"Everyone wonders how WikiLeaks will change the world"

I dont...I know how it will. It will make the U.S., and indeed the whole world MORE security conscious, MORE likely to keep secrets, MORE likely to feed us bullshit, and will ultimately make the internet less free. You think China and Russia see this as a partial justification for their control of the media and internet? yes, of course they do. Assange and his misguided, egotistical crusade will do nothing but make us less able to access real facts.

also, while I understand the concerns of the Author writing the above piece...I dont really see why they're very relevant. The middle east, and Muslim majority countries have held an unfavorable view of the u.s. for years, loooong before 9/11. Hell, Pakistan was the epicenter of the sunni jihadist movement and it still is...nothing has changed. The point with the drones is, it's better to do that for infinity, killing small groups of important militants with occasional collateral damage, then it is to simply cede militants ground and wait for the next 9/11. In fact, thats the real point of both of these wars, we have created a battle front in a war that lacked one. Drones are relatively cheap and easy to operate, if they keep us safe, and keep the populace from dealing with American soldiers...then keep up the good work. We have a right to protect ourselves from attack...not an international right, but a natural, inborn right to protect our country and our families from violence. AQ has the same right...lets see who wins.

Do you even know the meaning of the word?

Do you think Julian Assange is American or that he has any respect for the sovereignty of the US?

For that matter, do you think Guardian or BBC is American or that the give a flying fig about US sovereignty?

Do you even understand foreign policy comes under the sovereignty protection of the US or would you like American foreign policy conducted from London as it used to be before 1776?

"Is it really so terrible if WikiLeaks forces them to explain those emands? " . You fool.
"James Traub is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine", sort of says it all. Morons like Traub assume that National Security classified materials exist to provide amusing recreational reading for him and the other quiche eaters in Manhattan and San Francisco. I am sure he would want Julian Assange's autograph. We are sending our sons and daughters to fight some of the most rapacious enemies our nation has ever know and Traub wants them to do it in broad day light, empty handed and still fight by Marquis of Queensbury rules. By all means, James, let's give Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and North Korea a fair show, Surely they would do the same for us. By the way, dipstick, who elected Wikileaks as the conscience and arbiter of our national security.

James,

I look forward to reading your evidence of the of U.S. diplomats' routine engagement "in in epic lying, deceit, and criminality, as perhaps they did during the Cold War." This is quite a claim. Or perhaps you confused diplomats with officers of other federal agencies when you later write about the exposure of "the CIA's dirty tricks in the 1970's?"

In light of WikiLeaks, US needs to explain why US is allowing Pakistan to get away with the murders of US soldiers?

US military under Gates/Petraeus leadership has encouraged the Pakistani intelligence to continue to shelter the entire top Afghan Taliban leadership in Baluchistan province. Mullah Muhammad Omar and other members of the Taliban's inner shura (council) have been ensconced for years in the Quetta area.

As General McChrystal reported in his assessment of August, 2009 to the President: ‘The Quetta Shura Taliban (QST) based in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, is the No. 1 threat to US/NATO mission in Afghanistan. At the operational level, the Quetta Shura conducts a formal campaign review each winter, after which Mullah Mohammed Omar (Afghan Taliban Chief) announces his guidance and intent for the coming year‘.

However US drones have targeted militants in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), but not the Afghan Taliban leadership operating with impunity from Baluchistan. US ground-commando raids also have spared the Afghan Taliban's command-and-control network in Baluchistan.

Even though US intentionally ignored it, Afghan President Karzai told a news conference in Kabul on 7/29/2010 after WikiLeaks leaks, “The time has come for our international allies to know that the war against terrorism is not in Afghanistan’s homes and villages. But rather this war is in the sanctuaries, funding centers and training places of terrorism which are in Pakistan. Our international allies have the ability to destroy these Pakistani sanctuaries, but the question is why they are not doing it?“

Afghanistan’s national security advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta asked the similar question in Washington Post on 8/23/10: “While we are losing dozens of men and women to terrorist attacks every day, the terrorists’ main mentor (Pakistan) continues to receive billions of dollars in aid and assistance. How is this fundamental contradiction justified? Despite facing a growing domestic terror threat, Pakistan “continues to provide sanctuary and support to the Quetta Shura, the Haqqani network, the Hekmatyar group and Al Qaeda. Dismantling the terrorist infrastructure “requires confronting the state of Pakistan that still sees terrorism as a strategic asset and foreign policy tool”.

Is it any wonder US Afghan mission is headed for failure?

Dear Mr. Traub:
The plight of the leaders of our reluctant Islamic allies, struggling to explain to their people why they are cooperating with us touched me deeply. As a bard once sang, “you know it hurts me to my bones.” Here’s some gentle help with the heavy lifting.

