Source:Ron Deibert, The New York Times
The venomous furor surrounding WikiLeaks, including charges of “terrorism” and calls for the assassination of Julian Assange, has to rank as one of the biggest temper tantrums in recent years. Granted, it must be frustrating for U.S. government officials and others to see thousands of secret cables splashed across the globe. But stamping feet and lashing out at Assange is simply misdirected anger.
When Assange said that from now on geopolitics would be divided into pre- and post-Cablegate eras, he hit upon something important, but missed the bull’s-eye by overestimating his own organization’s impact on history. We have indeed entered a new era, but not because of WikiLeaks, which is only a symptom of a much larger trend.