The WikiLeaks may have serious impact but some were in public interest



As his wife fights the political firestorm provoked by the biggest release of diplomatic traffic in recent history, the former US president Bill Clinton has been speaking about their human cost. "I'll be very surprised if some people don't lose their lives," Mr Clinton said this week. "And goodness knows how many will lose their careers."

At least he is right about the second. There will be many diplomats and sources - many of them named - who will face difficult conversations about the revelations this week. Not many people could stand to see old messages they thought would remain private splashed across the front pages of newspapers.

In particular, the often blunt assessments of world leaders - Russia's Vladimir Putin is an "alpha-dog", while the Afghan president Hamid Karzai is "driven by paranoia" - may sting a bit and will cause some sheepish looks the next time American diplomats are hosted at dinners in those capitals. But as one Russian politician shrugged: "Reagan gave us a much harsher rating when he called our country 'the evil empire'". In the grand scheme of diplomacy, this is mere gossip. (That said, it would be interesting to read the cables in Moscow and elsewhere discussing US leaders. Indeed in an interview this week, the now-hunted founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, said he thought secretive countries such as China and Russia could benefit from more whistle-blowing.)

But are the leaks, as Mr Clinton and others have claimed, dangerous? Start with the quantity. WikiLeaks, a website that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously post material, has posted more than 250,000 diplomatic cables from 250 US embassies around the world and a number of newspapers, led by Britain's Guardian and The New York Times, had advance access and have published daily extracts all this week. There is so much material that most will be lost in the media cycle.

It is true that some of the cables were secret - but not very secret. The documents were on a US military internet system called Siprnet, designed to share information across government agencies. The Guardian estimated three million Americans were cleared to access such 'secret' information as far back as 1993. Since then the number must have increased significantly. (Even though some of the material was marked secret, that is still two rungs below the most confidential ranking of information.)

That explains how the junior soldier suspected of originating the leak could have accessed it. With so many millions of people around the world able to access this material, parts of it were bound to leak out. Much of the US's embarrassment and anger will be caused by not doing a better job guarding their private information. In particular, rival states that might wish to access more such information might see this as a valuable seam for further mining.

So some of the outrage from the US appears manufactured to remind its allies that they take this security breach seriously. But the document dump is embarrassing for America, as any equivalent release would be for most governments. For one thing, America's strong-arm tactics have been made plain, something Washington would probably prefer to keep hidden: we learn that the US had no qualms about threatening Armenia with serious sanctions because an arms shipment to Iran went via its territory, nor with pressuring the Pakistani government to make sure [the former president Pervez] "Musharraf should have a dignified retirement".

Worse, some of the information is not merely embarrassing but potentially illegal. The revelation that US diplomats were asked to spy on the leadership of the United Nations is deeply concerning and may violate international treaties. That Washington could ask its representatives to provide credit card numbers, e-mail addresses and - most concerning of all - "biographic and biometric information" on members on the UN Security Council crosses the line between diplomacy and espionage. The UN should be asking the US some hard questions.

Given all of that, should the information have been published? The answer, I would argue, is yes, some of it.

A revelation that the US asked its diplomats to gather intelligence is clearly in the public interest - Americans need to know what their government officials are doing in their names and with their taxes. Suggestions that millions of dollars are simply being flown out of Afghanistan are equally important. Even what seem minor pieces of gossip have democratic implications: revelations about Britain's Prince Andrew or Italy's prime minister matter because of how the diplomatic corps of a main ally see the country's elite.

There is even the chance it may reduce harm to people. In an interview, a New York Times reporter defended his paper's decision to publish by pointing out the elephant in the room of backstage decisions - that if the US public had better information, the chaos of Iraq might have been avoided. "Perhaps if we had more information on these secret internal deliberations of governments prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, we would have had a better understanding of the quality of the evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destructions," Scott Shane, a New York Times national security reporter, said.

In fact, the newspapers worked with US officials to minimise the potential impact.

The Guardian pointed out that it had given early warning to US officials of its intention to publish, along with the general subjects that would come up. US officials even went back and reviewed thousands of cables to highlight areas of concern and alert those around the world it considered relevant to warn. So it was hardly a shock.

Still, the scale of the revelations are unprecedented, even from a country like the United States that makes public a significant amount of government data. There is so much material that the media can only focus on fragments of it: historians will pore over this material for some time to come, although, given the paucity of bombshells, probably only as corroboration.

Previous WikiLeaks documents focusing on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contained potentially much more damaging information, even naming informants. But the Pentagon later admitted it had no evidence that anyone in Afghanistan had been harmed because of the leaks.

So it is likely Clinton is over-stating the case. It is possible that some people may be hurt as a consequence of these leaks, but not as a direct consequence. Perhaps he was influenced by his own experience with online whistle-blowing. It was only 12 years ago that a (then) little-known website called the Drudge Report reported rumours about the US president's affair with a White House intern. Then, as now, the consequences were extremely serious, but were clearly in the public interest, even if Clinton, then as now, disagrees.

Faisal al Yafai is a journalist. He is a Churchill Fellow for 2009-2010

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars

Age 26

Born May 17, 1991

Height 1.80 metres

Birthplace Sydney, Australia

Residence Eastbourne, England

Plays Right-handed

WTA titles 3

Prize money US$5,761,870 (Dh21,162,343.75)

Wins / losses 312 / 181

How to avoid crypto fraud
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

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Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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RESULTS

6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

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9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m

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Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

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Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

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Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport

Price, base: Dh5.1 million

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

MATCH INFO

Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:

Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4

Second leg:

Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm

HWJN
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A