Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
BSR Murthy
BRFite
Posts: 187
Joined: 02 Apr 2003 12:31
Location: Texas

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by BSR Murthy »

Contrary to the perception on BRF previously, Rudd is no friend of China after all!
sanjeevpunj
BRFite
Posts: 971
Joined: 04 Sep 2009 13:10

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by sanjeevpunj »

It is sad to see that Julian Assange's family is being threatened, and he is expected to be arrested - for sharing information.They cook up "sexual offenses" as an excuse to arrest him! Any whore in Europe could be bribed to vouch that he had sexually assaulted her, this is a usual ply of politicians all over the world.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by SSridhar »

We think ten times before approaching ISI: KSA
A top Saudi Arabian counter-terrorism official had told United States’ Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke that he had little trust in Pakistan’s ISI when it comes to sharing information with it on terrorism, a U.S. cable released by WikiLeaks cable reveals.

Major General Khalid al-Humaydan (“Abu Ali”), who has been leading operations against terrorists and those involved in sending funds to terror outfits based in Pakistan, had said his security forces had detained numerous individuals from Pakistan and were seeking cooperation to probe their activities.

In a meeting with Mr. Holbrooke, the Counterterrorism Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior Saudi Arabia, said his agencies have to think “ten times” before approaching the ISI.

“He (al-Humaydan) added that ‘we talk to ISI and get a good response, but we think ten times before approaching them; things are changing there and we are advised to be careful,” the cable said.

“Political unrest and new ISI leadership were the principal changes, he said,” said the telegram issued by the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, after the meeting on May 16, 2009.

“As a result', he concluded, ‘we only trust face-to-face transmission of information. The MOI had shared information with ISI on Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia suspected of terror finance, but ISI had not responded,” said the cable.

The United States, which has charged the WikiLeaks of indulging in a criminal act by stealing and releasing these cables, has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of these documents.

During the meeting, Holbrooke noted that Pakistan was also a centre for terrorist financing through Islamic charities and asked whether the Saudis were monitoring the large Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia, and whether the Saudis were consulting with the governments of Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh over the issue.
Raja
BRFite
Posts: 342
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Raja »

sanjeevpunj wrote:It is sad to see that Julian Assange's family is being threatened, and he is expected to be arrested - for sharing information.They cook up "sexual offenses" as an excuse to arrest him! Any whore in Europe could be bribed to vouch that he had sexually assaulted her, this is a usual ply of politicians all over the world.
Sad? This is geo-politics. People get killed for far less. Luckily for him, his notoriety will prevent his premature death (for now).

Assange should have thought about himself and his family before collectively pissing off multiple governments across the globe. Whether you consider him as a hero or not, this was to be expected. He signed his own fate. This is how the real world works.
anupmisra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9203
Joined: 12 Nov 2006 04:16
Location: New York

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by anupmisra »

Outlook glum for 'porous' Pakistan border
Washington Times article.
The State Department has stated in a cable from Peshawar, Pakistan, that it is skeptical about eventually winning the military struggle in Pakistan's badlands, saying peace talks go nowhere and murderous militants control key towns.
Chief among them is the late Mehsud's group, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is dedicated to overthrowing the Pakistani government. Pakistan's "divide and rule" strategy calls for isolating the TTP, but tribal leaders were "too cowed" to move against a man the cable called "the most notorious militant in Pakistan." His successor and cousin, Hakimullah Mehsud, is just as ruthless. He masterminded a 2008 suicide bombing of a jirga (peace conference) that, the cable stated, "killed over 50 tribal maliks [leaders] and broke virtually all organized resistance to TTP control."
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 52167.html

US forced to shake up embassies around the world after WikiLeaks revelations
By Guy Adams and Kim Sengupta
Monday, 6 December 2010

Battered by a scandal which seems to provide a fresh wave of embarrassment with each passing day, the US government is being forced to undertake a major reshuffle of the embassy staff, military personnel and intelligence operatives whose work has been laid bare by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.


The Obama administration was yesterday facing a crisis in its diplomatic service, amid growing evidence that the ongoing publication of a tranche of supposedly-confidential communiqués will make normal work difficult, if not dangerous, for important State Department employees across the world.

