I admire Julian Assange. He’s very much like the kid at school who made a mockery of the teacher, by distributing mislaid photos of him intoxicated at the staff Christmas party in a tight embrace with another member of staff.
Perhaps the US government should also see Assange in this light and instead of simply pursuing this thorn of a kid for detention, they should also step forward in front of the class and explain their actions.
The problem being faced by the U.S and other national administrations is that, just like the kid at school, Assange is revered by many for his actions. His supporters include many high profile journalists and individuals within the media.
Whilst it would be foolish of me to think that the Americans would actually care about criticisms that they would face should they continue to chase Assange, I do believe they could gives us a little something to make us think they were not such a big international bully. That would be facing up to these leaked U.S cables and, instead of feeding us bent versions of the truth, holding up their hands and apologising.
The best way to handle embarrassment is not to get angry or even, but to face it and all those talking or laughing at you in a dignified and honest manner.
Of course some of you are asking, what about the ‘riskier’ cables? That is, the cables that do not just embarrass, but could potentially be dangerous for those mentioned as some have said? I am of course talking about the cables detailing important U.S government assets and resources as well as the locations of troops.
Well, to be honest, having assessed what was released I do not concur that this information poses a serious threat. Locations may have been released but most of these things could have been discovered or concluded to be there, with a bit of research and hard work from someone with a bit of intellectual clout.
Again, the best way to face up to these releases is to, well, face up to it. Publicly and honestly.
We now live in an information rich age. To keep secrets is to cling on to the past and reinforce mistrust and hysteria. One needs only to look North Korea to see how this is working out.
Governments should be learning from Wikileaks, not trying to destroy it.
