public domain by those access this information, and put it in public domain. The massive nature of this information explosion, can not be easily digested by the lay public. And the powers-that-be are disturbed by them. This is a boon as well as a bane. Bane, because, it puts a heavy responsibility to assess the information judiciously and correctly by those who govern and those who are governed. The Media as the educator has a huge responsibility to put it in perspective. To ban all these goings on behind the scenes, is no solution.
The observation in paragraph 2 that the New York times is among five media outlets chosen to disseminate the contents of the cables is not quite right. The Times itself in its lead article published on 28 November said that they "were made available to The Times by a source who insisted on anonymity". The Huffington Post has speculated that it was the Guardian which passed on the material. I am wondering whether your endorsement of the wholesale publication of the wikileaks materials is tantamount to saying that there should be no such thing as an internal confidential assessment made by government functionaries to their principals of the situation obtaining in the areas of their work in different parts of the world. That is a very frightening scenario indeed.
The public has a right to know but not to be titillated. In all fairness, Wikileaks should extend their investigations into media (including Indian media),funding of all political parties and the wheeling-dealing of other powerful nations like China and Russia. In addition to "defence and the wider set of American goals", Wikileaks should also focus on the mystery of ordering Russian fighter aircraft despite crashes for the last half century, and hijacking of the price of Gorshkov by just 400%.
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