A mere 1,100 of the roughly 250,000 secret documents obtained by the website have so far been published, leading to fears that the unhelpful revelations will continue for months to come, destabilising US relations with almost all of its key allies and inflaming tensions with already-hostile governments in the Middle East and beyond. "In the short run, we're almost out of business," a senior US diplomat told the Reuters news agency, saying it could take five years to rebuild trust. "It is really, really bad. I cannot exaggerate it. In all honesty, nobody wants to talk to us ... Some people still have to, particularly (in) government but ... they are already asking us things like, 'Are you going to write about this?'" 8)

The Pentagon, the CIA and the State Department are reported to be identifying which members of staff have been named as the authors of the most unhelpful memos to have been published by WikiLeaks. They will need to be removed from what are among America's most strategically-important postings.

Among those whose private thoughts have been embarrassingly revealed is Gene Cretz, the US ambassador to Libya who wrote a now-notorious cable to Washington in 2009 noting that that the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi never travels without his "voluptuous blonde" Ukranian nurse. :mrgreen:

America's current envoy to the United Nations has also been criticised following the revelation that Hillary Clinton instructed them to procure credit card and frequent flyer numbers, mobile phone numbers, email addresses, passwords and other data from foreign diplomats and top UN officials, including the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The difficulty regarding the future of America's diplomatic service is the fact that the authors of many of the most important emails in the WikiLeaks tranche are among their most-experienced senior staff, and will therefore be tough, if not impossible, to replace. None of the countries that were affected by the WikiLeaks cables had requested the withdrawal of any American diplomatic staff. :roll:

"That's another part of the tragedy of this," a senior US national-security official told The Daily Beast website, which yesterday detailed the extent of the crisis on the ground and claimed that the reassignment of affected diplomats had already been planned and would take place in the coming months. :mrgreen:

"We're going to have to pull out some of our best people – the diplomats who best represented the United States and were the most thoughtful in their analysis – because they dared to report back the truth about the nations in which they serve." :((

Among the foreign governments to have already expressed outrage about the contents of some of the files are those of supposed allies like France, Italy and Turkey, whose Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to sue the former US Ambassador Eric Edelman over a memo he wrote suggesting that Erdogan had hidden wealth in Swiss bank accounts.

Old enemies of the US are also upset. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was described in one memo as playing Robin to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's Batman. Cuba and Venezuela were branded an "Axis of Mischief" in a document released at the weekend.

When the first cables were made public, the White House condemned the release saying it "put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the US for assistance in promoting democracy and open government".

Although there have yet to be formal moves to oust the diplomats responsible for the most awkward memos so far revealed, foreign governments are expected to soon begin "PNG-ing" US diplomats, a practice which involves demanding the removal of an official by branding them "persona non grata".

"We think it's only a matter of time, though," one State Department official told The Daily Beast. Diplomatic sources told The Independent that there no immediate plans to move staff because that would suggest they had done something wrong and damage confidence.

Tensions with Arab states

The latest leaked memos reveal that Hillary Clinton criticised the Saudi government, saying the country was the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups but that its politicians were reluctant to stem the flow of money. In the memo, dated December 2009, she told US diplomats that "Riyadh has taken only limited action" to interrupt the flow of money to the Taliban and groups launching attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. She added that Hamas raised millions in Saudi, often from Hajj and Ramadan pilgrims. The note also highlighted Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE as sources of militant money and singled Qatar out as "the worst in the region" for not co-operating with Washington.
Raja Ram
BRFite
Posts: 587
Joined: 30 Mar 1999 12:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Raja Ram »

Here is a take on lessons learnt by MEA. They want to adopt American style of writing in their despatches :D

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cable ... us/720978/

It is interesting to note that they nowadays just send these things electronically. It used to be done from a seperate room called cypher room before with elaborate procedures. A PA and Cypher Assistant would take down the dictation and then the Cypher Assistant would use the code key to encrypt and enter into the machine.

BTW, wouldn't the MEA be better be advised to read BRF and see the posts here and write in that style. It will be colourful, insightful and too the point with a strong dose of every possible shades of analysis and opinion, and of course piskological observations, plus of course there is the famous BENIS thread for variety and light reading. A good summation of all topics told in the most entertaining manner. :P :twisted:
JE Menon
Forum Moderator
Posts: 7127
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by JE Menon »

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they have already done so...
Vashishtha
BRFite
Posts: 269
Joined: 12 Jun 2010 23:06
Location: look behind you

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Vashishtha »

BTW, wouldn't the MEA be better be advised to read BRF and see the posts here and write in that style. It will be colourful, insightful and too the point with a strong dose of every possible shades of analysis and opinion, and of course piskological observations, plus of course there is the famous BENIS thread for variety and light reading. A good summation of all topics told in the most entertaining manner.
A serious question to forum admins and BR site managers.....What can be done to increase viewership of br among babus and most importantly the media??
Gagan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 11242
Joined: 16 Apr 2008 22:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Gagan »

Julian Assange has responded to moves being made to shut down wikileaks and moves against him and his family.

