The Nation: Official Washington Worries WikiLeak Will Reveal Inconsistent Approach to Terror

[Hissyspit]

Katrina vandenHeuvel: "Latest Wikileak dump just make it tougher to justify covert operations and military intervention. Our country faces perfect storm of money, secrecy & politics."

http://www.thenation.com/blog/156684/official-washington-worries-wikileak-will-reveal-inconsistent-approach-terror

Official Washington Worries WikiLeak Will Reveal Inconsistent Approach to Terror
John Nichols
November 26, 2010

Usually, when a WikiLeaks document dump is in the offering, US officials play like it could not possibly matter.

"More of the same," "nothing new," "just a repeat of what everyone was already aware of": these have been the standard lines.

But not this time. Washington is abuzz with Holiday weekend talk about how officials at the White House, the Department of Defense and the State Department are "holding their breath" in troubled anticipation of an imminent release of thousands of classified documents by the controversial website. WikiLeaks is tweeting that officials in Washington are "hyperventilating again over fears of being held to account."

That's not hype. They really are worried this time.

Why so? Because this release of documents could pull back the curtain on how the United States practices international diplomacy.

To understand why this matters, consider two related realities:

1. Many, if not all, of the US officials who deal on the international stage tend to like secrecy, as it allows them to play by different rules when dealing with countries that are deemed "allies" or "rogues." In other words, despite the blunt official talk about how the "war of terror" is a universal endeavor, the United States sometimes casts a blind eye toward—or even works with—groups that are identified as practicing terrorism. 

2. These powerful players often feel threatened by transparency, as it reveals when they are allow allied states to act like rogue states. This gets especially messy when "friendly" governments are allowed to get away with actions that the U.S. otherwise identifies as being so serious that might justify economic sanctions or even a military response. 

MORE

[daleo]

1. Lies and hypocrisy

Having lies and hypocrisy exposed - that's the big fear. They fear that rubes won't understand.

[laughingliberal]

2. More likely they fear the rubes will understand all too well about the smoke up their butt all...

these years.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. Or worse - that they will understand. nt

[daleo]

14. When elites want rubes to understand

They actually want them to "understand" - i.e. understand things from the elites' point of view.

[Raster]

20. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a WINNAH!

1. Many, if not all, of the US officials who deal on the international stage tend to like secrecy, as it allows them to play by different rules when dealing with countries that are deemed "allies" or "rogues." In other words, despite the blunt official talk about how the "war of terror" is a universal endeavor, the United States sometimes casts a blind eye toward—or even works with—groups that are identified as practicing terrorism.

Kind of like that Bush*, Bin Laden, CIA triangle, eh?

[Poll_Blind]

4. You know, like "Iran/Contra" kind of inconsistent.

:rofl:

Shoot me now.

Assisting the PKK is going to go over really well with the House and Senate, riiiiiigh?

PB

[justinaforjustice]

5. Should Be Interesting to Read The Wikileaks Docs About Venezuela.

The world map published, briefly, by Der Spiegle showed a big, big bubble of docs to and from Venezuela. Those should be particularly interesting to read, since U.S. State Department has been funding opposition groups here since before the 2002 coup, and has greatly increased the amount of their "contribution to democracy" in Venezuela since that time.

[leveymg]

6. Public message - "We don't negotiate with terrorists." Reality - "Send the PKK another $10 mil."

Public message - "We strongly conveyed to the Israelis our disappointment at the recent assassination in Dubai." Reality - "We attach the travel itinerary and hotel room numbers during his upcoming visit to Algeria for Hezbollah Minister Ali _____." And, so on.

[ck4829]

7. That's not really a leak, though, now is it?

For years we've known that mass murderers, Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, are living quiet lives in Florida and don't have to worry about a thing from the law bringing them in or the war on terror coming to get them. Then there's also the state terrorist for the Pinochet regime and man who murdered people for political reasons for him, Michael Townley, living here in the US in witness protection.

K&R though.

[lepus]

8. Why worry

We funded terrorist organizations under Reagan.

It got ugly when they killed the wrong people, but as it was in the name of a cause, the people accepted it.

A cause, doesn't matter what it is. Give it a good name and the proper spin and you can do some pretty evil stuff in the name of democracy.

My only hope is that enough people will get righteously pissed about atrocities done in their name to enrich some corporate groups that something will get done about it.

No more Secrets.

[kgnu_fan]

9. Kick and Recommended

[de novo]

10. Profit and nationalism trump hypocrisy.

[swilton]

18. I think that nationalism is falling by the wayside with this

last imperialist venture in southwest Asia/the Middle East....It's going to all be about profits and global elites. Those in Saudi Arabia are as guilty as those in the US.

[swilton]

19. I think that nationalism is falling by the wayside with this

last imperialist venture in southwest Asia/the Middle East....It's going to all be about profits and global elites. Those in Saudi Arabia are as guilty as those in the US.

[Amonester]

11. Money Trumps Peace

Indeed...

That might be the only thing the stupid decider ever said that was true, except that he projected it...

[BetsysGhost]

12. here's a thought

http://warcrimestimes.blogspot.com/2010/10/wikileaks-iraq-war-logs-legal-action-is.html

But these documents alone must be situated. While adding to the picture of the real war conducted, they do not contain it.


1. Inevitably, the leaked documents tell the story of the Iraq war from the perspective of — and within the confines of — the US military and its record-keeping practice. One cannot expect this practice to be anything but influenced by US Army culture and the operational goal of winning the war.


2. The leaked documents do not cover the actions of the CIA and other non-US Army agencies in the Iraq war, or similar agencies of foreign powers.


3. The leaked documents do not cover the role or actions of US security contractors, or mercenaries, in the Iraq war, which were granted legal immunity by the US occupation.


4. The leaked documents do not cover the role or actions of sectarian militias and death squads linked to foreign states and political forces in the US-sponsored and vetted political process, and that conducted campaigns of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity targeting Arab Sunnis, Turkmen, Christians, Yezidis, Sabeans, and Shabak as such, and even innocent Shia, in addition to the systematic assassination of middle class professionals.


Much more at the link.

[tex-wyo-dem]

13. "Inconsistent approach to terror" because it's meant to be inconsistent...

"Terror" is the gift that keeps on giving, providing justification for the wealthy elite and their government surrogates to continue siphoning $$$$ out of our treasury into the coffers of the MIC, I(intelligence)IC, S(security)IC, and so on. They want to appear to be doing something, but don't want to be too successful.

They did too good of a job on the USSR and lost their boogyman.

There's just way too much money at stake.

[zenprole]

15. This is why...

...The Nation is such a joke. At the same time its editor is struggling to distance herself from some reporting with teeth (Ames and Levine on astroturf and privatizing TSA), she and a pet columnist make bold milquetoast out of "harder to justify" an "inconsistent approach" to wholesale violence.

For fascism to emerge, the left has to be in disarray. I give you Exhibit 1.

[beforeyoureyes]

16. I don't know why they should worry, the American people don't seem inclined to DO much about it

Bush openly admits to criminal acts in office and Obama is going to give him a medal!

The American people don't have a clue what to do other then complain on blogs and chats.

They are fine.

Unless they are worried about the other countries...seems more likely as they just spit on us.

[Individualist]

17. kick