[LINK] Australian Diplomat whose cable was leaked by the governmentwhen it suited them

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Kim Holburn
> Sent: Wednesday, 8 December 2010 11:48 AM
> To: Link list
> Subject: [LINK] Australian Diplomat whose cable was leaked by 
> the governmentwhen it suited them
> 
> 
> But it's OK if it's the government doing it for their own 
> political gain.
> 
> http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=24421
> 
> > Kevin Rudd and 'harmless' WikiLeaks
> 
> > During my last months as Australia's ambassador in 
> Cambodia, I had the 
> > odd experience of reading words from a secret cable I had 
> sent to my employers in Canberra plastered all over the front 
> pages of a Sunday newspaper.

Written by:

Tony Kevin retired from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade in 1998, after a 30-year public service career in DFAT and Prime
Minister's Department. He was Australia's ambassador to Poland (1991-94)
and Cambodia (1994-97). 


This is a fascinating insight into the daily nuts and bolts of the world
of international politics.

Reams of cables arriving in Canberra from skilled wordsmiths all
designed to elevate the status of the writer in the eyes of the
Minister.

Tony Kevin suggests that there were good and not so good cable
correspondents and infers that foreign policy was based on the best
written missives.

It makes you almost want to go back to uni and take an English lit
combined Journalistic communications 101 course.

If I can write a good enough cable about this, then the Minister will
promote me...

Such is foreign policy made of.

Roger [Clarke (Link)] made some deep insightful comments about the
haphazard releases that Wikileaks was effecting.
In some areas, like the document on strategic targets, I am forced to
agree with him.

In fact it was exactly the same complaint that Reporters sans frontiers
made last year. 
Leaking everything without vetting it is possibly more harmful than not
leaking anything.
For example, there can be no defence for the releasing of a document
about the locations of globally crucial infrastructure.

In regards to North Korea, I sincerely doubt that with all the
incursions and sniping (actual bullets) crossing the border between
North Korea and China, Kim Jong-Il is unaware of the taut razor edge
relationship that he has with his largest supporter, China (who in fact
are looking to expand their borders and this is well known to North
Koreas Political hierarchy.)

Tony Kevin's comments are a must read for anyone trying to understand
the real reason why some of the leaked cables contain the wording that
they do.

The reader upon reading needs to calculate the "embellishment factor"
for each cable.

How much of this cable is real, and how much is self serving attention
getting gumf added by a promotion seeking foreign affairs civil servant.

When all is said and done, Tony believes that: 

>>"It can do no great harm, and may in the longer run do some good."

An interesting insight from a long time Foreign affairs Ambassador. No
doubt someone that is considerably more qualified to gauge the political
fallout damage that may occur due to the Wikileaks lifting of the worlds
political petticoats, than the average man in the street.

Thank-you Tony Kevin.