I was watching CNN yesterday and apparently he has threatened to relase a 'Poison Set' of documents that reveal details on Guantanamo Bay and the drone war in Af-Pak, if wikileaks is shut down.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

Vashishtha wrote:
BTW, wouldn't the MEA be better be advised to read BRF and see the posts here and write in that style. It will be colourful, insightful and too the point with a strong dose of every possible shades of analysis and opinion, and of course piskological observations, plus of course there is the famous BENIS thread for variety and light reading. A good summation of all topics told in the most entertaining manner.
A serious question to forum admins and BR site managers.....What can be done to increase viewership of br among babus and most importantly the media??

Be credible and accurate in the conclusions. Less polemics and sticking to evidence based conclusions would help. And using smileys for serious subjects would not be useful.

I see a tendency to have members post inane matters in serious threads and vice versa.
CRamS
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6865
Joined: 07 Oct 2006 20:54

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by CRamS »

Gagan wrote:Julian Assange has responded to moves being made to shut down wikileaks and moves against him and his family.

I was watching CNN yesterday and apparently he has threatened to relase a 'Poison Set' of documents that reveal details on Guantanamo Bay and the drone war in Af-Pak, if wikileaks is shut down.
What does that mean? He won't expose real juicy stuff if US won't attempt to shut him down? All we get then are useless details? Till now, either by coincidence or by design I don't know, the leaks have at best embarassed US, nothing overly explosive. Many of the leaks have actualy benefitted US, for e.g., that tit-bit about the Arab tin pot cowards begging US to bomb Iran. Even the Iraq torture was leaked in a way that didn't directly implicate US, rather, it was blamed on Iraqi forces while US did nothing. This can easily be spun. The name calling of foreign leaders, I mean come on, in fact if anyone knows how self-obessed Amercians are, "Amercian exceptionalism" as they call it, you will know that name calling of foreign leaders especially the SDRE types will earn Hilary huge kudos among the public. Ditto spying. You mean US diplomats don't spy and we needed these leaks to tell us that? Don't make me laugh.

Bottom line: if you witness the PR and damage control mode US is in, its an exaggarted sense of victimhood and anger; its all phony theatrics while milking all it can over those portions of the leaks that benefit it. Like my previous analogy of an adultering husband showing excessive commotion, anger, and contrition after being exposed of kissing another woman, when in fact he did a lot more and his self-righteous tantrums over his lesser misbehavior masks the fact that he is in fact a consummate cheater.
Last edited by CRamS on 06 Dec 2010 22:23, edited 2 times in total.
Hiten
BRFite
Posts: 1130
Joined: 21 Sep 2008 07:57
Location: Baudland
Contact:

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Hiten »

What does that mean? He won't expose real juicy stuff if US won't attempt to shut him down?
the threat, I had read, is to release them without redacting the sensitive details - assuming, otherwise it will be released later with relevant censoring if he is not harmed
CRamS
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6865
Joined: 07 Oct 2006 20:54

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by CRamS »

Hiten wrote: the threat, I had read, is to release them without redacting the sensitive details - assuming, otherwise it will be released later with relevant censoring if he is not harmed
In other wordes, we get the politically correct, CNN/BBC/Fox version, i.e., torture will be described as "aggressive questioning" or something to that effect. Or wilful, indrect encouraging of TSP terror against India will be desctibed as "Not to get close to India for that would force TSP to take countermeasures" :-). Who needs wikileaks then? Might as well shut them down, and buy off Asanga with super models and huge $s so he can live happily ever after :-).
shynee
BRFite
Posts: 550
Joined: 21 Oct 2003 11:31
Location: US

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by shynee »

Chromite mines in Orissa, K'taka critical to US interest'
Two little known chromite mines in Orissa and Karnataka, besides a factory in Gujarat that manufactures critical chemotherapy drugs are among global "key infrastructures" which could pose a danger to America’s national security if they come under terrorist attack, a secret US cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed.

