SPIEGEL Interview Assange - Drowning in Material

ARTICLE SPIEGEL Interview with Julian Assange:  'We Are Drowning in Material' Interview Conducted By Michael Sontheimer SOURCE http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/spiegel-interview-with-wikileaks-head-julian-assange-a-1044399.html ------------------------------------ PARTIAL SUMMARY Attacks on WikiLeaks legal cases blockades PR attacks attacks on technical infrastructure staff had to take 40% pay cut  Extrajudicial Banking Blockade WikiLeaks cut off from more than 90% of its finances Donations new infrastructure / updated, secure submission system Drowning in Material challenge is whether WikiLeaks can scale up income in proportion to volume of material Transparency education / understanding preferred term Publication *publish both secret documents & accompanying analyses *over 10 million documents and associated analyses Taboo / McCarthyism *US government employees & US Army blocked *federal government employees / contractors  must remove WL data from computer & self-report Readers Largest number from:  India Closely followed:  USA Media Collaboration over 100 contracts with media orgs  around world Edward Snowden Only org that cared about him:  WikiLeaks Snowden abandoned in Hong Kong, esp. by Guardian Journalists Activists for the way things are / status quo. Protection of sources:  extreme diligence & professionalism is required. Book:  "The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to the US Empire" Lack explanation:  media economics / short-term news cycles > Academia failing  - geopolitical / technical intersection Where are the academics? / Not explaining how modern power is exercised Noam Chomski, 86, still at forefront Younger academics not keen to risk career Academia WikiLeaks: has published over 2 million diplomatic cables. single largest searchable repository for international relations of primary source materials. cannon for international relations [***] Some research published in Spanish & in Asian languages. American &  English journals silent. Academia:  acts as feeder schools for the US State Dept. ISA - US association controlling big 5 international relations journals: has quiet, official policy of not accepting any paper that is derived from WikiLeaks' materials. [  ISA - International Studies Association  ] NSA Spying on European Govts US intelligence info very valuable for German intelligence, BND. NSA Throw Crumbs to Keep Control Americans probably share/trade info obtained by spying, to keep German spying agency puppet from complaining. Likewise, Americans probably provide info re such spy partners to the targets of NSA spying, when targets complain about being spied on. Germans play down the intelligence issue, so as not to expose themselves as weak. German govt vulnerable to take-down by USA, who have been spying intensively at top level for decade - all it takes is US leaking info to journalists, in terms of pointing journalists in the right direction. NSA-obtained spy info re politicians can be used for blackmail of politicians. UK - JTRIG MO blackmail fabricating videos fabricating SMS texts in bulk creating fake businesses with the same name selling inferior products, so that the business gets a bad reputation Concretely documented in Snowden docs. Manning / Snowden 35 years in prison = some deterrent effect. but it erodes perception of US govt as legitimate authority just authority perception is the key to legitimacy USG Assange Charges Five Types: espionage conspiracy to commit espionage computer fraud & abuse theft of secrets general conspiracy Were the above x1 charge each = 45 yrs But they're multiples of each type of charge. Also:  Espionage Act has life imprisonment & death penalty provisions. WikiLeaks - Library built from courage & sweat of many during 5-year confrontation with a superpower What is more powerful than USG & its military & secret services? Assange: Physics. Mathematics. The underpinnings of physical reality are harsh and could do with adjustment but it is not clear how. USA Investigation - Unprecedented Scale & Nature 120 - US Intelligence & FBI officers Moved from Pentagon to Dept of Justice FBI continuing to provide "boots on the ground" Over  dozen US agencies - ranging from US State Dept to NSA - involved WikiLeaks Proceedings dozen various proceedings, incl: largest international espionage case against a publisher in history bogus 'sex case' role of WikiLeaks in Edward Snowden's asylum Anti-Terror Act (UK) - Sarah Harrison, investigations editor, Berlin.  criminal investigation / gag order used to cover up a major international bribery Australia Sweden "preliminary investigation," initiated during heat of the US conflict dormant for almost 5 years  NO charges "In 40 other cases, Swedish prosecutors have interviewed people in Britain during those five years. They have not done that in my case and they placed me under a gruelling bail situation." Assange had to report each day for 600 days: "I had to wear a monitoring unit around my ankle. Alleged war criminals from the former Yugoslavia being held on bail here in Britain don't have such conditions. " Lawyers WikiLeaks received advice from: abt 150 lawyers across cases. [ SKIP FORWARD ] German Leak / BNDNSA Focus of NSA spying: Global Signals Intelligence Highlights (Executive) USG very interested in idea that Germany would propose a greater role for China in IMF. German initiative nipped in the bud:  b/c China helping Europe = threat to US dominance. Google Mass Surveillance Free services disarming / non-corporate or civic seeming exporting a specific mindset of culture "cultural imperialism" / "Disneylandization" of the Internet ie Google "digital colonization" new societal rules re activities are permitted and what info can be transmitted from nipples to:  function of public debate & parliamentary lawmaking "Once something becomes sufficiently controversial, it's banned by these organizations. Or, even if it is not so controversial, but it affects the interests that they're close to, then it's banned or partially banned or just not promoted. SPIEGEL: So in the long run, cultural diversity is endangered?  Assange: The long-term effect is a tendency towards conformity, because controversy is eliminated. An American mindset is being fostered and spread to the rest of the world because they find this mindset to be uncontroversial among themselves. That is literally a type of digital colonialism; non-US cultures are being colonized by a mindset of what is tolerable to the staff and investors of a few Silicon Valley companies. The cultural standard of what is a taboo and what is not becomes a US standard, where US exceptionalism is uncontroversial." WikiLeaks Source Re Trade Secret Agreements Trans-Atlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TP) FTAs ASSANGE "package that the US is using to reposition itself in the world against China by constructing a new grand enclosure." "tighter economic and legal integration with the United States, which draws Western Europe's center of gravity away from Eurasia and towards the United States, when the greatest chance for long-term peace in Eurasia is its economic integration" PHOTO: Julian Assange (right) speaks to SPIEGEL journalist Michael Sontheimer inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. SOURCE http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/spiegel-interview-with-wikileaks-head-julian-assange-a-1044399.html ------------------------------------ COMMENT Michael Sontheimer does great interviews. Really enjoyed this article. Skipped summary in the middle, as I was running out of steam. Lengthy article, but really worthwhile having a read. As to, 'cannon for international relations," not sure if he meant 'cannon', as in weapon, or 'canon' as in standard/criterion or maybe benchmark.  But doubt he meant 'holy scripture' ... LOL. Was surprised there's such a big WikiLeaks readership in India, but I guess it makes sense.  Large population.  English speaking, I think. ------------------------------------ LOOK-UPS ISA - International Studies Association