WikiLeaks, a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing news and information to the public; and which provides a portal for sources around the world to leak information to the world audience, has recently been in the cross-hairs of America, for leaking some vital diplomatic cables. They published the said cables, convinced that it is their ethical responsibility to reveal to the world some hitherto suppressed and censored American government materials which WikiLeaks termed injustices.With just a strike of the enter-key on their computer's keyboard, a total of 251,287 documents, comprising of 261,276,536 words, dating from 28th December 1966 to 28th February 2010 and originated from 274 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions world-wide, was released to the world for their consumption. Government officials from Washington to Moscow to London to Kabul to Riyadh are crying foul that Wiki-Leakers have done them irreparable damage and governments confidences severely harmed.Icheoku says the indignation and antagonism expressed and directed against WikiLeaks over this leak may however be misplaced as the real leaker here, the real culprits deserving of condemnation, is not Wiki-Leaks themselves but all those government officials with access, who were privy to these documents, and who actually leaked them to the leaker-in-chief, WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is just a vehicle with which those in government spilled the beans which they wanted the world audience to see for whatever purpose they may have in mind. Had these government officials not sabotaged their government's diplomatic efforts by leaking those documents to WikiLeaks, possibly to undermine the government and ridicule it, Icheoku says there is no way in hell Wiki-Leaks could have had access to those documents; talk-less of publishing them. So the government through the FBI should refocus their effort at the whodunit and investigate those officials who came in contact with the published cables, to unravel who actually poured the water into a basket expecting it to stay put and not leak out. Someone or some people in government circle handed these documents to Wiki-Leaks and these are the real culprits here and not a website that exists to leak things and reveal hidden facts. Icheoku says the American government has the wrong guy in their cross-hairs as WikiLeaks is not the provocateur/suspect; but those involved government officials!Icheoku is not in anyway justifying or condoning putting the government in Washington DC or elsewhere in any unsavory position by disclosing the processes involved in their diplomatic equivalent of making the hamburger. But if according to these Wiki-Leakers, "the cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in "client states"; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them", then it may be worthy an effort to draw the attention of the tax-payers of America, whose money bankrolls these alleged, to these happenings through their disclosure. However, provided their purpose is to inform the public but not to unduly embarrass the government; it may be in order to somewhat put paid to these double-standards government practices and force the government to practice what it preaches and in the open.According to WikiLeaks, "these document reveals the contradictions between the US’s public persona and what it says behind closed doors and shows that if citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes." This looks like plausible argument to make but in the wildlife-world that we live in, it is easier said than done as without all these intriguing happenstances, possibly our standard of living in America would have been akin to those in third world countries. But through all these twists and turns and arm-twisting, Washington has been able to maintain an America that is the envy of the whole world in terms of quality of life. Simple economics teaches that a loss somewhere is a gain somewhere else; and for everything we have some one somewhere was deprived. However long or manner it takes to plug the leaking diplomatic cables, admitted the genie has been let out of the bottle; one thing sprouts out from the incident - the fine-line between right to speech First Amendment constitutional freedom and the need to protect a state from such heinous embarrassment, must be balanced and weighted against the state's overriding security interest and ensure it is maintained without let; and anyone breaching that, including Wiki-Leaks, should be severely dealt with.
What WikiLeaks did by these published documents was to pitch nations against nations and one country against another. Now it is suspicion galore amongst countries and who knows who shall ever trust one another anymore or even enough to disclose their truthful opinion on any given world-issues again. WikiLeaks has driven a knife into world diplomatic fiber and their center of trust can no longer hold. Most countries will henceforth be very reluctant to trust another with very sensitive information, doubtful that it will not be kept with the utmost secrecy governing its disclosure.
The United States government especially, shall feel the most heat as many countries would henceforth be very reluctant to disclose to them what they are really thinking or feeling towards some burning world issues. But who knows where WikiLeaks sourced their information from; whether it is from outside sources other than Washington DC, bent on embarrassing President Obama and his team. But hey, until full disclosure through forensic investigation, Icheoku and the rest of the world would just wait and see where the trail will tail off. In the interim, we urge Julian Assange, the face of WikiLeaks, to turn himself in and answer for his alleged sexual-crimes with which he is charged and for which he remains on the run; and cease from remaining a fugitive on the run having been placed by Interpol on its red notice of wanted persons.
The United States government especially, shall feel the most heat as many countries would henceforth be very reluctant to disclose to them what they are really thinking or feeling towards some burning world issues. But who knows where WikiLeaks sourced their information from; whether it is from outside sources other than Washington DC, bent on embarrassing President Obama and his team. But hey, until full disclosure through forensic investigation, Icheoku and the rest of the world would just wait and see where the trail will tail off. In the interim, we urge Julian Assange, the face of WikiLeaks, to turn himself in and answer for his alleged sexual-crimes with which he is charged and for which he remains on the run; and cease from remaining a fugitive on the run having been placed by Interpol on its red notice of wanted persons.
