Watching cables

Much was expected from the giant cache of US state department cables that has been dumped into the public domain by the crusading website WikiLeaks. Perhaps too much; there is a mystique associated with the diplomatic telegram that is,perhaps,outdated. For those hoping for a treasure trove of gossip,and even the occasional belly laugh,the telegrams will not disappoint. Who wouldnt be intrigued by the Saudi dismissal of Pakistani President Zardari,or the claim that Italian PM Berlusconi operates at less-than-peak ability because he is sleep-deprived from too much partying? And the long,colourful description of a wedding in the Caucasus province of Dagestan is well worth reading. But,beyond that,there are few real surprises here. Partly,this is because these are not the most confidential of communications; they arent classified most secret. In the main,they are best described as third- and fourth-tier intelligence; this means that they will already have been seen,perhaps by almost three million people,and any interesting insights or facts will have percolated into the public domain. And,as is so often the case with leaks,much of it is simply gossip being passed on,in case something rings a bell somewhere. Whether theyre genuinely embarrassing,even,for the United States,is questionable. Secretary of State Hillary Clintons response,while harsh the leak puts peoples lives in danger,threatens our national security and undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems, nonetheless has overtones of relief.Indeed,the interesting point is that there is so little new here. It isnt a surprise that Arab countries distrust the Iranian nuclear programme; the mainstream media has told us. Or that Russian President Medvedev gets his decisions approved by Prime Minister Putin,or that Turkey didnt invite India to a conference about Afghanistan to keep Pakistan happy. It appears that the mainstream medias been doing its job,keeping us informed. WikiLeaks is not journalism; the practice of journalism requires clarification,context,fact-checking. But theres another thought: we live in the age of leaks. Diplomacy thrives on two-facedness,on smiling in public and snarling in private. If youre never sure when the private will become public,how will diplomacy change?