Do You Want Everything You Think About Everyone To Be Made Public? Too Bad

Here's the WikiLeaks release of confidential cables from American diplomats, revealing that, yes, they say candid and sometimes insulting things amongst themselves about the people with whom they negotiate. The question is not just whether things should be secret or not, but whether it's even possible to negotiate if there are no secrets. Think of any deal you've negotiated, from employment contracts to real estate purchases. If you couldn't speak candidly even to people on your own side, could you even make a single deal? How can there be diplomacy if the diplomats are unable to speak confidentially to members of their own team? Does Julian Assange oppose any and all diplomacy? Does he even understand how it's done? (New York Times)

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