Wikileaks ...

Julian Assange wants you to believe that he is some sort of guardian and so he can choose what to publish and how to publish it and he is doing so in the best interests of everyone ... everywhere.

That people seem to agree with him and provide his organisation with documents on what appears to be an industrial scale is rather interesting ... but what does he want to achieve?

The reality is that his past is filled with the leaking of documents that are either Government documents or documents to which some sort of privilege attaches.  Yet the Governments whose documents have been chosen are largely Western, democratic and, on the whole, free ... and the companies whose documents have been chosen are those who in the opinion of Mr Assange have 'committed a wrong or wrongs'.

You can read a biography of Mr Assange here.

If the biography on Wikipedia is true, then I would suggest that rather than being a guardian of any sort, Mr Assange has an anarchistic tendency that is, potentially, very dangerous. 

The latest revelations may well set back diplomacy with the US for years.  That Governments need to be able to talk frankly with each other is obvious.  What may be less obvious is that, on occasion, they will also want to be able to talk secretly to each other - and that can enhance the security of us all.  At the same time, if a Government is to be able to assess its counterparts properly, it needs to be able to have discrete and complete information from its envoys - and some of that information and the assessments will be unflattering at best.  Is it really in the interests of the world that this information is published for all to see?

Looking at one example of the latest leaks, the publishing of discussions between the Chinese and America about the future of open wound that is the unfinished business in the Korean peninsula almost certainly puts lives at risk.  What steps will China have to take to reassure the current regime in North Korea?  Will that enhance the prospects for peace or put them back?  What steps will North Korea take now that it will potentially understand that it no longer has the constant and unwavering support of China?  We have just had the attacks on South Korean civilians ... what next?

Actions are said to have consequences ... I suspect that Mr Assange and his co-conspirators have not through the consequences of what they have done - or that they have and they don't care ... perhaps this is a case of 'publish and be damned' ...