Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton arrives to give a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, Nov. 29, 2010. Clinton said that the United States "deeply regrets" the release by WikiLeaks of confidential US documents, as she sought to reassure American allies. Internet whistleblower Wikileaks has begun releasing a quarter of a million confidential US diplomatic cables, detailing embarrassing and inflammatory episodes in what the White House called a "reckless and dangerous action".
While I understand the need for secrecy when it comes to foreign affairs, I wish we lived in a world where it wasn’t necessary. I wonder if the last few high-profile leaks are just the beginning. Is the genie out of the bottle? Maybe the ease of Internet distribution has changed affairs of state forever.
“Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state,” Cardinal Richelieu (1585 – 1642)
E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS