NEW YORK: Wikileaks made another 250,000 secret documents available on its website site for review. Now in addition to thousands from Afghanistan and Iraq, one can view cables directly from the State Department exposing the innermost thoughts of US diplomats. These ‘secret' cables disclosed things you might find out about a future business partner or even and in-law as well as basic gossip or rumors. I could see Secretary of State Clinton whispering in Madeleine Albright 's ear, “did you know that Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi spends most of his time with his very endowed blond nurse?” “Of course,” Albright answers, “everyone knows that,” — and they giggle. But now, it is in ink. No longer fun, just embarrassing for President Qaddafi and the gossip girls. One can argue that perhaps some of these things should never have been in writing, however, building relationships on hectic schedules, like that of the Secretary of State, often calls for creative personal sharing measures. Although there were many more of these types of disclosures, in reality, none of this is funny. The cables were in fact quite hurtful to those who spoke and those who unwillingly had their comments put in print. The release of these documents destroyed relationships between US diplomats and nationals of countries in which they serve further weakening an already struggling US diplomatic service and putting US foreign policy in jeopardy. No one is arguing that transparency in government is essential. The release of the Iraqi documents from the Department of Defense allowed many family members to understand what happened to relatives who disappeared in that cruel war. In this particular case, the US government had no right keeping that information from loved ones and should be held accountable. That being said, unfortunately most of the papers did nothing more than release information that caused more harm than good. In the case of both Iraq and Afghanistan, the documents exposed civilian populations who often pay dearly for working with US military members while the Defense Department itself emerged relatively unscathed. In the case of State, the US has already been forced to remove seasoned diplomats from places where they have spent years learning about cultures, people and countries where the US must make policy, sometimes in places like Yemen, these efforts are priceless. Wikileaks single handedly made those investments the complete opposite — they tanked. The United States reputation in the world went south during the W. Bush Administration. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the go it alone cowboy attitude, ruined any trust American may have had in the world. Although current foreign policy measures may be in question, there is no doubt that the Obama Administration is making a concerted effort to change this despite America's economic downturn and increasingly limited government resources. Further, the US is not the only country that suffered embarrassment from these leaks. Countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and even organizations like the UN and NATO are all trying to rectify comments made in closed-door conversations, now reveled. Trust was already limited between nations and people, escalating suspicion exponentially. For the US, it is imperative that the Administration take bold steps to ensure that these leaks are stopped. Of course there is no guarantee that small leaks may happen, but these large scale downloads can be largely mitigated. It is time for the US to ensure that people with access to such information are those who absolutely need it and have earned it. As The Washington Post reported in its series Top Secret America, there are over 850,000 people, a number that rivals the pentagon, running around the globe with top-secret clearances. Many of them are contractors with limited background checks and no accountability. That must change. It is true that these leaks most likely came from government employees, however, in a world of so many that have access and it is almost impossible to continue to monitor movement. All these individuals on different computer platforms make patterns almost impossible to identify until it is too late. In light of this, the US must ensure that it has a secure cyber system for all its documents. Thus far administration after administration spends billions for the government not only to have one computer platform, but also to secure all those that exist. Once and for all, US representatives must demand this be improved immediately. There is so much partisan bickering that everyone has forgotten that the US is falling behind in protecting its own national security and interests. This time the world only saw in print what it already knew diplomats to be saying. Yet Wikileaks was able to cause sufficient damage to the US diplomatic corps and its relationships with other countries. This in itself will take years to heal. If the US does not take immediate steps to prevent these “bulk” leaks from happening by protecting access and future cyber intrusions at all levels, the next batch of information may cause more than a cloud of embarrassment and anger, it may bring about the motivation for random violence or another senseless war. Patricia DeGennaro is adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University, Senior Fellow at the World Policy Instituteand UN Global Expert. This commentary is published by Daily News Egypt in collaboration with Global Experts (www.theglobalexperts.org), a project of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization.
