Translated material
Terrorist attack against diplomacy
Published documents threaten to embroil the United States with the whole world
The main world sensation yesterday was the publication of confidential documents of American diplomacy on the WikiLeaks website. US ties with almost all significant players in the international arena have come under attack. The fact of a large-scale leak made us think about how viable diplomacy is in general in the era of the information society. After all, this area of activity is traditionally based on the confidentiality of information and mutual trust of those negotiating sensitive issues of bilateral and multilateral relations.The WikiLeaks website has established itself as a troublemaker in modern world politics. In July of this year, he published materials on the actions of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, and in October - on events in Iraq. These publications invariably provoked a sharp reaction from the American State Department and became the reason for the prosecution of both individuals suspected of transmitting confidential information and for bringing charges against the founder of the site, Australian Julian Assange.
However, most experts admit that all previous revelations of the WikiLeaks website pale in comparison to the materials that were made public on Sunday. 250 thousand units of official correspondence between US embassies abroad and the State Department appeared on the site. All this correspondence was intended exclusively for official use; many messages were classified as “secret”.
The released documents contain statements that could spoil the atmosphere of communication between Washington and Moscow. Thus, according to American diplomats, Russian intelligence services use the bosses of the “Russian mafia” to conduct secret operations. One report claimed that Russia had effectively become a "mafia state." Particular attention has been drawn to the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which has been described as too close. The gifts that the two leaders give each other are called “too luxurious”, it is argued that this is precisely what determines the lucrative contracts in the energy sector that were signed between the two countries.
Several documents relate to American interference in military-technical transactions between Russia and third countries. According to publications, in February 2010, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed concern about the possible sale of French Mistral amphibious helicopter carriers to Russia. He explained in a conversation with his French colleague Hervé Morin that the United States is not afraid of the military consequences of the deal, but they are worried about the reaction of the leaders of Eastern European countries, “who still look at Russia with fear and do not know how much they can trust the West.”
And in 2009, Russia offered Israel a billion dollars for technologies for the production of modern unmanned aerial vehicles and, in addition to this, proposed to cancel the deal to supply S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran . The possibility of such an exchange is mentioned in a dispatch sent by US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs Ellen Tauscher after her meeting with the Director of the Political-Military Department of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Amos Gilad. However, he told the American that “Israel will not supply Russia with its most modern technology, since it will immediately end up in the hands of China.”
In addition, the published correspondence contains assessments of the personal qualities of state leaders. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been described as "driven by paranoia", German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been described as "risk-averse and rarely creative", and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been compared to Hitler. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been called the “alpha male.” In 2008, the US Embassy in Moscow compared Vladimir Putin to Batman, and Dmitry Medvedev to Robin. These are the heroes of the 1997 Hollywood action movie, in which a young and less experienced student, Robin, appears next to the superhero Batman. The press secretary of the Russian President, Natalya Timakova, has already stated that the Kremlin “did not find anything interesting or worthy of comment in the materials published on the WikiLeaks website.” According to her, “fictional Hollywood characters hardly need commentary.”
However, scandalous revelations and formulations concern many countries. For example, American diplomatic correspondence claims that Washington and London expressed serious concerns that nuclear materials in Pakistan could end up in the hands of unscrupulous officials. Those, in conditions of crisis and economic collapse threatening the country, can secretly transport these materials abroad, as a result of which they will end up in the hands of international terrorists. As for the situation in Afghanistan, the level of corruption in this country was assessed as very high. One report sent to Washington said that Afghan Vice President Zia Massoud had taken $52 million in cash out of the country on a visit to the United Arab Emirates. Other documents identify donors from Saudi Arabia as the main financiers of international terrorist groups, revealing details of how the leadership of Saudi Arabia, other Arab states and Israel persuaded the United States to strike Iran before it could acquire nuclear weapons.
The WikiLeaks whistleblowers wanted to show that the US Foreign Service had become an intelligence-gathering network about the countries in which American diplomats worked. But this is precisely where there is no sensation. The diplomatic services of almost any state, among other things, are busy collecting sensitive information about the host country, and often serve as a screen for the activities of intelligence services. But the essence of diplomatic work is to ensure that sensitive information remains closed to the general public - otherwise it is impossible to ensure even the most minimal level of trust in negotiations.
Therefore, the reaction of officials to the WikiLeaks publication in various countries was clearly negative. The US State Department said in a statement: “Releasing information like this puts our diplomats, intelligence officials and those around the world at risk who help the United States advance democracy and openness. By disclosing the stolen documents, WikiLeaks is putting at risk not only human rights, but also the lives of these people.” An official representative of the British Foreign Office noted: “We condemn any unauthorized publication of proprietary information. This jeopardizes national security issues and threatens the lives of specific people. Our relationship with the US government is very strong and will remain so.” Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini directly called the WikiLeaks publication “a terrorist attack against diplomacy akin to the September 11 attacks” and “a product of criminal activity.”
Chairman of the Board of the Center for Political Technologies Boris Makarenko told Vremya Novostey: “Much of what made it to the front pages makes you wonder: whose game is this? Among the information that raises doubts, I would include the message about the Russian-Israeli trade “drones in exchange for the S-300.” The expert noted: “If further developments follow a favorable scenario, then the Foreign Ministries of all countries will try to minimize the damage and not attach too much importance to this information. But if one of the countries perceives the publication as an insult to the state, then events could go according to a bad scenario. Obviously, in the Internet era, the cost of such leaks increases many times; this problem is huge and has no clear solution.”
Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy Sergei Karaganov is even more harsh in his assessments. “Publishing such materials is immoral,” he said in an interview with VN. - It undermines trust, increases the conflict-generating element in interstate relations and threatens the lives of people working in this area. This is a kind of terrorism directed against modern society. Secret diplomacy, among other things, aims to prevent conflicts. And this publication could lead, for example, to a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The damage done to international diplomacy is enormous. A new reality is being created. It is possible that, in order to preserve confidential information, diplomatic services will return to the practice of transporting correspondence in suitcases.”