Swept up and away
The release of all the leaked embassy cables marks both the end of WikiLeaks and the beginning of an era
IF CYBERSPACE had air, it would be thick with recriminations. Thanks to a series of slips compounded by warring whistle-blowing egos, an entire trove of 251,000 purloined American diplomatic cables has been published online. The result may be fatal for WikiLeaks, as well as embarrassingly revealing governments' misdeeds, mishaps, evasions and cover-ups. One cable has allegations that American troops executed an Iraqi family, including five small children, in 2006. (The government in Baghdad has reopened an investigation.) Another questions the long-term safety of China's nuclear-power plans. In a third, a Bulgarian minister admits to misleading environmentalists about legislation on genetically modified crops.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Swept up and away”
International September 10th 2011
From the September 10th 2011 edition
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