I find most of the Wikileaks so far non-news. You could have inferred most from reading some alternatives sources in English plus non-English, non-Latin language press. It is just very telling so many people in the West are impressed by the "revelations". There are some concrete issues that particular organisations have to deal with. The German Liberal Party (FDP) now knows a young member of their negotiation team with the CDU is giving confidential information to the U.S. Americans. Everybody knows now that Khadaffi's blond nurse is Ukrainian. We also know now Prince Andrew was quite rude particularly during a certain visit to Central Asia. The unkosher-unhalal-un-Catholic ways of putting pressure on foreign countries? The request for DNA material, details that would allow spying on UN and all the rest? Nothing new. If you want to read a good analysis on the Wikileaks about the Middle East, read Fisk.
Some of the world events I found most interesting and which escaped the attention of most are these:
- Haiti's elections became an absolute farce. If you speak German or even if you don't, watch this (from 16:31, Wahl stürzt Haiti ins nächste Chaos). Lots of countries and organisations are profiting from pretending to help Haiti. Some of them even believe they are helping. Few actually do something effective, like Oxfam or Doctors without Borders. Carroll wrote a good article about aid agencies in Haiti (see here).
- Egypt's elections became a farce as well. Read again Fisk for that one here.
- Two nuclear technology specialists in Iran were killed. Iran says they were killed by Israel (Mossad someone?). Others say they were killed by the Iranians themselves in their internal struggles.
- I wonder how China's government will be so interested in the Koreas becoming reunified, as the US employees think. I am not so sure that is the case. If North Korea joined South Korea, China would have a pluralistic country much closer to Beijing. This could set out dynamics not so wanted by the PCP.
Excellent post. I disagree with your statement that this stuff isn't news. It's news because it settles lots of arguments -- particularly over whether the USA is evil or stupid.
ReplyDeleteThe Iran assassination and attempted assassination was very interesting, indeed. Also that Iran confirmed that Stuxnet had hit its centrifuges.
Does it? I don't know. When are good intentions accompanied by damaging consequences OK, not good, even evil? Sabes cómo dice el dicho de las intenciones.
ReplyDeleteI am sure most want to be good.
And yet!
Besides, a government never acts independently of other factors...and even if it did: I think we cannot draw conclusions but of different elements within any single big organization.
How much do we know the intentions of others?
Will this have other consequences apart from a tightening of security procedures (procedures that were more clumsily guarded than those of an average IT company)? I don't know. I think we can only know in a couple of years what other real consequences this will bring.
Funny the kind of visitors we're having today.
ReplyDelete