Assange - What Wikileaks Teaches Us About How the US Operates - Book: The WikiLeaks Files | Article Extracts-Summary - Part I

EXTRACTS | SUMMARY [For quotation purposes, confirm original article] PART I RE: Book The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to U.S. Empire (Verso, 2015) ---- SOURCE Assange: What Wikileaks Teaches Us About How the U.S. Operates By Julian Assange 8/28/15 http://www.newsweek.com/emb-midnight-827-assange-what-wikileaks-teaches-us-about-how-us-operates-366364 ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Leaked US docs lifted veil on imperialist nature of USA foreign policy ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Communication Early empires Stone transmission of compressed institutional rules to be safely communicated into future Early methods did not allow for: rapidly unfolding events official nuance or discretion gaps addressed by: oral medium other: eg papyrus light and fast to create, but fragile easy to construct and transport, unifying occupied regions = rapid information flow | could: = feed reactive central management = integrate incoming streams of intelligence = swiftly project outgoing decisions {but with tendencies toward short-termism & micromanagement} ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Absolute boundary to existence of empire: = ability to project an empire’s: desires structure knowledge across space across time ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Hallmark of empire = structured attempt at managing an extended cultural; and economic system using communications ---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------  USG DoS Empire Communications | Vulnerable to Dissection records of these communications ( never intended to be dissected / especially vulnerable to dissection) form the basis for understanding nature of world’s sole remaining “empire.” ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Anatomy of US Empire Where is it? 191 countries 276 fortified buildings 169 embassies & other missions of USG 71,000 people across those countries 27 different US govt ('USG') agencies 27 other USG departments ('depts') & agencies incl: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) National Security Agency (NSA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) US military (various branches) ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Embassy Components Ambassador = usually close to domestic US political; business; or intelligence power Career Diplomats = specialize in politics; economy; and public diplomacy [propaganda]; of their host state. Others: managers researchers military attachés spies under foreign-service cover personnel from other USG agencies *some embassies:  may have overt armed military; or  covert special ops forces Caretakers | Services contractors security personnel technicians locally hired translators cleaners other service personnel ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- USG empire communication means: radio satellite some communication USG mainland: receive; or disgorge diplomatic and CIA cables some relay the communications of US military ships & planes others = NSA mass-intercept of mobile phones other wireless traffic of host population ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- USG Diplomatic Service History Dates back to the American Revolution  1765 - 1783 | here Modern US DoS came into being: post WWII 1973 - appointment of Henry Kissinger as secretary of state concurrent appointed of Henry Kissinger as: national security advisor facilitated tighter integration b/w following arms of USG: foreign relations military intelligence 1973 - cables transmitted in bulk, electronically *for first time* US Department of State ('DoS') UNIQUE - Among USA Bureaucracies Other USG agencies = one function admin US DoS = represents / houses = all major elements of US national power = cover for CIA = buildings for NSA mass-interception equipment = office space & communications facilities for: FBI military other USG agencies & staff to act as sales agents & political advisors for largest US corporations   ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Understanding US DoS diplomatic apparatus cannot properly understood from outside US DoS = directly involved in putting a friendly face on empire = ie concealing US DoS underlying mechanics 'public diplomacy' = outward propaganda $1 billion p.a. is budgeted by USA for outward propaganda ('public diplomacy') USG DoS propaganda ('public diplomacy') aims to influence: 1) journalists; and 2) civil society; so that they serve as *conduits* for US DoS messaging ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- USG DoS | Released Info | National Archives national archives = impressive collections of internal state communications BUT - material intentionally withheld (or made difficult to access) for DECADES aim: to strip info of potency reason: potential 'blowback' ie.  timely, accessible archives of international significance *would produce 'blowback' in the form of: withdrawn funding; or termination of officials ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Potency of Secret Communications Revealed | The Naked Empire publication = vivisection of a living empire = (showing what substance flowed from which state organ & when) = internal communications by-product of activities of US DoS = not produced in order to manipulate public = cables aimed at elements of rest of US state apparatus = therefore relatively free from distorting influence of public relations = reading US DoS cables (internal communications, stripped of propaganda / external influence intent) |  = much more effective way of understanding an institution like US DoS than reading reports by journalist (fed to them by likes of Hillary Clinton & Jen Psaki) ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Note however: cables / internal communications  of US DoS officials = must match their pens to the latest DC orthodoxies = elements of political correctness = noteworthy & visible to outsiders who are not sufficiently indoctrinated Cables show how US DoS (& agencies that inter-operate with cable system) = understand their place in the world KEY to understanding: Only by approaching this corpus holistically (above localised atrocity & individual abuses): does the true human cost of empire heave into view ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT Above extracts/summary are my way of distilling what is key (to me).  Best to read the article itself, in case there's gaps in my understanding. Following not clear to me: serve as *conduits* for US DoS messaging Is that the journalists & members of civil society to serve as conduits of US DoS messaging, as result of US DoS 'public diplomacy' propaganda?  That's what I assumed. ꕤ