Are you glad Wikileaks has made its Afghan war information public?
|
Monday, 7 July 2010
|18:00 - 19:00 GMT
The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel have published more than 92,000 secret military files from the website Wikileaks detailing the war in Afghanistan. The news has got you divided.
Scott on our Facebook page writes,
'To me, Wikileaks doesn't put out information for education's sake, but rather for media glitz and to spur unnecessary controversy.'
Siraj responds,
'They should be given Nobel Peace Prize,or an equivalent in the media industry for bringing out the true picture of Afghanistan!Kudos to them.' Twitters buzzing over the story. Sanderchan in the Netherlands calls it 'the greatest intelligence leak ever - Wikileaks, a game changer.'
Are you pleased you've been given this information, or like this foreign policy blog, do you think it's nothing new?
The White House has gone into damage control mode, calling the leak a threat to national security.
For Glenn Greenwald at Salon, Wikileaks is simply revolutionising news.
But Steven Aftergood, blogger at Secrecy News says,
"Wikileaks is not the solution to our secrecy problem -- that requires a change in our own policy -- but I think it can serve a useful purpose as long as it exercises a modicum of editorial responsibility."
Was Wikileaks right to release this information?
Your comments
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:59
113631290
Grace
I think these leaks are one of the best things to happen with the war. This reminds me of Vietnam, keeping things classified to hide defeat, rather than to actually protect troops, and I expect it will turn out like Vietnam as well. It's sad that America hasn't learned from its mistakes.
Comment sent via SMS
18:59
108601535
As a matter of interest, did these people demonstrate against the Russians when they were in Afghanistan? Eamonn in Kent.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:59
113631290
John
If we are to work toward a peaceful world and a future for our children we must divulge as much of this kind of information as possible and open things up for discussion. The vulgarity of so much military action around the world cannot continue. War is only good for a few by putting money in their pockets and their cronies and corporate interests in power at the expense of the innocent.
Comment sent via SMS
18:47
114011476
To make a judgement
D info has to be released 1st.
As a principle
Transparency is a cornerstone of West rhetoric !
Comment sent via SMS
18:47
113334884
I think this leak make a real bombshell because in the wilderness of Aphganistan, the rights watch are not working in difficult conditions. Vecheslav L. Russia
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:46
113631290
Gary
If the people at wikileaks were truly interested in presenting the war and its atrocities, where are the stories and numbers of deaths and casualties of civilians from the so called suicide bombers and road side bombs? They are not being honest with their stories or their true intentions.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:42
113631290
Noah
It is preposterous to say that this leak of our troops' actions will inspire greater hatred from the Afghans. They are the ones we've been bombing. Survivors talk, trucks arrive in bombed villages, etc. They all know this already, as anyone objective enough to inspect -all- news sources would know. WHAT HAS PUT OUR TROOPS IN HARM'S WAY IS A POLICY OF BOMBING VILLAGES.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:40
113631290
Lee in San Fransisco
I appreciate the broad spectrum of views offered on the 主播大秀. But let us be honest here; Mr. Gaffney is a relic of the Reagan era and toes the traditional 'party line' re national security is at risk. Please. Release of the Pentagon Papers did NOT compromise so called national security. The WikiLeaks information release is a public service and the worldwide public needs and deserves to know how taxpayer money is being spent. WikiLeaks deserves major praise.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:40
113631290
Mabel
Beware of the Trojan horse. Question the agenda and motives of the publisher of these document. As well as the person who leaked them. Releasing these documents is a despicable act.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:38
113631290
Bob in Seattle, US
The real question is: Is Obama's Empire too big to fail?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:36
113631290
Alex in Calgary, Canada
It is interesting how the reporting/leaks are all one-sided. Why is there so little talk about the civilian casualties caused by the Taliban? To top it all, the vociferous critics of the war have no solutions - just cries of outrage, even though their stated aims (end the war and bring the troops home) are the same.I happen to think the war in Iraq was wrong on all accounts. History will judge Bush and Blair harshly if it has not already done so. By contrast, the war in Afghanistan was necessary and must be won.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:36
113631290
WN, WI, USA
Thank goodness for WikiLeaks doing a great job. It is able to achieve what antiwar groups have not been able to do and turn the world against these wars. WikiLeaks is slowly but surely able to expose what this war really is-abject evil.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:31
113631290
Angela in Ohio
I absolutely agree that secrecy hurts democracy. And as tax payers funding this war, we as a country need to be informed about the true realities of war so we can make an informed decision when electing our government officials.
Comment sent via SMS
18:29
114309292
This will at least raise questions about the right way to document the actual happenings during a war. Nasiru Ibrahim 4rm Abuja Nigeria.
