WikiLeaks: Gossip on a global level
WikiLeaks is just the good old strangely satisfying thing we call gossip.
We like to pretend that we’re indifferent to it. The fact of the matter, however, is that it exists all around us. Sometimes in the shape of a tete-a-tete, at other instances as an intelligence report or espionage leak, it all boils down to the same idea – information generated across the circles where it has no business being.
Simply put, it is just the good old strangely satisfying thing we call gossip.
“Log kya kahain gey” – a maxim we’d lived under all our lives, explains perfectly the very human desire to talk, converse, and gossip. And there is never enough of it, no matter what is said to support the contrary.
With WikiLeaks, gossip has been taken to a whole new level. And for Pakistan, with the recent release of more than 200 US State Department cables, WikiLeaks has managed to stir up trouble yet again by digging out the skeletons hidden inside possibly the biggest political closet in the world.
Among a number of issues of the international community brought to surface in these cables, the popularity (or lack thereof) of the current president of Pakistan remained a serious concern.
With the Israeli defence minister calling Pakistan his “private nightmare”and Saudi King Abdullah referring to Zardari when he said “When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body”, the governance of Pakistan as well as its nuclear programme seems to be facing criticism and concern from all sides.
WikiLeaks has also claimed that it will release an additional 80 documents in the next few months.
Described as the biggest leak of confidential documents in history, WikiLeaks has established one thing with the release of these cables. Whether driven by maliciousness or insensitivity, gossip serves a purpose greater than just being a way to enliven a conversation.
It is breeding ground for knowledge; the idea of it being useful or useless is left in the hands of the audience the knowledge is delivered to.
However, with the entire world as its audience, WikiLeaks has made sure to continue to offer something in the way of gossip to everyone.
For Pakistan, the question now remains whether it can survive any more digs from the international community and whether its remaining few friends will continue to hold its hand till the last skeleton is pulled out of the closet.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
Classified Documents do not equate gossip in my opinion.Recommend
So, we are just left with Imran Khan, to trust, Angelina Jolie was right.Recommend
Good piece, All is gossip what else something special revealed secrets about Muslim Countries ‘ Big Shots’ why don’t they ever try to put some sensitive information about ” pentagon” facts about 9/11 , legitimacy of raid over Iraq, policy of Drone attacks? it makes no any sense to all common Pakistani’s ??????Recommend
Out off all that has been leaked, the question is why our media has focused more on what, he said she said, then more substantiated issues. Its true the world over, the Guardian is running a front page article about how the Italian PM’s health is getting affected by too much partyingRecommend
what a terrible situation in Pakistan for unfaithful leaderRecommend
@Shahbaz:
not everything looks like gossip to me i think facts revealed in most of the documents are true but have diplomatic targets.at one side not affecting american interests at large and on the other hand leaking documents with such material which may create a huge
rift between the muslim countriesRecommend
The contents of US Cables which were released by WikiLeak were not a gossip, but they are 100% correct.
People deny when they give verbal statements. How can internal memos (cables) written by various US diplomats and sent to Washington DC from time to time could be wrong?
If some one wants to dig out the truth, he or she should read the archives of various newspapers on the internet and will reveal who spoke to whom, at what time and what was the venue?Recommend
Government secrets are usually not for-people. They are almost always anti-people. The WikiLeaks phenomenon will result on three possible end-games:
1. Increase in the security of the classified material.
2. Elimination of WikiLeaks and going back to business as usual.
3. Decrease in the perception that anything is ultimately classified.Recommend
There are laws in every country which prohibit publication of confidential documents. How was then the Wikileaks able to publish the documents and they have not revealed anything substantial..Recommend