The classified State Department cable dated February 18, 2009 asks its diplomatic posts to update a secret list of key infrastructures across the globe which are vital of America's national security interests and needs to be protected from any terrorist attacks.

The secret list includes only three infrastructure projects from India. "Orissa (chromite mines) and Karnataka (chromite mines) Generamedix Gujurat: Chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate," the cable said.

"Loss" of these infrastructures in foreign countries "could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States," it underlined.
vera_k
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3986
Joined: 20 Nov 2006 13:45

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by vera_k »

Gujarat ATS probes LeT plan

Looks like the intelligence in the cable was a) either not shared with Indian authorities or b) held back from Gujarat police by Delhi intelligence. It is likely the latter, after taking into account the other cable about 26/11 which mentions an intelligence failure on the Indian side.
Amitava
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 87
Joined: 03 Sep 2000 11:31
Location: New Jersey, USA.

Twitter May be Censoring Wikileaks

Post by Amitava »

Twitter May be Censoring Wikileaks


Here's from OSdir
Suspicions are arising that Twitter may be hampering wikileaks related tweets from becoming trending topics. Comments in these blogs and replys to @wikileaks regarding the possible censorship show people appear to believe twitter is being nefarious rather than incompetent in accurately measuring the people's voice.
http://osdir.com/Article10586.phtml

from OSnews
Wikileaks-related terms did not really trend almost at all last week. The only related trend today that currently trends in a few countries is the much less popular #imwikileaks! Pretty suspicious. If this is real censorship, it is much more profoundly unacceptable than just deleting someone's account, because it's not like trying to block that one account, that one voice, but like censoring and manipulating the collective voice.
http://www.osnews.com/story/24100/Twitt ... ted_Trends

And this blog has some data and graphs
http://studentactivism.net/2010/12/05/w ... twitter-3/
Rangudu
BRFite
Posts: 1751
Joined: 03 Mar 2002 12:31
Location: USA

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Rangudu »

CRS,

Assange and all those who have the documents have currently agreed to release them after redacting names, organizations etc. who could face trouble if their identities are revealed. Several documents released to date contain XXXXXXXX instead of names.

What Assange is saying is that he'll just release it all and let Unkil face the consequences.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

HIndu reports;

Storm over leak of US vital sensitive sites
A comprehensive inventory of what the United States considers “critical infrastructure and key resources,” has been published online by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website, raising the pitch of the debate surrounding its exposé of secret U.S. State Department cables.

According to the cable, dated February 18 2009 and sent from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to all U.S. diplomatic outposts abroad, the State Department requested diplomats to update the “vital” sites list, which included telecommunication infrastructure, gas pipelines, mineral mines, medical research facilities, weapons components manufacturers and transportation hubs.

The sites mentioned in India include chromite mines in Orissa and Karnataka and a company called Generamedix in Gujurat, which the cable suggests is involved in producing chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate.

Issuing a request for action to U.S. diplomatic posts world over the Secretary’s cable said the State Department required “compilation and annual update of a of critical infrastructure and key resources that are located outside U.S. borders and whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the U.S.” The cable added that under the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001 “critical infrastructure” was defined as systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, “so vital to the U.S. [that] the incapacitation or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact” on U.S. national security.

Condemnation of the release of the list followed swiftly, particularly in the United Kingdom, where a Downing Street spokesman was quoted as saying, “We unequivocally condemn the unauthorised release of classified information. The leaks and their publication are damaging to national security in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere.”

However Mark Stephens, the lawyer representing WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange, who is on the run from authorities, was said to have denied that Wikileaks was putting people and facilities at risk.

According to the BBC he said, “I do not think there is anything new in that... What I think is new is the fact that it has been published by Wikileaks and of course we have the Wikileaks factor because a number of governments have been embarrassed by what has happened.”
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

vera_k wrote:Gujarat ATS probes LeT plan

Looks like the intelligence in the cable was a) either not shared with Indian authorities or b) held back from Gujarat police by Delhi intelligence. It is likely the latter, after taking into account the other cable about 26/11 which mentions an intelligence failure on the Indian side.
The cable is marked "no forn" i.e. not to be shared with foreingers including govts.

