Well wikileaks seems to be up again:
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/reldate/2010-12-01_0.html
Evidently the US government has ordered the DNS servers blocked. Most of the US media and internet have pretty much censored what they can and spun everything else.
This in itself is an interesting study in news censorship.
While the news media makes a big deal out of a threat to diplomatic relations, I think even that is a spin. The real destabilizing impact is on domestic relations between governments and their public. Most of these governments are already in trouble over their IMF like economic policies. Now they can see their governments bow and facilitate US imperial interests down to the torture and war crimes level.
Well, whatever, I guess. The cables make for fascinating reading material. In a strange inversion. They reveal that the US State Dept, how can I put this? They know what's going on, and they know what is illegal, amoral, and completely inhumane about most of their policies, deals and activities. That's why the stuff is marked secret no/forn, etc.
What's disturbing is the state criminal mind at work. I mean they are better at their crimes than anything dreamed up by ordinary criminals. When another country's laws are not to US liking for whatever reason, the US tries to convince the other government to ignor them. The main diplomatic hurdle seems to be the very few honest people have to be leveraged in some way.
So far I read three interesting examples. The US got the Spanish judicial system to drop war crime investigations against US officials. The US got Germany to ignore its export permit restrictions on Erik Prince to fly heliocopters out of Germany, While Prince flew a round about route to the UK, then to Turkey via US CIA air frieght transport, in order to then get to Iraq. In the latest one I am reading the US is trying to get Russia to upgrade its laws against encryption technology that Intel wants.
Here is a sample with the Canadians complaining:
``¶1. (S/NF) Summary. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director Judd discussed domestic and foreign terror threats with Counselor of the State Department Cohen in Ottawa on July 2. Judd admitted that CSIS was increasingly distracted from its mission by legal challenges that could endanger foreign intelligence-sharing with Canadian agencies. He predicted that the upcoming release of a DVD of Guantanamo detainee and Canadian citizen Omar Khadr's interrogation by Canadian officials would lead to heightened pressure on the government to press for his return to Canada, which the government would continue to resist..
¶6. (C/NF) Judd commented that cherry-picked sections of the court-ordered release of a DVD of Guantanamo detainee and Canadian citizen Omar Khadr (ref D) would likely show three (Canadian) adults interrogating a kid who breaks down in tears. He observed that the images would no doubt trigger `knee-jerk anti-Americanism' and `paroxysms of moral outrage, a Canadian specialty,' as well as lead to a new round of heightened pressure on the government to press for Khadr's return to Canada. He predicted that PM Harper's government would nonetheless continue to resist this pressure.''
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2008/07/08OTTAWA918.html
It's pretty funning to read the official sarcasm over a state's own laws. At a guess, judges tend to get pissed off with scufflaws. What's really at stake here is the independence of the judiciary. Maybe judges don't care much for the people's interest, but I am pretty sure they value their own power.
Anyway for those who think these releases mean nothing, you should read a few and see.
CG