The biggest story in the world right now is the ramifications of the Egyptian uprisings. Al-Jazeera English has been a beacon of reporting and insights over the last weeks (and indeed, leaves every other global news network for dead because it understands the world isn’t simply about what London or Washington thinks or wants). I…
Wikileaks
Wikileaks is one of the biggest and most important stories in the world, challenging governments and journalists alike. I’ve been writing extensively about the group since 2006, featured an exclusive interview in 2008 with founder Julian Assange and examined the myriad of issues around the website. Assange himself asked me in the early days whether I wanted to be on the group’s board to vet incoming leaks and determine their veracity before publishing. I agreed but unfortunately this never eventuated.
New Assange interview on Australian TV
Here’s the interview on SBS Dateline just aired in Australia. And here’s the gist of what Julian Assange said: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says the whistleblowing website’s influence on events in Tunisia was the “example” for the political upheaval in Egypt. The material leaked by WikiLeaks which was then published through a Lebanese newspaper, Al…
New Wikileaks cable; US pledged to help human rights in Egypt
Of course, funding a brutal dictator such as Mubarak to the tune of billions of dollars annually rather contradicts this easy pledge. An early 2010 cable: CLASSIFIED BY: Margaret Scobey, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) …¶1. Key Points: — (C) In meetings January 13-14, A/S Posner told activists and opposition politicians that the U.S. is seeking…
So that’s what being a good Western ally means
This is what bribing allies does for you; false promises that can’t be kept and undermining democracy (which is, of course, exactly what Israel wants): Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman promised Israel in 2005 that he would prevent Hamas from gaining control over Gaza, according to a US diplomatic cable released on Friday. According to…
A little taste of what kind of democracy Egypt deserves
My following analysis appears on ABC Unleashed/The Drum today: An Egyptian blogger displayed characteristic humour when news broke overnight that president Hosni Mubarak would not be stepping down: Mubarak (n.): a psychotic ex-girlfriend who fails 2 understand it’s over. If Mubarak and his new deputy Omar Suleiman thought their speeches would placate the protesters, they…
Wikileaks shows inept US trying to change Iran
Memo to Washington: your credibility over Iran would be massively higher if you told client state Israel to stop claiming Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the second coming of Hitler: WikiLeaks has worked its magic again, illuminating US efforts to promote change in Iran – and explaining recent goings-on at Durham University. Its proposals for exchanges with…
Wikileaks: Not all leaks are created equal
My following essay appears today in Online Opinion: The Obama administration is pursuing Wikileaks and its Australian founder Julian Assange for alleged criminal activity in releasing classified documents. The US Department of Justice has ordered Twitter to hand over private messages sent by parties close to Wikileaks and the whistle-blower website says that even the…
The fallacy of “moderate” Middle East client states
This is what happens when Washington (and the West) gets into bed with fundamentalist misogynists. Israel calls Saudi Arabia “moderate” because it seemingly tolerates Zionist occupation: The US fears that Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, may not have enough reserves to prevent oil prices escalating, confidential cables from its embassy in Riyadh…
Wikileaks; Israel and Egypt making sweet love over torture table
Thank you, Wikileaks (yet again). The West (essentially America) approves of a “transition” in Egypt to another thug, Omar Suleiman. How very nice of them. And now this: The new vice-president of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is a long-standing favourite of Israel’s who spoke daily to the Tel Aviv government via a secret “hotline” to Cairo,…
Wikileaks cables on Sri Lanka and its merry ways
Anybody who examines the situation in Sri Lanka can’t ignore the human rights abuses committed by the Tamil Tigers: India expressed its concern about the Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka and the way the LTTE used civilians as human shields in 2009, the latest WikiLeaks cable revealed. The cable said that during a meeting…