NZZ am Sonntag, Switzerland

Global Times, People's Republic of China

WikiLeaks Highlights China's Need for 'Information Defense'

What's the lesson of WikiLeaks' unprecedented release of classified U.S. diplomatic communications? Beyond the question of whether the U.S. is really behind the leak, this editorial from China's state-run Global Times asserts that if such a leak were to strike a country like China, it would 'severely damage social stability', as it would be 'unable to handle the release of so much sensitive data.'

EDITORIAL

December 1, 2010

People's Republic of China - Global Times - Original Article (English)

WikiLeaks, a Sweden-based Internet company, has been showered with attention since exposing even more highly confidential material on U.S. diplomacy with other countries.

Embarrassing the world's most powerful country appears to have brought WikiLeaks praise and applause. But when one takes a closer look at the Web site, questions are raised. How long such a site, which is committed to whistle-blowing on the U.S. government, be tolerated?

Since this summer, WikiLeaks has embarrassed Uncle Sam several times. In July it released some 90,000 documents on the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. This week, and additional 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables were made public, creating a "9/11 of world diplomacy."

It's worth noticing that most of the material that has been exposed is sensational in nature. Yet the negative effects of releasing this information can fairly easily be mitigated with some remedial work.

The U.S. State Department has condemned the WikiLeaks release, which only seems to have raised the site's credibility. WikiLeaks claims that it has a large number of volunteers working around the world with access to confidential information. The powerful and ubiquitous Central Intelligence Agency has been unable to identify the source of the sudden leak of diplomatic secrets. All of this sounds more-or-less unconvincing. Despite his high public profile, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is still on the run.

SEE ALSO ON THIS:

FAZ, Germany: Ahmadinejad's Chief-of-Staff Calls WikiLeaks Cables 'Lies'

Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudis Ask: Who Benefitted from WikiLeaks Disclosure?

Guardian, U.K.: Cables Portray Saudi Arabia as a Cash Machine for Terrorists

El Pais, Spain: Cables Expose Nuance of U.S. Displeasure with Spain Government

El Pais, Spain: Thanks to WikiLeaks' Disclosure, Classical Diplomacy is Dead

Guardian, U.K.: Saudi Arabia Urges U.S. Attack on Iran

Hurriyet, Turkey: Erdogan Needs 'Anger Management' Over U.S. Cables

Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia: WikiLeaks Reveals 'Feeling, Flawed' Human Beings

Frontier Post, Pakistan: WikiLeaks Reveals 'America's Dark Face' to the World

The Nation: WikiLeaks' Release: An Invaluable Exposure of American Hypocrisy

Buenos Aires Herald, Argentina: Without Hypocrisy, Global Ties Would Be Chaos

Kayhan, Iran: WikiLeaks Release a 'U.S. Plot to Sow Discord'

El Universal, Mexico: WikiLeaks and Mexico's Battle Against Drug Trafficking

Toronto Star, Canada: WikiLeaks Dump Reveals Seamy Side of Diplomacy

Guardian, U.K.: WikiLeaks Cables, Day 3: Summary of Today's Key Points

Guardian, U.K.: Leaked Cables Reveal China is 'Ready to Abandon' North Korea

Hurriyet, Turkey: American Cables Prove Turkish Claims on Missile Defense False

The Nation, Pakistan: WikiLeaks: An Invaluable Exposure of American Hypocrisy

Kayhan, Iran: WikiLeaks Revelations a 'U.S. Intelligence Operation': Ahmadinejad

Novosti, Russia: 'Russia Will be Guided by Actions, Not Leaked Secrets'

Guardian, U.K.: Job of Media is Not to Protect Powerful from Embarrassment

ANSA, Italy: Wikileaks: 'No Wild Parties' Says Berlusconi

Is there some tacit understanding between the Web site and the U.S. government? This may be a question worth asking. And what does it mean to other nations that are on WikiLeaks' radar screen?   

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

If given carte blanche to do so, once WikiLeaks sets its sights on other countries, the fallout could be extreme. Leaked information could severely damage the social stability of nations which are unable to handle the release of so much sensitive data.

As it is, every country is engulfed by an information tsunami and the capacity of countries to control and absorb it varies. At the moment, developed countries, particularly the United States, dominate the global flow of information.

Countries like China, despite their rising status in the information world, must have a line of defense against hurtful information campaigns.