State Secrets in the Wake of Wikileaks

This is a very delicate issue and one that caught the world and the international community off guard. Julian Assange, the head of Wikileaks, a non profit website, caused the release and publication of tons of classified cables of the United States state department. The scale and scope of state secrets which are out in the open from about 250,000 documents are massive and involve various embassies from around the world. 

Already, citizen journalists and the press have many monickers for Julian Assange : an internet activist, an anarchist, a high tech terrorist, or an advocate of transparency and truth. A warrant of arrest for sexual charges has been issued against Julian Assange by Sweden a day after the publication of the classified information.

The kind of data that are out in the open are the stuff of foreign policy experts and probably also by journalists who have been keen on geopolitics and international affairs. It has been reported that the classified data are raw as published by Wikileaks and without analysis and with no particular stories. Having worked with the military establishment in my younger days, I kind of understand the importance of classified data for security reasons and negotiations and national interests. 

Before our privacy was invaded by the almighty electronic age, we had such a thing as confidential information. In legal parlance, we called these privileged communications and no court of law can compel us to divulge information without our consent. Examples of these are the communication between husband and wife, between lawyers and clients, between doctors and patients, between priests and confessing laity, and communications by public officials in the course of duty when the public interests are compromised.

The art of geopolitics and foreign policy have always been governed by diplomacy and state self interests. To arrive at a foreign policy or public policy, the homework and preparation of diplomats consist of intelligence gathering. It is said that the consultative processes, the diplomatic overtures and being sociable at official functions are only part of the work. A great amount of truth telling to home countries and confidentiality processes and tasks are needed to make our world secure and safe.

Anyway, as initially reported, some examples of confidential information (some of these are actually public knowledge) that have been highlighted in the publication by Wikileaks are about countries which have nuclear power and the fear of neighboring states which have enlisted help to neutralize these nuclear powers, countries funding rebels and terrorists, list of important installations in various sites around the world, etc.

Certainly, our world is drastically changed by this incident and there are many lessons learned from this mess. This incident dramatizes a gap in foreign policy. One major damage, according to a pundit, is the loss of confidentiality needed to conduct foreign affairs.

 How do we handle TMI? (Too Much Information) Is there too much sharing of confidential information in unsecured communication technology? When we hold vital information, we should make sure to protect lives and our sources. Confidential information should lead to world peace instead of world war.

In the future, foreign policy experts will be very careful about what kind of information about a country or its public officials will be sent through the cables. Most of all, amendments of laws to address confidentiality and foreign policy are very much indicated. In sociology, this is cultural lag. Our material diplomatic practices and ways of doing things are not at pace with information technology and secured communication. We have as yet to build rules around geopolitics and information technology.

 There is so much catching up to do in terms of laws, policies to protect the lives of those heroes in the frontlines of diplomacy who are making our world safe; and as well, there is catching up to do with penal sanctions for violations of privacy, privileged communication and state security. And all these must be interfaced and balanced with our freedom of expression and our right to information.