How leaks could undercut diplomacy
The cache of secret State Department cables exposes the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy in Washington and around the world. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the leak erodes trust among nations, but she is "confident" that U.S. partnerships would withstand the challenges posed by the revelations. Here is a look at statements made about selected countries and leaders.
Russia
What the cables said
A U.S. diplomat in Moscow discussed the relationship between President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a late 2008 cable, saying Medvedev “plays Robin to Putin's Batman.” Another cable called Putin the “alpha dog.”
the reaction
The Kremlin responded coolly, dismissing any need to comment on “fictional Hollywood characters” in the Batman-and-Robin analogy. But Russian commentators said Putin would probably be flattered and that Russians do not need WikiLeaks to tell them Putin is the top dog.
France
What the cables said
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is described as “thin-skinned and authoritarian,” with a tendency to rebuke his subordinates and the French prime minister. A top Sarkozy aide on national security, Jean-David Levitte, is quoted as saying Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is “crazy” and is turning one of Latin America's richest countries into “another Zimbabwe.” Levitte also describes Iran's government as “fascist.”
the reaction
The French Foreign Ministry called the leaks “irresponsible” and said they jeopardize international relations and people's safety. But it refused to confirm that French authorities made any of the comments attributed to them.
Germany
What the cables said
A March 2009 cable to President Obama before his bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel described her as “methodical, rational, and pragmatic” but suffering from a crisis in leadership. It said that “when cornered, Merkel can be tenacious but is risk averse and rarely creative. This suggests she will remain a very circumspect Ally until the election.”
the reaction
Merkel's spokesman, Steffan Seibert, said Berlin regrets the leaks because they could endanger Western interests in the Middle East and elsewhere. But he said the revelations will have little impact on U.S.-German relations despite comments painting Merkel as an uninspired leader.
Iran
What the cables said
Neighboring Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, fear that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons and want the United States to take action to stop that program.
the reaction
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad charged that the documents were deliberately leaked by the United States as part of “an intelligence game, a propaganda war,” and said Iran would not “fall in this trap.” But the leaks appeared likely to increase tensions between Iran and its Persian Gulf neighbors.
Iraq
What the cables said
One cable from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad describes how Iran is “arguably the most influential regional power seeking to shape and influence the outcome of Iraq's [parliamentary] election,” and warns against the type of coalition that is currently working to form the Iraqi government.
the reaction
Iraq's foreign minister said the leaks have “poisoned” delicate efforts to form a new coalition government. Before the release, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said a leak would be an “awful impediment to my business, which is to be able to have discussions in confidence with people.”
Israel
What the cables said
In meetings with congressional delegations, Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, estimated that there was a window between six and 18 months “in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable,” and after that, “any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage.”
the reaction
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel was not harmed by the leaks. He said the disclosures proved that Arab states privately share its concerns about the Iranian nuclear program, and he expressed hope that the revelations could build momentum for action.
Saudi Arabia
What the cables said
Saudi King Abdullah is quoted as calling Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister of neighboring Iraq, a “liar” and saying he would never support him. Abdullah also wants the United States to “cut off the head of the snake” in Iran, apparently by attacking Tehran's nuclear program. A senior Saudi official warns that Arab states would develop their own nuclear weapons if Iran acquired atomic bombs.
the reaction
Saudi officials have not commented publicly, but the leaks in part reflect fears that a more powerful, Shiite-ruled Iran could stir unrest among Shiite minorities in the region's Sunni-led sheikdoms. While U.S. military action against Iran could be tremendously destablizing, it could benefit Saudi Arabia and other oil producers in the short term by driving crude prices sky high.
Afghanistan
What the cables said
One cable describes Afghan President Hamid Karzai as “extremely weak,” paranoid and “easily swayed” by those who reported bizarre stories or plots against him. Another says his half brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, the main power broker in Kandahar province, “is widely understood to be corrupt and a narcotics trafficker.”
the reaction
The Afghan government called the leaks “unfortunate” but noted that the U.S. criticism has been reported previously. A presidential spokesman said the documents held no surprises and that “we don't see anything substantive that will strain the relationship", with the United States.
Pakistan
What the cables said
A cable from 2009 describes failed efforts by U.S. officials to remove highly enriched uranium from Pakistan because of the poor perception of the United States in the country. A 1999 cable complained that Osama bin Laden is “an Islamic hero because the U.S. has named him 'public enemy number one.'”
the reaction
Pakistan decried the release and challenged the accuracy of some of the cables. A senior Pakistani official said the revelation of the diplomatic cables “will only feed further paranoia” about U.S. designs in Pakistan.
North Korea
What the cables said
North Korea is accused of shipping 19 advanced missiles to Iran, potentially giving the Islamic Republic the ability to hit cities in Western Europe. Pyongyang also has been sending missile components to Iran through China, but Beijing has apparently dragged its feet in responding to U.S. requests to stop the illicit arms trafficking. U.S. and South Korean officials have discussed the prospects of a North Korean collapse and reunification with South Korea.
the reaction
The leaks could complicate the already dim prospects of renewing talks with North Korea and fuel the rising tensions between North and South, while contributing to calls for increased Chinese action to rein in North Korea.
A breakdown of the 251,287 diplomatic cables
The documents date to 1966, though most were written in the past few years and some as recently as February. A look at the cables sent by the State Department and U.S. diplomatic missions, based on WikiLeaks' analysis.
Where the cables came from
Which countries they mentioned
Top 10 countries mentioned in the cables, by number of mentions
What they talked about
Top 10 topics discussed in the cables, by number of mentions
Anatomy of the leak
How WikiLeaks released the confidential documents into the public domain:
AUGUST
WikiLeaks provided four foreign news organizations with access to tens of thousands of secret State Department cables. The cache was allegedly given to them by a U.S. Army private. While the New York Times was given access to previous troves, WikiLeaks snubs the paper this go around, possibly over an unflattering profile of founder Julian Assange.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Britain's Guardian newspaper quietly passed the Times the raw material. The Times agreed to coordinate
the release of its stories
about the cables with
the Guardian and the three
other news organizations.
NOV.28: THE RELEASE
The five news organizations
began publishing articles based on the
trove of documents.
For the general public, WikiLeaks published some 20 cables on its site, in the first of what will be many releases over several months. By Tuesday, WikiLeaks had released 294 cables, just 0.1% of the total number of documents.
posted by Hanan Elbadry at 3:34 PM
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