The political spinning of the WikiLeaks exposé: Antiwar whistle-blowing or war propaganda?

by Larry Chin, Online Journbal, 31 July 2010


Since the release of classified US military papers by WikiLeaks, the material has been aggressively spun by various political factions. Meanwhile, virtually no attention has been devoted to investigating the source of this “leak,” or questioning the agenda behind it.

According to the Associated Press, a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the US government is not certain who “leaked” the 91,000 documents to the online whistle-blowing web site, other than suspicion again falling on Pfc. Bradley Manning.

Unlike a previous WikiLeaks exposing the murder of Iraqi civilians in a US airstrike, nobody has been apprehended, arrested or pressured by the Pentagon, the CIA or any US agency.

The White House has expressed no intense concern. It did not block the release or deny the material. Government officials, led by President Obama, have almost casually dismissed the exposé as nothing new.

The major mainstream newspapers that had full early access to the material -- The New York Times, Der Spiegel and the Guardian -- also had ample time to frame and steer the discourse surrounding it, and (particularly in the case of the White House-friendly New York Times) conduct damage control.

Leak as antiwar fodder

The new material obviously adds to what is already known for years: US forces are mired in a dirty and horrific war, and committing atrocities and war crimes. Corruption is rampant, allies are despicable and untrustworthy, and there appears no end in sight.

For critics of US policy, the exposé reinforces their tired call for the war to end. However, the value of these particular papers (in terms of turning public opinion against the war) is questionable. This is not a potent high-level Pentagon Papers-type leak, and today’s society is a far cry from the 1970s.

Today’s acquiescent, ignorant and grossly manipulated mass populace -- one that fully embraces and supports the manufactured “war on terrorism” -- wholeheartedly supports any and all means to “prevent another 9/11.” A decade of Bush-Cheney criminality and mass murder failed to trigger any interest from a general US population that has been shocked into servitude, and further brain-addled by ubiquitous corporate right-wing media. Another day, another massacre.

Leak as imperial war propaganda

Where the WikiLeaks papers gain significance is in the detail revealed about the operations of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI) and, more specifically, the manner in which leading government figures and the media have interpreted these items.

The ISI is being accused of “undercutting” US operations, “conspiring with’ and aiding the “powerfully resurgent” Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, aiding the killing of US forces, and organizing “networks of militants” across the region. An all-out propaganda attack against Pakistan led by the White House is underway.

Essentially, Pakistan is being branded as a terrorist state and a worthy target of military attack, along with Iran, which is also fingered by the WikiLeaks’ leaks for backing Taliban militants within Afghanistan.

Hamid Gul, former ISI chief and major regional player, accuses the US of orchestrating the exposé to shift attention away from the US government’s “own failings,” in order to “force Pakistan’s hand on policy in Afghanistan.”

According to Gul “they [the Americans] want to bash Pakistan, at this time to come up with this leak. I refuse to believe it is not on purpose.”

The Obama administration, eager for a pretext to escalate the Central Asia/Middle East (resource) war into Pakistan and Iran, has certainly found ammunition with the WikiLeaks exposé.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the “leak” occurred just prior to a new $33 billion/30,000 troop surge for Afghanistan was approved by the US House, and ahead of a possible military attack on Iran, which former CIA Director Michael Hayden says is “inexorable”.

The glaring omission

As accusations and attacks on Pakistan and its “terrorist ISI” rise in intensity, not one mainstream media report mentions the fact that the ISI is a virtual branch of the CIA, and one that operates on behalf of Anglo-American policy.

It is fact that the ISI, with full Anglo-American direction, has long been a driving force behind “Islamic militants” and “terrorists” throughout the world, including “Al-Qaeda.” The CIA and ISI have cooperatively fomented instability and tension throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, playing all sides for geostrategic gain. This “strategy of tension” is one of the hallmarks of the “war on terrorism.” The ISI was also directly involved with the false flag operation of 9/11.

According to Michel Chossudovsky of the Centre for Research on Globalization, “The ISI actively collaborates with the CIA. It continues to perform the role of a ‘go-between’ in numerous intelligence operations on behalf of the CIA. The ISI directly supports and finances a number of terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda.”

If the ISI is responsible for terrorism, the funding and aiding of “Islamic militants,” and the killing of US forces, logic dictates that its big brethren -- the CIA and officials in Washington -- are also guilty and involved.

The manner in which the ISI is under fire, while omitting any mention of the ISI’s guiding superiors in Washington, speaks to a deliberate anti-Pakistan/pro-US bias.

Whose political weapon?

Until the source of this WikiLeaks is revealed, along with the motive for the “leak,” all that remains is a political Rorschach test, open to interpretation.

The ultimate beneficiary is whatever faction controls the interpretation.
In the end, only Pakistan and Iran have been politically damaged, while the Obama administration has a new pretext to escalate and intensify its continuing resource war.

That comment by Larry Chin is just ridiculous. It seem to me now that right wing conspiracy theorists have gone beyond parody and are just seeing how far they can push it and still have people take them seriously.

So someone risks potentially years of their life behind bars to expose US war crimes and all they can do is say it must be a conspiracy orchestrated by the USA to do the leak? Sorry but this is even more nonsensical that the one about anti-nuclear activists being secret CIA stooges. I can't wait to see what bullshit the troofers come up with next week.

Why does Indymedia allow this right wing propaganda on here anyway?

If the Pentagon was doing truthful and useful actions they would have nothing to hide from their practice. The fact that they blame wikileaks for the danger that their own officials have done and written down shows that those who oppose the killing are being blamed as endangering the real killers the Officials and Imperialist mauraders themselves. The first Canadian Division when in Holland during the second world war had to warn away the cheering masses of Holland who they were fighting to liberate. In fact millions of people could hardly control their joy and happy feeling throughout the process, and time and again showed their happiness to each Canadian soldier. What a difference a war makes that is for liberating the peoples from conquorers, and the wars of conquest and destruction presently going on in the middle east where the American invasions and occupations are greeted with maximum resistence, and legitimate defiance throughout. There is no civilian parades of welcome or demonstrations of joy at the U.S. led coalition puppet troops. Could it be that the peoples of the world can really tell the difference between conquest and liberation. I do believe the world's people have a more intelligent assesment of the situation then the destructive troops and leaders of the Illegal aggressive wars and unjust violence their forces and officials show in their wrongheaded secrets documents. The world will judge America, and wikileaks is opening a path to liberation from Pentagon lying officials who are disobeying the anti-fascist covenants on the rules of war. The Pentagon does indeed have something to hide, it is the war crimes it is committing throughout the middle east such as 1) targeting and killing civilians, 2) torturing and killing prisoners of war, 3) collective punishment such as bombing villages, towns, and cities to rubble because there might be a resistence fighter around, but they are (Not Sure) Oops sorry for all out mistakes attitude. If the Pentagon move against the Wikileaks people and pfc Manning the world will witness the unjust behaviour of persecution which is Pentagon Normality to its soldiery and independent journalists. They will only bring more wrath against themselves and their sell-out client states, but Just as the journalist who threw his shoes at Bush and cursed him for the terrible deaths of the Iraqi people (millions killed) became a local hero In Iraq and throughout the world. Lies and deceit of U.S. pubic officials should be made public so the peoples can judge the depraved conditions that the U.S. Military is shamefully doing to the Afghani's, and then purposely hiding from American people. Wikileaks is a hero group showing a path to liberation with true exposure, and pfc Manning is courageous and necessary to world truth about the conditions of aggressive war imposed on the innocent peoples of Afghanistan.

I am also of the opinion, that these conspiracy theorists are nothing but wackos and government agents. It seems to me the release of materials was rather embarrasing for the US and other countries.