So no question of Delhi having sat on it.
To me this new name is interesting. So L-e-T is now getting more and more new people.
brihaspati
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12410
Joined: 19 Nov 2008 03:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by brihaspati »

For me the crucial test will be if WikiLeaks actually releases certain types of informations about leadership of countries in the "frontierland" of international diplomacy - like India, which in many senses is still following a virtual non-aligned route. Those in the handling chambers - say on both sides of USA and India, know very well what the other side is saying or likely to say. So there is no real embarassment only for one side only as to what Wikileaks says.

In many senses, international foreign policy is a matter of play-acting on all sides, so people could be saying sweet nothings in formal meets while fully lambasting with choice cuts in private expletives. To a large extent, therefore, I do not support Assange's selective release. To find real information, we needed a real "stack dump", from which we could have extracted patterns and underlying info. A partciular cable could actually have a bearing on the preceding or following cable in time. Those informations could actually reveal much more than what is being shouted about now.

We need not assume that New Delhi babus related to the agencies do not use equally choice expletives about their US counterparts or US leaders. In fact I have reasons to strongly believe that if ND cables from Indian side are released - they would outperform US linguistic performance in the sarcasm department. No tongue surpasses in acidity that of the polished Indian - and there are plenty in the corridors of power from within the admin side. Many of them are perhaps also frustrated at having to be led by people much less qualified than themselves, and would therefore use much more pointed stuff as a release system.

What is being leaked is perhaps surprising for us, but the "babus" in MEA are probably only smiling. Most of these stuff will be old stuff for them.

If there are real pointers about specific political interference in matters of public or national security - like ND witholding info that would help Gujarat, then that makes it an issue. Let's see!
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

Yeah. I spent quite some time to explain why calling some one "sala" or brother-in-law is really an insult while calling him "bhai" or brother is a great compliment!
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Prem »

ramana wrote:Yeah. I spent quite some time to explain why calling some one "sala" or brother-in-law is really an insult while calling him "bhai" or brother is a great compliment!
The above equation dont apply in Paki society as they are 1272 years ahead of India in this field . Bhai is the first sala and sala a Bhai first .
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

pak is an exception like US.

Meanwhile editorial in Pioneer on L-e-T plans for Modi!

UPA caught sleeping

with enemy?
Rangudu
BRFite
Posts: 1751
Joined: 03 Mar 2002 12:31
Location: USA

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Rangudu »

ramana wrote:The cable is marked "no forn" i.e. not to be shared with foreingers including govts.
Not so fast. That cable may be "no forn" but that does not imply that the Gujarat threat was not shared with GoI. A desi journalist friend of mine says that GoI got detailed threat reports on this and other LeT plots regularly. The huge haul of pigLeTs and HuJI agents from Bangladesh, the arrest of LeT Nepal kingpin Mohammed Umer Madni in New Delhi etc. was supposedly from Unkil's tip off.
brihaspati
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12410
Joined: 19 Nov 2008 03:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by brihaspati »

X-posting from internal security thread : about Namo-Gujarat-LeT-info:

It is highly unlikely that such info was not shared. The cables are for internal consumption. However, that intelligence is still ultimately evaluated at some nodal point somewhere in USA, and what is "actionable" will be shared - even if indirectly with counterparts in India who have been designated speciafically for such exchanges.

If dissemination is not undertaken from the Indian side, it means conscious decision to allow certain things to proceed in certain directions. I think we now should understand the process by which at least three assassinations of Indian leaders happened and the legendary Indian internal security system that finished off each and every communist and Sikh insurgency in the past - failed to prevent those assassinations. Suppose allowing things to proceed against NaMo would be hypothetically desirable from both USA and GOI side.

From the GOI side it could be a political view which would think of it as political gamble with risk but still manageable. Any attack against NaMo can be passed off as "unfortunate" but "he had it coming" by allowing "atrocities" on "Muslims". So Cong will not be blamed, and "Muslim" image can still be protected by representing it as "in righteous anger".

From the US side, letting NaMo be eliminated could be used as scoring point with Pak and other Islamist outfits - a bargaining chip, and also pleasing the Cong, and perhaps even some religious sects in US which would see such elimination as an act of "God" in favour of the "true faith". It could also be a hidden item of blackmail against the Cong for future control [I passed you the info and you chose not to act on it - shall we make it public?]