“My dear fellow (Yemenis, Pakistanis, or insert other appropriate ‘stani here): Our magnificent march to postcolonial greatness has encountered an obstacle. Our Jihadi brethren, who have lived among us as foreign guests, national security policy surrogates, or hinterland tribal hotheads have launched attacks and/or attempted attacks against the Unites States. It turns out that the Americans are a surly lot, brimming with bombers, cruise missiles, drones, Special Forces and Marines. Who knew?

It gets worse. The Americans demanded that we turn over the mujahedeen for punishment. We explained that we could never do this-it violates all laws of hospitality. We forgot to mention the embarrassing fact that Gulf petrodollars have hawala'd these formerly harmless (to us) militants into well trained forces beyond our control. They love to kill people too, often blowing themselves up in the process.

Our ambassador, while making the annual rounds at the think tanks, Congress, and Foggy Bottom to secure an increase in the foreign aid package, firmly warned the Americans that we are a sovereign nation and not to meddle in our internal affairs. They were rude enough to assert that as a sovereign nation, we were responsible for acts of war committed from our territory and that we had to clean up this mess. We then had to admit that we lacked the capacity to do so. The Americans demanded we choose sides. One particularly nasty senator even showed our ambassador old pictures of Hamburg, Tokyo, Hanoi, and Baghdad. Ouch!

So you can see we’re in thick hummus. The Americans will rain death and destruction no matter what we do, but much less if we assist them. They do not appear to want to stay here long. One uncultured Lt. Colonel from their advance team was overheard to call our fine country a s***hole! The foreign Jihadis, on the other hand, seem to have set up shop for the long haul, even forcing our beautiful (but chaste and fully covered) village girls into marriage. Their leader said this would be a great place to start the Caliphate, with him as Caliph.

We are beyond hosed. If we fight the Americans, we’ll be destroyed even if we manage to drive them off. If we help them, we’ll have suicide bombers, IEDs, Predator attacks, and late night raids. The latter seems better than the former. Maybe the Americans will get bored and go away. If you have any better ideas, please let me know.

Insert name of corrupt, tin-horn Princely/Presidential thug here

Dear Mr. Traub:
The plight of the leaders of our reluctant Islamic allies, struggling to explain to their people why they are cooperating with us touched me deeply. As a bard once sang, “you know it hurts me to my bones.” Here’s some gentle help with the heavy lifting.

“My dear fellow (Yemenis, Pakistanis, or insert other appropriate ‘stani here): Our magnificent march to postcolonial greatness has encountered an obstacle. Our Jihadi brethren, who have lived among us as foreign guests, national security policy surrogates, or hinterland tribal hotheads have launched attacks and/or attempted attacks against the Unites States. It turns out that the Americans are a surly lot, brimming with bombers, cruise missiles, drones, Special Forces and Marines. Who knew?

It gets worse. The Americans demanded that we turn over the mujahedeen for punishment. We explained that we could never do this-it violates all laws of hospitality. We forgot to mention the embarrassing fact that Gulf petrodollars have hawala'd these formerly harmless (to us) militants into well trained forces beyond our control. They love to kill people too, often blowing themselves up in the process.

Our ambassador, while making the annual rounds at the think tanks, Congress, and Foggy Bottom to secure an increase in the foreign aid package, firmly warned the Americans that we are a sovereign nation and not to meddle in our internal affairs. They were rude enough to assert that as a sovereign nation, we were responsible for acts of war committed from our territory and that we had to clean up this mess. We then had to admit that we lacked the capacity to do so. The Americans demanded we choose sides. One particularly nasty senator even showed our ambassador old pictures of Hamburg, Tokyo, Hanoi, and Baghdad. Ouch!

So you can see we’re in thick hummus. The Americans will rain death and destruction no matter what we do, but much less if we assist them. They do not appear to want to stay here long. One uncultured Lt. Colonel from their advance team was overheard to call our fine country a s***hole! The foreign Jihadis, on the other hand, seem to have set up shop for the long haul, even forcing our beautiful (but chaste and fully covered) village girls into marriage. Their leader said this would be a great place to start the Caliphate, with him as Caliph.

We are beyond hosed. If we fight the Americans, we’ll be destroyed even if we manage to drive them off. If we help them, we’ll have suicide bombers, IEDs, Predator attacks, and late night raids. The latter seems better than the former. Maybe the Americans will get bored and go away. If you have any better ideas, please let me know.

Insert name of corrupt, tin-horn Princely/Presidential thug here

Author laments our regular "consensual infringement of sovereign authority ".

Would he prefer "non-consensual" infringement? Getting permission from leaders of foriegn countries to conduct operations in their countries does not/not constitute a violation of sovereignty. In fact, it's an invitation.

Yes, by all means, let's slaughter men, women and children with remote controlled coward-drones.
That will fix everything.