A recent post on this site noted the stunning silence from the mass media on questioning illegal and lethal acts carried out by American diplomats and military forces, as revealed by Wikileaks over the course of 2010.
Below is a brief exchange during a televised debate in Doha, Qatar, at the end of January, betweem the veteran journalist, Tim Sebastian, and Carl W. Ford, jr., a former CIA analyst, defense and state department assistant secretary and official. During 2001-03, Ford served the Bush administration's State Department as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, playing a significant role in crafting the war on terror and the (false) WMD justification for the illegal US invasion of Iraq.In 2003, Ford joined a consulting firm, Cassidy and associates, that specialised in military issues with special focus on the far east and Middle east. Previously, back in the 1990s, Ford had established his own consulting firm, with a client list that included Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon. He now teaches a course in teaches courses in government decision-making and the theory and practice of intelligence at Georgetown and George Mason universities.
Going by his contribution to the debate and subsequent questioning by Tim Sebastian, Carl Ford remains wedded to the principle that American power is unquestionably good for the world.
Carl W. Ford Jr.
Speaking against the motion (that Wikileaks is good for the world)
CARL FORD
Thank you Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. I came to the debate tonight thinking that most of you would agree that diplomacy is an essential element in international relations and that trust is an important aspect of all diplomatic communications, if for no other reason than the fact that misunderstandings have been a major cause of war and political disputes throughout history. Those who support this motion tonight would have you believe that these principles are no longer important; I hope most of you disagree. Julian (Assange), of course, says Wikileaks' disruptions are justified because he's helping the American people. Apparently he believes that it's his mission to uncover illegal US government activities. He hasn't shown me any yet, any illegal activities, maybe he's saving the best for last, I don't know. But certainly we in the United States are no strangers to misconduct by government officials, but instead of relying on Julian we have independent inspector generals, we have whistleblower laws, we have congressional oversight, we have courts to ensure that our law enforcement and intelligence organisations don't overstep their authorities. I think that the help that Julian is talking about is fixing the US policy that he dislikes, and there are a lot of those. But I think that's a different matter, he's free to speak his mind as often and as loudly as he wants, I don't always agree with what my government says or does either. In the case of Wikileaks however, Julian did far more than speak his mind or express an opinion; he attacked the United States. But it's not news to Julian, he knows full well the consequences of his actions, he wrote about them in a paper he wrote in 2006. Back then Julian was promoting the idea of disrupting communications links between the United States and other countries using leaks, but not to help.
TIM SEBASTIAN
Could you come to a close please.
CARL FORD
But instead to demonstrate that Washington couldn't keep a secret, that it would complicate the free flow of information by governments and would require the executive branch to tighten up its security procedures. Well, he says that Wikileaks' attacks are different this time, because it's for our own good. Well some of you may agree that the United States deserves attacking and applaud the damage Wikileaks has done to us. I, of course, disagree on both counts.
TIM SEBASTIAN
I must ask you to wrap up please.
CARL FORD
But at least it's a legitimate position to take that you protest against American policies, clearly we don't always do everything right. But please, be honest...
TIM SEBASTIAN
Carl Ford, I must bring you to a close here. Thank you you've had well over your time, thank you very much indeed, thank you. You say that Wikileaks hasn't uncovered any illegal activity; you appear to have missed the order from the State Department authorising illegal bugging of offices at the United Nations, and the illegal hacking into delicate information belonging to UN officials. That's certainly illegal activity and the United States hasn't even contested that fact. Isn't that helpful to the world's public to know about that?
CARL FORD
Well I think that if we are bugging the United Nations and I found out about it I would be one of those whistleblowers, and I've been in Intelligence in government for over forty years.
TIM SEBASTIAN
So we're better off knowing about it, thanks to Wikileaks?
CARL FORD
Whistle blowers are necessary and I would be one if I thought that there was some real wrongdoing being done.
TIM SEBASTIAN
Isn't it also instructive that we now know that contrary to their assurances that they didn't keep any record of civilian casualties in Iraq, we now know that out of 109,000 casualties, 65,000 belonged to non-combatants. That's also something that Wikileaks has told us, that's worth knowing too, isn't it?
CARL FORD
We know that they did not publicise those casualties.
TIM SEBASTIAN
They said they didn't have them.
CARL FORD
They knew what they were, they kept close...
TIM SEBASTIAN
So they lied, they lied?
CARL FORD
No, no I think that not everybody...
TIM SEBASTIAN
So Wikileaks has caught them in a lie?
CARL FORD
Not everybody in the field knows exactly what's going on, and what's not going on.
TIM SEBASTIAN
But they said they didn't, now it transpires that they do, it's a straight lie.
CARL FORD
No, if you believe...
TIM SEBASTIAN
You can't have it both ways, you can't be a little bit sure and...
CARL FORD
Well, if it were up to me...
TIM SEBASTIAN
You're either sure or you're not sure.
CARL FORD
Young men and women have already experienced things so that they will never recover in our lifetime, and to believe that somehow war is not horrible and bad things don't happen, there are casualties.
TIM SEBASTIAN
I'm talking about details, I'm talking about details that were lied about, I'm not talking about the horrors of war, we all know war is horrible, which is why we're not supposed to launch it. You either tell the truth about what you know or not; they've caught them in a lie and they've caught them in illegal activity at the United Nations as well. So there are two things that Wikileaks have brought to the attention of the public that are worth having aren't they?
CARL FORD
What you're saying is that you accept that privacy in diplomatic communications is not important.
TIM SEBASTIAN
It's only important if people tell the truth but they lie a lot don't they, so what other chance does the public have to get at it?
CARL FORD
You can't get away with that, you can't get away with. The fact is you're saying that you don't think diplomatic communications of any country should be private.
TIM SEBASTIAN
I'm not saying that, Carl Ford thank you very much indeed.
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