WikiLeaks' Lessons

What to do when both those who keep secrets and those who release them claim to be on the side of angels?

Since the genie is out of the bottle, let the material speak for itself. The material WikiLeaks recently released doesn't so much shed new light on the war in Iraq as give more depth to much of what was already suspected. Though caveats pertain, there is immense value in that.

Consider:

— Previously reported incidents pointed to an army of private security contractors out of control in many cases. This latest dump of classified material confirms that.

— Suspected: It wasn't just more U.S. boots on the ground that made a surge in Iraq effective. Confirmed: It was Iraqi weariness with the violence. Also, the internecine violence already had "cleansed" mixed areas. And now logically suggested: Because of the absence of those factors in Afghanistan, a surge success might not be replicated.

— Suspected: The number of civilian Iraqi deaths at the hands of both Iraqis and Americans has been understated. Yes, the numbers are greater than what the Bush administration reported. Moreover, these killings were mainly Iraqi on Iraqi.

— Suspected: The Iraqi government has not always been a reliable partner.

Confirmed: Iraqi security forces abused their own people (sometimes with the tacit approval of U.S. forces). This abuse undermines trust in the government.

— Suspected: Neighboring Iran was intervening. Yes, but far more than anyone suspected.

The latest WikiLeaks release last week follows a release in July that offered a glimpse of matters on the ground in Afghanistan. Among the conclusions logically reached from that July release: far more collusion than suspected between Pakistan's military intelligence service and the Taliban; pervasive Afghan government corruption; and human rights abuses.

But those caveats. There is suspicion that the Afghan documents endangered lives. WikiLeaks said it scrubbed the latest release for names, and The New York Times said it also took potentially life-saving precautions. And then there's the messenger: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, acting bizarrely and apparently on the lam, is being investigated for rape and molestation in Sweden and could face U.S. espionage charges. He is no Daniel Ellsberg.

And still, the documents point to errors and abuses that need not be repeated or tolerated. And if nothing else the documents make it harder for Americans to avert their eyes to war and its consequences, unintended or not. And that is the greater value.

REPRINTED FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.

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