Wikileaks exposes sad diplomatic realities
The latest batch of diplomatic secrets to be dumped on the doorstep of the media by the bad boys at WikiLeaks shows how the business of international relations is really conducted. Among the 250,000 American diplomatic dispatches snatched by the cyber snoops were these revelations:
• The kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been encouraging the U.S. to "cut off the head of the snake" by destroying Iran's nuclear facilities. Of course, it would be Americans, not these Arab kings, who would have to cope with the outrage of the Muslim world if such an attack were carried out. Meanwhile, as they urge the U.S. to start another war on their behalf, rich Saudis continue to be the chief financial backers of America's most committed enemies, al-Qaida.
• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak acknowledged in private that Iran is a prime supporter of terrorism but insisted that if he were to say that publicly it would create "a dangerous situation." Wouldn't want to disturb the happy tranquility of the Middle East now, would we?
• Pakistani officials blocked U.S. efforts to remove enriched uranium from Pakistan that could fall into the hands of terrorists, not because it was a bad idea, but because they did not want to give their critics a chance to portray them as American puppets.
• Just a week after Syria's President Bashar al-Assad promised a U.S. diplomat he would not send any new, sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad sent new, sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
• U.S. diplomats believe the nutcase at the head of the North Korean government has supplied the lunatic who runs Iran's government with missiles that can reach Europe.
• China's leadership used government cyber goons and Internet outlaws to sabotage Google's computer systems and hack into the computer systems of the U.S. government, Western allies, American businesses and the Dalai Lama. No word about whether they got a peek at the Dalai Lama's party photos on Facebook.
• The State Department tried to entice several friendly countries to take detainees from Guantanamo Bay. U.S. diplomats told Slovenian officials they could not meet with President Obama until they took a prisoner. The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was offered incentives worth millions of dollars to house a few. And the sales pitch to the Belgians suggested that taking custody of a batch of prisoners would provide "a low cost way for Belgium to attain prominence in Europe." I guess being home to the headquarters of the European Union is not enough.
Now, I am no fan of WikiLeaks. There is no compelling public interest in having these diplomatic cables made public. No scandal has been brought to light; no sinister peril uncovered that we didn't already know about. It is far more important that our diplomats be able to conduct international relations with discretion, candor and an assurance that delicate negotiations will not be compromised by premature disclosure.
Still, the information in many of these dispatches is a disheartening reminder that the players in the diplomatic game are, at best, world-weary bureaucrats and, far too often, liars, petty despots, cowards, criminals, incompetents, and, in at least a few cases, paranoid fanatics who make the conniving Soviet premier I once portrayed seem like a statesman.
Frankly, we'd be in better shape if the world were run by a bunch of earnest students seeking nothing more than a rational path to peace.
The latest batch of diplomatic secrets to be dumped on the doorstep of the media by the bad boys at WikiLeaks shows how the business of international relations is really conducted. Among the 250,000 American diplomatic dispatches snatched by the cyber snoops were these revelations:
• The kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been encouraging the U.S. to "cut off the head of the snake" by destroying Iran's nuclear facilities. Of course, it would be Americans, not these Arab kings, who would have to cope with the outrage of the Muslim world if such an attack were carried out. Meanwhile, as they urge the U.S. to start another war on their behalf, rich Saudis continue to be the chief financial backers of America's most committed enemies, al-Qaida.
• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak acknowledged in private that Iran is a prime supporter of terrorism but insisted that if he were to say that publicly it would create "a dangerous situation." Wouldn't want to disturb the happy tranquility of the Middle East now, would we?
• Pakistani officials blocked U.S. efforts to remove enriched uranium from Pakistan that could fall into the hands of terrorists, not because it was a bad idea, but because they did not want to give their critics a chance to portray them as American puppets.
• Just a week after Syria's President Bashar al-Assad promised a U.S. diplomat he would not send any new, sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad sent new, sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
• U.S. diplomats believe the nutcase at the head of the North Korean government has supplied the lunatic who runs Iran's government with missiles that can reach Europe.
• China's leadership used government cyber goons and Internet outlaws to sabotage Google's computer systems and hack into the computer systems of the U.S. government, Western allies, American businesses and the Dalai Lama. No word about whether they got a peek at the Dalai Lama's party photos on Facebook.
• The State Department tried to entice several friendly countries to take detainees from Guantanamo Bay. U.S. diplomats told Slovenian officials they could not meet with President Obama until they took a prisoner. The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was offered incentives worth millions of dollars to house a few. And the sales pitch to the Belgians suggested that taking custody of a batch of prisoners would provide "a low cost way for Belgium to attain prominence in Europe." I guess being home to the headquarters of the European Union is not enough.
Now, I am no fan of WikiLeaks. There is no compelling public interest in having these diplomatic cables made public. No scandal has been brought to light; no sinister peril uncovered that we didn't already know about. It is far more important that our diplomats be able to conduct international relations with discretion, candor and an assurance that delicate negotiations will not be compromised by premature disclosure.
Still, the information in many of these dispatches is a disheartening reminder that the players in the diplomatic game are, at best, world-weary bureaucrats and, far too often, liars, petty despots, cowards, criminals, incompetents, and, in at least a few cases, paranoid fanatics who make the conniving Soviet premier I once portrayed seem like a statesman.
Frankly, we'd be in better shape if the world were run by a bunch of earnest students seeking nothing more than a rational path to peace.
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