Comment sent via SMS
18:29
114418063
If 2500 american civilians were being killed yearly in this war (pregnant women, children playing in parks) would your guest say "well, thats still a low number me casualties compared to part wars" ?
Comment sent via Twitter
18:28
114027436
@主播大秀_WHYS The military always wants to say they are WINNING. ALWAYS. Any other take on their actions is treason. Bravo wikileaks
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:28
113631290
Chad Lupkes
This is another partisan debate. The fact that you have people on your program that believe that there is ANY military solution to Afghanistan is the biggest failure of all time. The only effective anti-insurgency program is democracy and development. Anything dealing with guns WILL FAIL.
Comment sent via Twitter
18:26
114104102
@主播大秀_WHYS For the Obama Admin to preach 'transparency' and 'openness' then whine when the truth is exposed is simply pathetic.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:26
113631290
Steve
Every war has have intelligence failures which cost lives this is nothing new, the leaks will only embolden the Taliban which does no one any good.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:26
113631290
JJ Jones
Where were all of these do gooders during the Vietnam War? I have never heard anyone from Iceland critisizing the Communist for its horrific massacre in Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Why is not Wikiliek investigating the communist in Cambodia? I do not support the war in any country but it is a dirty business. There are no clean wars.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:24
113631290
Chedondo in Johannesburg
It is always sad when innocent civilians die in a war, but there are ways of addressing those incidents and the press is not one of them. I imagine the people at Wikilieaks cherish their freedoms (as in freedom of speech). And while they admire their website's contents, maybe someone may point out to them one reason they have enjoyed those freedoms for so long is because many of their country folk have undertaken to put their lives in harm's way in their defense.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:19
113631290
Shanta:
The link between Pakistani intel and the Taliban has been long suspected. All these documents may add a graphic dimension to what is in some sense already known.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:18
113631290
Usman:
I just feel sorry for Wikileaks, their days are probably numbered.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:18
113631290
John:
Mainstream media in the U.S. has been completely subservient to the wishes of the Pentagon for years now, letting the government's version of events being the only narrative out there.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:18
113631290
Tim:
Wikileaks have "wiki" in their name, that alone encourages a healthy dose of caution about any information offered up.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:17
113631290
Nadene:
War is war and bad things happen. The public will never understand that and cannot be able to contextualise so many of these events, leading to greater misunderstandings.
Comment sent via host
17:59
113631290
We are live on air debating the leaked military intelligence documents - Are you glad this information is public?
Are you glad Wikileaks has made its Afghan war information public?
| Monday, 7 July 2010 | 18:00 - 19:00 GMT
The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel have published more than 92,000 secret military files from the website Wikileaks detailing the war in Afghanistan. The news has got you divided.
Scott on our Facebook page writes,
'To me, Wikileaks doesn't put out information for education's sake, but rather for media glitz and to spur unnecessary controversy.'
Siraj responds,
'They should be given Nobel Peace Prize,or an equivalent in the media industry for bringing out the true picture of Afghanistan!Kudos to them.'
Twitters buzzing over the story. Sanderchan in the Netherlands calls it 'the greatest intelligence leak ever - Wikileaks, a game changer.'
Are you pleased you've been given this information, or like this foreign policy blog, do you think it's nothing new?
The White House has gone into damage control mode, calling the leak a threat to national security.
For Glenn Greenwald at Salon, Wikileaks is simply revolutionising news.
But Steven Aftergood, blogger at Secrecy News says,
"Wikileaks is not the solution to our secrecy problem -- that requires a change in our own policy -- but I think it can serve a useful purpose as long as it exercises a modicum of editorial responsibility."
Was Wikileaks right to release this information?
Your comments
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Grace I think these leaks are one of the best things to happen with the war. This reminds me of Vietnam, keeping things classified to hide defeat, rather than to actually protect troops, and I expect it will turn out like Vietnam as well. It's sad that America hasn't learned from its mistakes.
Comment sent via SMS
As a matter of interest, did these people demonstrate against the Russians when they were in Afghanistan? Eamonn in Kent.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
John If we are to work toward a peaceful world and a future for our children we must divulge as much of this kind of information as possible and open things up for discussion. The vulgarity of so much military action around the world cannot continue. War is only good for a few by putting money in their pockets and their cronies and corporate interests in power at the expense of the innocent.
Comment sent via SMS
To make a judgement D info has to be released 1st. As a principle Transparency is a cornerstone of West rhetoric !
