The Childish Trend of Anti-Americanism
Published in Polityka
(Poland) on 22 October 2015
by Marek Ostrowski (link to original)
(Poland) on 22 October 2015
by Marek Ostrowski (link to original)
Translated from
by Justyna Demuth.
Edited by Rachel Pott.
WikiLeaks has published data about the CIA director. Why not about the KGB chairman?
WikiLeaks has been harming America by revealing its secrets, while making no effort to discredit Russia and the Kremlin. It is not all the same for Poland.
The WikiLeaks website, which has published hundreds of thousands of American government documents, has also released CIA Director John Brennan’s detailed clearance questionnaire from when Brennan had access to highly sensitive U.S. data. The questionnaire includes information on Brennan’s family, friends and co-workers. WikiLeaks announced that the content of Brennan’s personal email account would be published as well.
This attempt to spite U.S. intelligence is suspicious and necessitates a closer look at the website, its activity and its creator, Julian Assange, who has been hiding in Ecuador’s London embassy for the last three years. There is no doubt that thanks to Assange, who revealed numerous hideous practices by U.S. intelligence, the improper actions of the U.S. government have been exposed. The question is, though, whether such a perturbing way of doing it was a better option than referring the anomalous practices to the appropriate American system for inspection.
WikiLeaks and its creator have become heroes of worldwide anti-American left wing that blames the U.S. for all the evil in the world. Years ago, Norwegian politician Snorre Valen found numerous supporters when he nominated WikiLeaks for a Nobel Prize. The website was praised for its significant contributions to freedom of speech and fair politics, from its publications regarding government corruption and the illegal surveillance of citizens. Undoubtedly, those publications had their advantages. However, international politics is not as clear-cut as we would like it to be.
Now, years later, it is easy to notice the evident disproportionate nature of WikiLeaks’ actions; I have not stumbled upon any published WikiLeaks materials that refer to the KGB chairman, or to political advice from Russian intelligence to the Kremlin. WikiLeaks reveals American secrets and harms the U.S., while at the same time making no attempt to discredit Russia and harm the Kremlin. It is not all the same for Poland, because the U.S. is our ally, whereas Russia — hopefully only temporarily — is not; in fact, Russia regularly emphasizes the placement of its missiles at Polish borders. Our American ally is not an angel, but it remains on our side, whereas Putin’s Russia takes every opportunity to bully us. With that being the case, WikiLeaks’ actions cannot be approved by Poland.
Another matter is that Poland was the first to rightly criticize its own intelligence services for being unable to quickly eliminate the leaks in the Polish tape-gate scandal, over recorded conversations of members of the Polish Parliament, an operation codenamed “Sowa and friends.” What can Poland say about American intelligence?
WikiLeaks has been harming America by revealing its secrets, while making no effort to discredit Russia and the Kremlin. It is not all the same for Poland.
The WikiLeaks website, which has published hundreds of thousands of American government documents, has also released CIA Director John Brennan’s detailed clearance questionnaire from when Brennan had access to highly sensitive U.S. data. The questionnaire includes information on Brennan’s family, friends and co-workers. WikiLeaks announced that the content of Brennan’s personal email account would be published as well.
This attempt to spite U.S. intelligence is suspicious and necessitates a closer look at the website, its activity and its creator, Julian Assange, who has been hiding in Ecuador’s London embassy for the last three years. There is no doubt that thanks to Assange, who revealed numerous hideous practices by U.S. intelligence, the improper actions of the U.S. government have been exposed. The question is, though, whether such a perturbing way of doing it was a better option than referring the anomalous practices to the appropriate American system for inspection.
WikiLeaks and its creator have become heroes of worldwide anti-American left wing that blames the U.S. for all the evil in the world. Years ago, Norwegian politician Snorre Valen found numerous supporters when he nominated WikiLeaks for a Nobel Prize. The website was praised for its significant contributions to freedom of speech and fair politics, from its publications regarding government corruption and the illegal surveillance of citizens. Undoubtedly, those publications had their advantages. However, international politics is not as clear-cut as we would like it to be.
Now, years later, it is easy to notice the evident disproportionate nature of WikiLeaks’ actions; I have not stumbled upon any published WikiLeaks materials that refer to the KGB chairman, or to political advice from Russian intelligence to the Kremlin. WikiLeaks reveals American secrets and harms the U.S., while at the same time making no attempt to discredit Russia and harm the Kremlin. It is not all the same for Poland, because the U.S. is our ally, whereas Russia — hopefully only temporarily — is not; in fact, Russia regularly emphasizes the placement of its missiles at Polish borders. Our American ally is not an angel, but it remains on our side, whereas Putin’s Russia takes every opportunity to bully us. With that being the case, WikiLeaks’ actions cannot be approved by Poland.
Another matter is that Poland was the first to rightly criticize its own intelligence services for being unable to quickly eliminate the leaks in the Polish tape-gate scandal, over recorded conversations of members of the Polish Parliament, an operation codenamed “Sowa and friends.” What can Poland say about American intelligence?
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