Amongst the 250,000 or so documents currently being released by Wikileaks, some disclose a typical standard concern about Pakistan's Nuclear Program, especially the possibility of it falling in the hands of terrorists. This mantra has been put out by some self serving analysts and dubious think tanks for nearly ten years now.
In this time, Pakistan's nuclear assets have been securely guarded by its Military and there has not been a single instant of leakage from its nuclear facilities, yet the Mantra continues like Yogi's chant.
International scientists know that it is not easy to steal nuclear assets, especially when well guarded and in disassembled form. But even if we were to assume for a moment (though highly unlikely) that possibility, it would still require a team of highly skilled Scientists to assemble and launch a bomb and there is no way Al-Qaeda or Taliban have or are likely to have such capability with their brute and coercive ways.
It is not Pakistan's nuclear assets that are leaking, it is the U.S. State and Defense Departments that are leaking like sieve. Diplomatic and other missives stolen by a person of the rank of Private, shows the total lack of security at these departments.
Wikileaks has exposed the sheer incompetence of U.S. Administration to keep its secrets safe. In future, foreign leaders will take everything that U.S. says with a pinch of salt. U.S. may also be forced to replace many of its Ambassadors in foreign lands who with their utterances, have made themselves useless in their present posts. It is time to withdraw many US Ambassadors from abroad who do not respect their host countries and their leaders.
The more serious revelation is the U.S.'s continued arrogance on world stage. Belittling foreign heads of states, foolish Ambassadors making undiplomatic comments about their host countries and their leaders. Barack Obama was supposed to change all that, he had promised to make America a more humble world leader and bring civility to its activities. But with Hillary Clinton in change of State and Gates in charge of Defense, it is business as usual.
Instead of running Assange out of continents with dubious (U.S. encouraged) criminal charges by Sweden, U.S. should learn some lessons from this fiasco and improve its image abroad. As a first, step replace all the tainted Ambassadors and send some fresh faces abroad, who can earn the confidence and respect of foreign leaders.
