The Real Losers of WikiLeaks

11:05 19/12/2010 - Πηγή: i-Reporter

By Couloumbis, Ahlstrom & Weaver

The WikiLeaks stakes are arguably great: On one side are the advocates of freedom of information in democratic societies; on the other are those focused on national security. Regardless of the merits and demerits of each side, those who will most regret this massive flood of classified cables are - historians and diplomats!

Historians will

be frustrated because they are used to mining government archives 30-or-more years after an event, when all are safely out of power or dead, to find nuggets and synthesize a “novel” view based on multiple perspectives and primary source material so that history can be rewritten by the insertion of “new information” to the mosaic of prior work.

Diplomats will henceforth think twice about using adjectives or speculating on private motives and shady practices of state leaders. Their tendency will be to assume that confidentiality is no longer assured, and they will have to abide by a modi