This is the first of a two-part report from Richard Bilton at BBC Ireland on the Wikileaks release of the US Diplomatic Cables and the effects that had on America and its allies worldwide.
The report itself is far better than nearly any other mainstream report I have seen as it focuses almost entirely on the materials released and the effects they had, rather than on the personalities involved in the story.
In the first part we hear from various people who were affected by the revelations, be they sympathetic, or antoganistic to the release. We see John Bolton call for the execution of Bradley Manning and hear from many others in the US Govt. or its agencies who were angered by the release.
But we also hear from activists in the Middle East and how the leak helped galvanize the Arab Spring, and bring revolutionary actions to the streets when they realised the US didn’t fully back their oppressive regimes.
We also find out that the US asked its diplomats to spy on their allies and enemies alike, and what the US really thinks about its allies in various parts of the world, and how the stark reporting goes back to the intelligence agencies and government.
All of this throws invaluable light of course on the US establishment and how it operates in the world. A light very unwelcome to the establishment itself, but abosultely necessary if we are to understand the way a superpower operates in the world.
