Beyond The Hedges

12/2/10 6:00pm

National

Diplomatic cables leaked to public

251,287 American diplomatic cables that contain sensitive details about political activities in foreign countries were acquired by the online source WikiLeaks, which then released them to publications including The New York Times this past Sunday. However, WikiLeaks only began to publish the articles on Sunday in stages. Each will focus on a particular topic or country. The majority of the cables date back about three years up until this past February, but some are several decades old. Pfc. Bradley Manning is accused of having leaked the cables to WikiLeaks after evidence was found in an online chat conversation Manning had with Adrian Lamo, a computer hacker, stating he had downloaded some 260,000 State Department cables. Manning now faces a possible court-martial after being charged with illegally releasing classified documents. Items discussed in the cables ranged from a discussion between the U.S. and South Korea on the expected collapse of North Korea to bargaining with other countries to accept Guantanamo Bay prisoners in exchange for monetary or political benefits. Other topics included a global computer hacking plot involving Chinese government operatives, security experts and Internet outlaws, human rights clashes between the U.S. and Germany over arrests of Central Intelligence Agency officers involved with a flawed operation in Germany that resulted in the kidnapping of a German civilian who had the same name as a suspected militant and the possible removal of uranium from a Pakistani research reactor.

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The release of such information, though only some of it was marked as classified or top secret, could put a strain on international relations with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and American ambassadors have been contacting foreign officials to let them know of the content that was leaked on WikiLeaks. The White House released a statement that condemed the actions of WikiLeaks due to the highly sensitive nature of cables. However, the Obama administration continues to state that it supports an responsible open government.

Source: The New York Times

Jobless benefits set to end Dec. 8

Nearly 2 million Americans will lose extended unemployment benefits next Wednesday with the expiration of the extension granted by Congress in 2007. Jobless benefits typically last for six months, but due to the economic crisis, Congress voted then to extend the benefits to 99 weeks. With 9.6 percent of the population stuck in unemployment, senate Democrats tried to extend the extension before it expired but were blocked by Republican Scott Brown. Republicans said that in order to avoid increasing the budget deficit, any further extension of benefits would have to have been offset.

Source: MSNBC

International

U.S. declines attending emergency talks

North Korea launched a deadly artillery attack on the South Korea island of Yeonpeng last week, which killed two South Korean marines and two civilians as well as injuring 16 people. The country then released news that a uranium enrichment plant now exists in North Korea. China has since called for emergency talks between North Korea, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and Russia but the U.S., Japan and South Korea have refused to come to the table. The U.S. for its part is unwilling to engage in the talks because it believes that agreeing to emergency talks now would reward North Korea's behavior over the past week.

North Korea claims fault lies with South Korea for firing at the North from the island. Though the South returned fire to North Korea's attack, they claim that only test shots had been fired prior to the attack and the shots only entered areas that were not North Korea's territory.

The refusal also comes in response to China's neutrality after the attacks; China offered only to host the emergency talks and made no remark as to who was responsible for the attacks.

South Korean President Lee Myungbak and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan both rejected the Chinese invitation as well in response to what they say was North Korea's brutality.

Military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have continued in the Yellow Sea as a show of force despite North Korea's attack last week. However, South Korea cancelled live-fire artillery drills scheduled for Nov. 29 on Yeonpeng island in response to the attack.

The Obama administration has asked for better enforcement of sanctions against North Korea in the United Nations; however, the Security Council, which met on Nov. 28, has no new plans for what to do. President Barack Obama is expected to call Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss the crisis in the Korean Peninsula.

Source: The New York Times

Russia may stockpile weapons if New START does not pass

The Obama administration has organized the New START treaty that could potentially reduce the maximum nuclear warheads per country from 2,200 to 1,550. President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Colin Powell held a news conference Dec. 1 to encourage the Senate to ratify the treaty. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that if the Senate does not ratify the treaty, Russia may begin to stockpile nuclear weapons. Putin said that if the Senate does not act in a smart way, Russia will have to respond.

Source: Washington Post

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