Comment sent via SMS
I think this leak make a real bombshell because in the wilderness of Aphganistan, the rights watch are not working in difficult conditions. Vecheslav L. Russia
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Gary If the people at wikileaks were truly interested in presenting the war and its atrocities, where are the stories and numbers of deaths and casualties of civilians from the so called suicide bombers and road side bombs? They are not being honest with their stories or their true intentions.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Noah It is preposterous to say that this leak of our troops' actions will inspire greater hatred from the Afghans. They are the ones we've been bombing. Survivors talk, trucks arrive in bombed villages, etc. They all know this already, as anyone objective enough to inspect -all- news sources would know. WHAT HAS PUT OUR TROOPS IN HARM'S WAY IS A POLICY OF BOMBING VILLAGES.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Lee in San Fransisco I appreciate the broad spectrum of views offered on the 主播大秀. But let us be honest here; Mr. Gaffney is a relic of the Reagan era and toes the traditional 'party line' re national security is at risk. Please. Release of the Pentagon Papers did NOT compromise so called national security. The WikiLeaks information release is a public service and the worldwide public needs and deserves to know how taxpayer money is being spent. WikiLeaks deserves major praise.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Mabel Beware of the Trojan horse. Question the agenda and motives of the publisher of these document. As well as the person who leaked them. Releasing these documents is a despicable act.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Bob in Seattle, US The real question is: Is Obama's Empire too big to fail?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Alex in Calgary, Canada It is interesting how the reporting/leaks are all one-sided. Why is there so little talk about the civilian casualties caused by the Taliban? To top it all, the vociferous critics of the war have no solutions - just cries of outrage, even though their stated aims (end the war and bring the troops home) are the same.I happen to think the war in Iraq was wrong on all accounts. History will judge Bush and Blair harshly if it has not already done so. By contrast, the war in Afghanistan was necessary and must be won.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
WN, WI, USA Thank goodness for WikiLeaks doing a great job. It is able to achieve what antiwar groups have not been able to do and turn the world against these wars. WikiLeaks is slowly but surely able to expose what this war really is-abject evil.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Angela in Ohio I absolutely agree that secrecy hurts democracy. And as tax payers funding this war, we as a country need to be informed about the true realities of war so we can make an informed decision when electing our government officials.
Comment sent via SMS
This will at least raise questions about the right way to document the actual happenings during a war. Nasiru Ibrahim 4rm Abuja Nigeria.
Comment sent via SMS
If 2500 american civilians were being killed yearly in this war (pregnant women, children playing in parks) would your guest say "well, thats still a low number me casualties compared to part wars" ?
Comment sent via Twitter
@主播大秀_WHYS The military always wants to say they are WINNING. ALWAYS. Any other take on their actions is treason. Bravo wikileaks
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Chad Lupkes This is another partisan debate. The fact that you have people on your program that believe that there is ANY military solution to Afghanistan is the biggest failure of all time. The only effective anti-insurgency program is democracy and development. Anything dealing with guns WILL FAIL.
Comment sent via Twitter
@主播大秀_WHYS For the Obama Admin to preach 'transparency' and 'openness' then whine when the truth is exposed is simply pathetic.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Steve Every war has have intelligence failures which cost lives this is nothing new, the leaks will only embolden the Taliban which does no one any good.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
JJ Jones Where were all of these do gooders during the Vietnam War? I have never heard anyone from Iceland critisizing the Communist for its horrific massacre in Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Why is not Wikiliek investigating the communist in Cambodia? I do not support the war in any country but it is a dirty business. There are no clean wars.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Chedondo in Johannesburg It is always sad when innocent civilians die in a war, but there are ways of addressing those incidents and the press is not one of them. I imagine the people at Wikilieaks cherish their freedoms (as in freedom of speech). And while they admire their website's contents, maybe someone may point out to them one reason they have enjoyed those freedoms for so long is because many of their country folk have undertaken to put their lives in harm's way in their defense.
Comment sent via Facebook
Shanta: The link between Pakistani intel and the Taliban has been long suspected. All these documents may add a graphic dimension to what is in some sense already known.
Comment sent via Facebook
Usman: I just feel sorry for Wikileaks, their days are probably numbered.
Comment sent via Facebook
John: Mainstream media in the U.S. has been completely subservient to the wishes of the Pentagon for years now, letting the government's version of events being the only narrative out there.
Comment sent via Facebook
Tim: Wikileaks have "wiki" in their name, that alone encourages a healthy dose of caution about any information offered up.
Comment sent via Facebook
Nadene: War is war and bad things happen. The public will never understand that and cannot be able to contextualise so many of these events, leading to greater misunderstandings.
Comment sent via host
We are live on air debating the leaked military intelligence documents - Are you glad this information is public?