Monday, May 6, 2013

Bradley Manning believed he was the worst foreign policy disaster since Vietnam

The night before in of Chase Madar Brooklyn, St. Joseph's College of stirring book, Bradley Manning passion, and Sarah Leonard, the new editor asked about the dialogue. I extract the following from their introduction, my own title. Madar All quotes.

Manning produce?

Bradley Manning, leaked documents from his military intelligence service, all of these three important institutions to Wikileaks. They are: the Iraq war logs, including 391,000 field reports, the most famous Apache helicopter video, small group in July 2007 opened fire on Iraqi civilians, resulting in more than a dozen of them, see a video millions around the the World, but the Haditha massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians, including women, children and the elderly, in which U.S. soldiers were killed and documentation.

Then there are 90,000 Afghan war logs, including a file skeptical, capital of Pakistan's armed forces and the Afghan insurgency. "Of course worth knowing," Madar said. 260,000 diplomatic cables published by Manning. These include the revelation lobbying down the minimum wage in order to maintain low production costs for employers in the United States, Tunisia corruption played a role in Haiti, where the revolutionary document.

What is the value of these revelations?

Haiti expose adventure, the Haitian diaspora community and political work. Several Tunisian intellectuals told Madar, to help the revolution in Tunisia document. "We can not say that this is the cause of the uprising, but it certainly played a role."

Americans, forcing Manning's revelation in the United States more rapidly than any other way to withdraw its troops from Iraq. The war to log public opinion in the United States and the Iraqi government refused to give U.S. soldiers immunity from prosecution as a result - to accelerate our exports have a great impact.

"We now have a clearer sense of how the two wars, the diplomatic work of the United States in general .... We know how our foreign policy works." Recently, for example, of Hillary and Eph.book in the United States on Iran policy dependent on the wiki decryption, the United States has promised no good faith effort a lot more to diplomacy with Iran, despite the commitment.

Bradley Manning is an incongruous figure in the U.S. Army. How he got there, he come from?

A

Manning joined the army in 2007. The evidence is that he felt a real sense of responsibility for his country. "He was very critical of the invasion as a young man, and the war in Afghanistan, but he also felt a sense of responsibility." He would also like to go to college, did not support his family, even the tuition fees are steadily rising.

"Bradley Manning is a person from a very young age, the students showed a strong independent mind and will." He shocked the students, he declined to say the Pledge of Allegiance "under God" phrase words, because he said he was an atheist. He stood out, Oklahoma town. "

He studied science and computer constitutes a young age, 10-year-old design their own websites. This is not surprising, he found his way into the army intelligence. He is not a classic military material: he has a strong independent streak, and became 5-2, basic training his colleagues had told him that if someone mess with you, you have to put him on the head. He is not the kind of person. In addition, he is gay. Manning dreamed about Iraqi Freedom "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is really. He soon discovered that was not the case. Stationed at Forward Operating Base Hammer, he learned to Iraq's non-violent demonstrators arrested leaflets to painkillers, said outside a government building, "the money go?"

Manning went to his commanding officer, to express his concern what will happen, the demonstrators, because it is well known that Iraqi prisoners being subjected to torture. His commander told he refuses to talk about. At the time, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has issued a fragmentary orders 242: Do not do anything in the face of torture, but turn a blind eye.

"Bradley Manning later said, something stuck his view, the different things that he's neck deep in Vietnam since the war the most serious foreign policy disaster."

Manning leaked audio - all through the Free Press Foundation Statement

Sneaking out how difficult these files?

Manning pulled off, the maximum security vulnerabilities in the history of the United States, so you might think that a big job he installed on the wall with a sucker. However, there is no security at the base. People walk in the CD-ROM drive, there is no one to check what. Even in addition to, the secret is not a secret in the United States: 1.4 million top-secret security clearance. This is the century of hackers, but it is not very easy in the arts. "

What tells us about the confidentiality of the political? The right-wing, his head, but has not been liberalish center's main response is much better - too much information there is a panic. Hillary Clinton as saying, "Foreign end of the world."

"I think it misinterprets the size and significance of the leak, they are the largest, but it is also so, they total less than 1% of Washington is classified in a given year. Despite all the talk about the landslide completely transparent, We are nowhere near. "

Manning manage a narrow light "is not a blinding klieg light that shines in the secret government.

"The landslide is not toward too much transparency, but the idea of ​​a real dystopian level of confidentiality.", The government should be as open as possible and the radical hackers is not a crazy idea. Mainstream-liberal political tradition, which is a very old idea. James Madison wrote: "without popular information is a popular government, but the tragic prelude to a farce or are.

And Madison would not have expected from his government documents 200 years later still classified. "We have amazing runaway classification. The decryption geological rhythm." At the same time, there is a phenomenon called reclassified.

What we read in the newspapers all leaks?

They are the elite leak, Madar said. "In fact, the Government is incredible drain, but in a very selective way. Government officials leak with total impunity all the time." You can not go a week without reading For top-secret documents show reporters in the New York Times or the Washington Post - whether it is a drone strike or National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program, or cyberwarfrare, or NIE Afghanistan and has a stable government the possibility.

"This kind of hypocrisy let us know some very important things." Generals and the rest of us senators, one for a set of rules.

What is the risk of confidential?

The mainstream media reflect the informant threat to national security panic. But it seems very difficult in the extreme confidentiality, this is what we went to the actual costs and actual risk.

"I think the cost is very high, especially in the past 10 years." The war in Iraq was taken by confidentiality, distortions and lies government bought. Now, that war is carried at cost hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars that future generations will pay.