However, they would also not think of a possible sympathy "wave" that consolidates popular swing towards the saffron? Are they that great fools? I don't think so!
brihaspati
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12410
Joined: 19 Nov 2008 03:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by brihaspati »

Does anyone have the following feelings:

(1) all the wikipee stuff has the scent and feel of a virtual server/directory content specifically created to confirm what people have been led to think already by the media
(2) after this we will see a great declaration and wave of solidarity in the "western" camp - shared dirt and all that, and the boat itself is leaking - so brothers forget jumping ship and latching on to other ships independently. The others ships will distrust you after this hollering.
(3) the real events have already been chalked out and planned and will be completely different from what wikipee gives the impression as.
Rangudu
BRFite
Posts: 1751
Joined: 03 Mar 2002 12:31
Location: USA

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Rangudu »

^ Not me, at least so far. One thing I've learned so far is to avoid ascribing something to cleverness if it can be explained by incompetence. Conspiracies usually succeed when they are kept to a small number of participants working on a small duration activity.

I think that like all good discussion fora, we are also susceptible to outthinking ourselves sometimes.
brihaspati
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12410
Joined: 19 Nov 2008 03:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by brihaspati »

No not cleverness, but that the leaks stumbled on to something that is not entirely real and was kept in case of a hack or a leak. The real stuff would be physically separated from network and more mundane ink and paper, view in a closed room and keep it in category.
Rangudu
BRFite
Posts: 1751
Joined: 03 Mar 2002 12:31
Location: USA

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Rangudu »

Well, it's the same concept. The "real stuff" is already in a separate medium. It is called "Top Secret" and information classified as that goes through a more secure channel that has so far not been known to be compromised.

The notion that the US will have 250k+ bogus documents meant for a disinformation campaign kept ready in case of a hack is far fetched.

As I said, it will be useful to remember the adage I go by.
Satya_anveshi
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3532
Joined: 08 Jan 2007 02:37

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Satya_anveshi »

brihaspati wrote:Does anyone have the following feelings:
BJi,

I have no doubt in my mind that this is all scripted. If one has matured reading US media and all the bells and whistles that are embedded within the message, one can easily decipher thus.
- some vague law in sweden used
- vague and totally unrelated criminal case
- vague funding sources
- the concept of one man/face doing all this
- totally un-friggn believable scenario on pulling that stuff out of the secret US institutions on such scale
- pronouncements (even from Gates) to the effect damage/no damage/err...not really...limited damage blah blah
This is HC's way of scaring people and ursurping or trampling with civil rights. Asserts their control, oils their machinery, helps drill their practices (kind of H1N1 of FY10). I am convinced of the above and will review if and when something super substantial results out of all this.
arjunm
BRFite
Posts: 220
Joined: 26 Sep 2010 10:25

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by arjunm »


Assange may surrender to British police


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101206/ap_ ... /wikileaks
Ambar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3173
Joined: 12 Jun 2010 09:56
Location: Weak meek unkil Sam!

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by Ambar »

arjunm wrote:
Assange may surrender to British police


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101206/ap_ ... /wikileaks
US Attorney General is already talking about launching a 'criminal investigation' into actions of Assange. Something tells me that they'll twist the arms of UK/Sweden,get Assange extradited to US and a 'Kangaroo court' will jail him for the rest of his life. I am sure Assange is well aware of what waits for him, and has probably spread all the files far and wide so that they continue to surface,one bit at a time.
vera_k
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3986
Joined: 20 Nov 2006 13:45

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by vera_k »

ramana wrote:The cable is marked "no forn" i.e. not to be shared with foreingers including govts.

So no question of Delhi having sat on it.
To me this new name is interesting. So L-e-T is now getting more and more new people.
Report in Rediff confirms that Delhi was aware of the plan. Looks like Gujarat police were not taken into confidence on it, which is strange considering that it is an ongoing operation.
abhischekcc
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4277
Joined: 12 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: If I can’t move the gods, I’ll stir up hell
Contact:

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by abhischekcc »

Does anybody have the link to the list of sensitive sites that wikileaks has leaked recently?

I would be grateful for the file as well if somebody has it.

TIA
abhischekcc
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4277
Joined: 12 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: If I can’t move the gods, I’ll stir up hell
Contact:

Re: Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Post by abhischekcc »

This is serious. This is like a terrorists wet dream come true. Although I understand the need for openness, and that terrorists would have always attacked without this list, this list takes the guess work out of the equation for a fundo.

---------

OTOH, we can have hours of fun doign risk analysis on the forum :)
Post Reply