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Yup. I can't think of someone more influential this year than Julian Assange.
Can't see how Assange was really influential? Sure he exposed a lot of documents and made a sensation but no real broad or lasting impact detectable.
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Can't see how Assange was really influential? Sure he exposed a lot of documents and made a sensation but no real broad or lasting impact detectable.
Pretty sure it was the impact he made on the broad that got him thrown in the slammer
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Can't see how Assange was really influential? Sure he exposed a lot of documents and made a sensation but no real broad or lasting impact detectable.
I think the idea is that he opened the door to a new kind of democracy, the democracy of an instantly-connected always-on world. The old ways of hiding and lying won't work anymore, and Wikileaks is showing us why. There are already dozens of imitators hoping to be the next martyr for the cause.I just wish he had done it over something that we could get fired up about, not "Hillary thinks the diplomat from Zangladeshia is a poopyhead".
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I think the idea is that he opened the door to a new kind of democracy, the democracy of an instantly-connected always-on world. The old ways of hiding and lying won't work anymore, and Wikileaks is showing us why. There are already dozens of imitators hoping to be the next martyr for the cause.I just wish he had done it over something that we could get fired up about, not "Hillary thinks the diplomat from Zangladeshia is a poopyhead".
Yes but in diplomacy and negotiation it's a lot like poker, you can't show your hole cards.
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Yes but in diplomacy and negotiation it's a lot like poker, you can't show your hole cards.
In the world, we should be treating this as an opportunity to find win-win situations. If we are working from the premise that we need to defeat someone to improve our own situation, then our policy is fundamentally flawed, and if Wikileaks helps change that, it will have performed a fundamental service for the world.
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In the world, we should be treating this as an opportunity to find win-win situations. If we are working from the premise that we need to defeat someone to improve our own situation, then our policy is fundamentally flawed, and if Wikileaks helps change that, it will have performed a fundamental service for the world.
I don't want our state department looking at how they should compromise X to help some other country. Their job is to protect the interest of the USA.To act otherwise is not realistic.And there are a lot of countries I am totally fine with us having a "let's have job one be their demise" attitude.China is not going to leave Taiwan alone because the US wants to get along, they are going to leave Taiwan alone because the US will blow their stuff up if they invade.
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I don't want our state department looking at how they should compromise X to help some other country. Their job is to protect the interest of the USA.To act otherwise is not realistic.And there are a lot of countries I am totally fine with us having a "let's have job one be their demise" attitude.China is not going to leave Taiwan alone because the US wants to get along, they are going to leave Taiwan alone because the US will blow their stuff up if they invade.
But our strategy with them is not secret. If someone refuses to be friendly, our strategy is clear: we don't cooperate unless you do.If they are friendly, we should have no need for secrets.The only time we need secrets are for intelligence work and when we are actively in hostilities.
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But our strategy with them is not secret. If someone refuses to be friendly, our strategy is clear: we don't cooperate unless you do.If they are friendly, we should have no need for secrets.The only time we need secrets are for intelligence work and when we are actively in hostilities.
Being secret about our preference to Israel over every arab country is not really a secret though.We all know that in diplomacy, you have to say things untrue to allow others to save face with their own populace.I would like to think that England and Australia get the straight scoop from us, but I think it isn't necessary for them to get all our truths.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Pretty heroic really.
I mean, I don't mean to be needlessly cynical, but no, it wasn't really "heroic." Sure, they went through a horrible experience and we're all extremely happy that they made it through all right. But heroism implies that someone went out of their way, possibly at great expense to himself or by purposely putting himself in danger, to help others. These people simply survived. The most heroic thing they did was not to die.Again, I don't mean to lessen how happy people should feel about their having survived.
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Also: I didn't sleep last night, so my brain isn't functioning on any "level" higher than the first, most basic level. So, the following things will be lost on me today:ironysarcasminnuendoreverse psychologyIf this fact makes me look stupid, then so be it.

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Also: I didn't sleep last night, so my brain isn't functioning on any "level" higher than the first, most basic level. So, the following things will be lost on me today:ironysarcasminnuendoreverse psychologyIf this fact makes me look stupid, then so be it.
This is ironic because I also..followed the sausage if you will.
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