Comments

1
I rather fear that in a way this may turn out to be just a fad, though - attention being paid because Wikileaks shows something broadly discussed turned out to have been discussed by diplomats as well (resolution unknown, for the most part).

Journalists may be tempted to use the Wikileaks label simply to hype ordinary stories they haven't the resources to make compelling otherwise.

One good role model so far for how to sift Wikileaks and contextualize is the rock-solid Scott Horton over at Harper's No Comment blog.
http://harpers.org/archive/2010/11/hbc-9…
2
Saudi Arabia is a superpower?
3
@2:

Considering Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer and sits on approximately 25% of all world oil reserves, the answer to your (presumably rhetorical) question is: yes.
4
@2 compared to us ... yes.

If we weren't bogged down in two foreign wars of misadventure, it might be different.
5
I'm looking forward to the document that states "Oh, we know prohibition doesn't work, we just like having massive financial leverage in your country."
6
Saudi Arabia is a regional power but a declining one. Their economy is in shambles, with average incomes plummeting and opportunity nil. Yes, they have oil, but their share of the oil is also declining; the new finds are all coming in other places, like Africa, which continent is pretty much sewn up by China, diplomatically, thanks to our inept, counterproductive moralism with regard to that continent.

But the Saudis still matter, thanks to their significant military. They are also handicapped by their stupid inbred leadership, which is however relatively sane compared to most of the other governments in the region. They're not as sclerotic as Egypt, for instance, nor as batshit as Iran. I mean, who else is there? Turkey is paralyzed by its internal dilemma. Iraq doesn't exist. Syria is a toilet. The emirates are fleas, and drowning in debt. Basically no government in the Middle East has a freaking clue about anything at all except Israel's.

The scary thing about Mexican wikileaks is that revealing the true depth of the ties between government and crime is likely to create not transparency but chaos. The narcos don't want to govern; they just want their trade routes. They don't give a shit about laws. But a country with nothing but criminal trade routes and no government is Somalia; we do not want Somalia on our border.
7
@6 they've been investing in solar. Their major problem is their own citizenry are lazy fucks who hate their own kingdom.
8
@2 Yes, Saudi Arabia is an awesome superpower.

In fact, given the opportunity, who wouldn't choose to own 25% of the world's oil and reserves, over stupid crap like invisibility or flight?
9
New figures put Venezuela at the top of the reserves table, with twice as much as Saudi. Saudi is probably closer to 10% than 25%, and that number is falling all the time as more is discovered.
11
Mayhaps you should research the Fourth Estate a little better, Mr. Mehlman.
12
am i the only one appaled by huckabee stating that the wikileaks source should be executed 'the blood is on their hands' - isn't this the same douchebag who granted morris clemmons clemency while governor, and that criminal, almost a year ago to the date of huckabees asinine statement, killed 4 on duty police officers? talk about hypocrisy. will huckabee do the right thing and please disembowel himself now?

Please wait...

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