"It's just common sense, if you want to make a very important decision, as the invasion of a sovereign state, the information you want, whether it is South Vietnam or Iraq, you need to know that you get into."

Information can not do everything, but also to provide better information to make better decisions in the clear case. Bob Graham, for example, the former senator of Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, looking at Iraq's privileged information, changed his mind and decided to invade Iraq, after reading the information, voted against it.

Where Manning, what are the charges against him, he will be what happens?

In prison, he has been for three years in the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, and then follow an international outcry, he is a medium security place in Fort Worth and Fort Meade in Maryland. His military court June 3 in Fort Meade.

There are 22 charges, including from government computers, minors, improper use of the capital crime of collaboration with the enemy, esponiage, in violation of the 1917 espionage. He lighter pleaded guilty, the government will try to make serious allegations stick. The most ridiculous accused of collaborating with the enemy. Matar in three give it a chance to lead to conviction. The Obama administration has said it will not seek the death penalty.

The serious allegations What does it mean?

Collaborating with the enemy is a very vague charges, but the decision may have the practical effect of the media in general. Government is required prior to the trial, if Manning leaked to the New York Times, "WikiLeaks. Well, he still will be accused of collaborating with the enemy, the prosecution said. If this view is true, there may be a chilling effect of the mainstream media. Because a very large extent depends on the source of the elite and non-elite, from the unmanned program to Watergate.

Whether there is any possibility that Manning will go?

"I want to remain optimistic and said that there is a real opportunity, Bradley Manning will be out there, and proclaimed innocence," Madar said. This will provide a false hope. "I think he will be convicted and received 50 years there is a real chance any chance Manning clemency, gave him great service, will be a long struggle."

Bradley Manning has not signed the Uniform Code of Military Justice ", and signed a waiver of any right he has vis-a-vis leaks?" There is no doubt that he broke the law. This is not his lawyer to stand for election ", but few people should always enforce and comply with all laws. Harriet is one of the greatest Americans ever she broke the law. Gay couples 50 years ago in the hot the date of breach of the law. "Any system depends not only law enforcement, but flexibility. "This is why commutations and pardons.

There is no denying that this is a civil disobedience acts, depending on the discipline and unity of the army's morale and order enforcement. But then we are fair and take a look at the code of other irregularities, soldiers shot and maimed civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, zero response, in a 360-degree field of fire in response to an IED. "These are not prosecuted, the UCMJ is despised."

Infringement of causing death is executed before we get Bradley Manning - the damage is purely speculative. "

What is the role of Manning's supporters?

"In the long run Bradley Manning leniency is a legal issue, not a political issue, it will be a matter of political organization in order to obtain clemency for his political push, I quite frankly very pessimistic . "

But taking into account the many documented atrocities leakage, such as the actions of the Government of Haiti's minimum wage standards, in accordance with the law is legal. We should want them to be a crime, but they are legitimate. This is a good reason to join the American Civil Liberties Union, and became an active member, so as to create "the mobilization of constituencies."

We believe that Obama will be the leader on these issues. Why did he let us down?

"The president has overall responsibility for national security agencies have been in the United States Eisenhower's foreign policy is determined by the Department of Defense and other national security organs to a large extent."

To seize hold of this policy fully, the president must have three things: national security certification, so he would not be called a coward; great political cunning; and a popular mandate to do so. Obama is 03.

Manning New York Times do?

Nasty attitude of the New York Times Bradley Manning has been mutually contradictory. "On the one hand, it has been running for dozens and dozens of stories, according to the leak, on the front page. "He is a great source." He provided all the information age has been legal.

"But rather than protect the source, they have their own way, to portray him as some form of Frankenstein." Times "sick" Manning, his actions.

Former executive editor Bill Keller, who did such a horrible job to the war in Iraq, the run-up, he declared a free eagle and paper ran a third currency report by Judy Miller turned out to be wrong, which is true. Keller out of his way in his column, saying, Oh, this Bradley Manning guy, he is a little weird. "

Manning's gender identity, what kind of role, why do you call him a man, he has been accustomed to Bu Linna's name?

The he used the name a Twitter account and try girls. He was obviously the the gender transition point, before he was arrested. These facts are sufficient but decided to give him permission to call Bu Linna, there is no clear expression of personal problems. Manning does not convey at this point.

What does it mean? Some people who are not particularly sympathetic to the Manning have tried to make his motives, called for the leak of anti-social behavior. However, sexual identity is anyone's personal story straight guy even cisgendered, we do not explore around an important part of their deeds.

What is the difference between Manning and Daniel Ellsberg?

Forty years ago, the Ellsberg leaked thousands of top-secret documents, the media and Congress, potted history of the "Pentagon Papers" by the Pentagon how to fight the war in Vietnam. He was accused spy of the Nixon administration, but he came to a free man. Each file is Ellsberg leaked top secret. Each file Manning leaked, which is incorrect. The Ellsberg civillan, although he had been a soldier, he was tried in civilian court.

However, the main difference is politics. Ellsberg's leak has been generally supported the establishment of an important sector in the United States, scholars from the legal profession to the media. Did not demonstrate the kind of support Manning.

The main difference there between the end of the Vietnam War the U.S. elite is a real sense of urgency. Draft this sense of urgency had to do, although it is easier to get the draft of the elite of their children, it is still a theoretical the possibility of a top lawyers or journalists or members of Congress, the son was sent to Vietnam. This is not the same the elite only skin in the game ... when the elite has no skin in the game, they do not care informants have no sense of urgency. "

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