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WIKILEAKS AND THE WORLDWIDE INFORMATION WAR WIKILEAKS AND THE WORLDWIDE INFORMATION WAR The recent release of the first batch of 250,000 US diplomatic cables leaked to WikiLeaks has provoked unparalleled global interest, both positive and negative and everywhere in between. One thing is certain: WikiLeaks is changing the status quo. here are those who accept what the WikiLeaks releases say at face value, largely due to the misrepresentation of the documents by the corporate-controlled news media. There are those who see the documents as authentic and simply in need of proper interpretation and analysis. Then there are those, many of whom are in the alternative media, who approach the leaks with caution and suspicion. There are those who simply cast the leaks aside as a "psy-op" designed to target specific nations that fit into US foreign policy objectives. Finally, then, there are those who deplore the leaks as "treason" or threatening "security". Of all the claims and notions, the last is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous. This essay aims to examine the nature of the WikiLeaks releases and how they should be approached and understood. If WikiLeaks is changing things, let's hope people will make sure that it changes things in the right direction. Media Propaganda against Iran: Taking the Cables at Face Value This perspective—taking the cables regarding Iran at face value—is perhaps the most propagated one, as it is largely influenced and undertaken by the mainstream corporate media which present the leaked diplomatic cables as "proof" of the media's take on major world issues—most notable among them, Iran's nuclear program. As per usual, the New York Times steps centre stage in its unbridled contempt for truth and relentless use of propaganda to serve US imperial interests, headlining articles with titles like "Around the World, Distress over Iran", which explained how Israel and the Arab leaders agree on Iran as a nuclear threat to the world, with the commentary in the article stating that "running beneath the cables is a belief among many leaders that unless the current government in Tehran falls, Iran will have a bomb sooner or later".! Fox News ran an article proclaiming that “Leaked Documents Show Middle East Consensus on Threat Posed by Iran", and commented that "the seismic document spill by WikiLeaks showed one area of profound agreement—that Iran is viewed in the Middle East as the region's No. | troublemaker"? This, it should be understood, is propaganda. Yet, we need to refine properly our understanding of propaganda in order to assess what is specifically propagandistic about these stories. While one should remain sceptical of sources and disinformation campaigns (as those who critically analyse the media have known take place time and time again), one must also consider the personal perspective of the source and decipher between authenticity and analysis. These documents, | truly believe, are authentic. In this sense, | do not adhere to the notion that these are a part of a psychological operation (psy-op) or propaganda effort in terms of the actual release of the documents. We must keep in mind that the sources for these cables are US diplomatic channels, and thus the statements within them reflect the perspectives and beliefs of US diplomatic personnel. The documents are an authentic representation of their © Global Research, Montreal, Canada, 6 December 2010 Web page: http://tinyurl.com/67hmpqp NEXUS ° 13 by Andrew Gavin Marshall FEBRUARY - MARCH 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com