Showing posts with label WikiLeaks Julian Assange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WikiLeaks Julian Assange. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

WikiLeaks and the Mad House of Indian Politics

India must be grateful to Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks. But for the expose published in the Hindu, few of us would have realised the depths to which Indian politics has descended. Many of us knew that the corrupt, criminal dynsatic fascist Party, the Congress will try to buy the votes in order to survive the political crisis caused by the withdrawal of support by the Left. Afterall did not Narasimha Rao, in whose Cabinet Dr ManMohan Singh was the finance minister not survive the full 5 years by bribing the MPs. Only the JMM group in Parliament was procecuted for the crime and even that rather half heratedly.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/article1559476.ece?homepage=true

In the interview with the Hindu whose link I have provided here, Julian Assange has answered a range of questions. It is certain that he takes the Freedom of Expression extremely seriously. After the WikiLeaks bombshell it will be impossible for any one to claim that the Great Powers are motivated by the desire to protect Human Rights and Dinity. Just see what Obama is doing in Libya.
Only one Indian politician come out squeaky clean in the WikiLeaks episode. Hon'ble Narendar Modi, the Chief MInister of Gujarat did not cringe before the US officials who raised questions about alleged human rights violations in the post Godhra days. He rightly rebuked the diplomat by saying that the US record on human rights is virtually non existent. I think, India will certainly benefit from the like of Hon'ble Narendar Modi. He is a true patriot and he deserves our respect. I wonder why the US diplomats do not ask the Congress to account for its criminality in 1984. This itself shows that US is selective in its approach to Human Rights.

Julian Assange has exposed the corruption in Indian political life and he will certainly go down as the one single individual after Gandhi who has changed the course of Indian politics.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

WikiLeaks and the Freedom of Expression

One of the fundamental values that USA and the West propounded in its sustained campaign against the erstwhile USSR was the fact that dissent and freedom of expression is regarded as sacrosant in Western society. Now the fact that the Chinese dissedent who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year is regarded as a hero by large sections of world public opinion is a tribute to the propaganda machinery that worked overtime to impress upon the world that dissent is not tolerated in the People's Republic of China and all totalitarian regimes stifle dissent using state power and the administrrative machinery.

Now compare the plight of Julian Assange the whistle blower who has exposed a large number of US diplomatic cables on his website. I do not think that the US foreign policy has been in any way undermined by the disclosures made by WiliLeaks. On the contrary, the world has only learnt to appreciate US statecraft in a difficult period in international, affairs. The fact that the Sunnis of Saudi Arabia are edginmg the USA to bomb the Iranians does not come as a surprise to anyone as the Saudis are known for their duplicity and perfidy. The fact that Saudis are finacing terror networks wedded to the Sunni cause is again no great revalationmmas the we were aware of this all through. Yes, the fact that the Yemenis are willing to lie to their Parliament about the USA bombing and taking "credit" for using the airforce against their own people, came as a nig surprise even by the street smart logic of the Middle East. So far it was Israel which aws held up as the sole reason for all the unrest in the region. WikiLeaks has abundantly exposed the fact that the Sunni rtegimes of the region are also contributing in no small measure to the destablisation in the Middle East. Cynicism is OK provided it is backed by realpolitik.

Julian Assange has exposed the cables from the field and no more. Like the Pentagon Papers he has put into public domain certain facts and those facts in no way compromise the safety or security of USA. The US right wing aided by some Democrats like Joe Libberman want to impose limits on whitle blowing using the outdated Espionage Act which does not cover the situation being discussed. The US Government has issued a diorective that federal staff cannot even see the wikileak site and some Universities have even blocked access to the site. When the Chinese do such uncivilised things the cry goes up that dissent is not tolerated. Why practice double standards in such fundamental matters as freedom of expression. The USA has mounted a world wide campaign to cut off funding for the site. In what matter is this different from what the Chinese Government did vis a vis Google. Sweden has even filed a case of sexual,assault on Julian Assange. It seems for the USA public enemy number UNO is not OSAMA but Assange