Julian Assange is an Australian citizen which, along with his organization, leaked several diplomatic cables from the United States. Plentiful of them describe situations that may contain very sensitive information that could put agents and diplomatic officials on foreign countries at risk, and it could instigate wars on very volatile areas like the Middle East.
Individuals who are knowable of Information Technologies does not necessarily imply they are knowable of geopolitics. If such people leak or even handle certain kind of information, it would damage peace negotiations, to make an example. It is like a child playing with fire, and, given the situation of the Middle East, it would be doing it surrounded by spilled canisters.
Questions arise such as:
Do whistle-blowers have ulterior motives?
Are they themselves as transparent as they demand from other governments?
Why foreign citizens like Julian Assange have special interest in U.S. affairs, and not in other regimes such as Russia, and China?
Questions arise such as:
Do whistle-blowers have ulterior motives?
Are they themselves as transparent as they demand from other governments?
Why foreign citizens like Julian Assange have special interest in U.S. affairs, and not in other regimes such as Russia, and China?
Does the actions of whistle-blowers make the world a better place?
Sometimes whistle blowers feel that it is OK to harm people if their actions server the greater good. The greater good argument has been with man kind since the dawn of time. In this case innocent people are being hurt. I do not agree with what Julian Assange did.
ReplyDeleteThe "greater good" is often used by groups like the KKK who wish to engage in criminal activities, but wish to excuse it in a "social good" umbrella.
ReplyDeleteMany serial killer do the same thing, where they assemble a justification for what they do by both blaming the victim, and then trying to justify what they did.
Rapists often use the same logic, whereby they often blame the victim, and try to claim it is all the victims fault. If some societies, legally the victim can be at fault, and in some countries, the rapist will claim they were engaged in a social acceptable activism in order the keep the rape visit "in line".
In domestic violence situations, the assaulter often justifies a great social good in their beating of other family members in order to "discipline them" or to punish thier behavior. There will be a great deal of social justification in these situations, and quite often religious justification, but very often they are merely being a predator, who is seekign to be embraced by thier society , and claiming that whet they are doing is a "moral good".
People like Snowden and Manning are not seeking to perform an act that is morally good, and they most certainly are not trying to make the world a better place. They each seek to harm people, and even to bring about thier deaths, but as they do nto wish to be demonized in society, they lie and confect an excuse, and then wrap themselves up if the adgendas of the media or political groups who are always seekign a willing sacrifical lamb.
The question you're asking "Why foreign citizens like Julian Assange have special interest in U.S. affairs, and not in other regimes such as Russia, and China?" is very genuine. That may lead to another question like "are they being employed/exploited by some unknown force?"
ReplyDeleteGood questions brought up about these whistleblower. Not sure who really benefits.But whistleblower protection for FBI agents seems to be a nice protection for Dr. Frederic Whitehurst when he tooted in 1997.
ReplyDeleteWhistleblowing can be a divisive topic and, while most would agree with the value of reporting wrongdoing and condone good organizational governance, external contexts can colour acceptance and perception. If businesses promote good corporate governance for all, whistleblowing needn’t be viewed negatively or as solely the preserve of business or community leaders.
ReplyDeleteHow we perceive "the greater good" and the price for it is different. It doesn't matter what these whistle blowers are trying to bring to light, if it risks the safety of anyone other than themselves, I don't agree.
ReplyDeleteThe moral dilemma behind whistle blowers is that they are exposing sensitive personal information, but they could also be exposing the corruption of the government/leader. Exposing this information could make the citizens realize that what their government is doing is wrong, and cause an uprising.
ReplyDeleteThe moral dilemma behind whistle blowers is that they are exposing sensitive personal information, but they could also be exposing the corruption of the government/leader. Exposing this information could make the citizens realize that what their government is doing is wrong, and cause an uprising.
ReplyDeleteI think that certain actions of whistle blowers are good like exposing government corruption. However I think that exposing certain situations where it could potentially put innocent lives at risk is wrong.
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