Wikileaks is a threat to US National Security

Thanks to my opponent for agreeing to debate this with me :) I affirm the resolution that Wikileaks IS a threat to the United States' national security. Before starting my case, I'd like to define a few key terms: Threat is defined as "declaration of an intention or a determination to inflict harm on another" National Security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military and political power and the exercise of diplomacy. National Security includes the deterrence of attack, from within and without, as well as the protection and well-being of citizens. CONTENTION I: Wikileaks, in its quest to spread information about injustices, could provide an opportunity for misinformation to be spread. Wikileaks claims that all of its information is accurate, but in reality there is no way to be sure of this. Just like Wikipedia, the accuracy of the information is difficult to gauge. Misinformation could in turn lead to conflict and ultimately endanger our country simply because falsehoods could result in panic. According to the Army Counterintelligence Center "Because anyone can post to the site and there is no editorial oversight, the public may use Wikileaks as a source of misinformation, or to create lies or propaganda to promote a positive or negative image of a targeted audience". And because Wikileaks doesn't have American interests in mind, it is more likely to misuse this power. Julian Assange's British lawyer, Mark Stephens, warned that WikiLeaks was holding further secret material, which he dubbed a 'thermo-nuclear device' to be released if the organisation needed to protect itself. WikiLeaks security comes first for Stephens and Assange, and they are clearly willing to jeopardize America if they deem it necessary. CONTENTION II: Wikileaks exposes our vital interests, which in turn endangers our country and those who supply the information. Political official, Newt Gingrich says "Julian Assange is engaged in warfare, information terrorism, which leads to people getting killed, is terrorism. And Julian Assange is engaged in terrorism". Some of the recent documents leaked put several US citizens' lives in danger, which by definition threatens US national security. State department spokesmen PJ Crowley even claimed that the spill of cables could put lives at risk. If lives are at risk, then national security is thus being threatened- because the well-being of citizens isn't being protected. B: According to several Council of Foreign Relations experts, the recent release of over 250,000 diplomatic cables obtained by Wikileaks has the potential to impact U.S. efforts in the Middle East, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Robert Danin, one of the experts from the CFR, states that some contacts have already refused to meet with U.S. diplomats. Maintaining good relationships for open exchanges, etc. is incredibly important for our country, and Wikileaks only harms this. Moreover, CFR expert John Campbell suspects African leaders will find some of the leaks "hurtful," which will affect their response to U.S. requests for African support in multilateral organizations like the United Nations. This would be a huge loss and harm to US and larger efforts, all because Wikileaks opened hurtful information up to the public. CONTENTION III: Wikileaks is a danger to U.S. diplomacy. A: By exposing important information, it puts the country at a greater risk for terrorism. According to Army Times, "A recent document spill by WikiLeaks included detailed and blunt exchanges between foreign and U.S. officials on such politically sensitive matters as a top-secret U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen" Not to mention, Joe Biden says"There is a desire now to meet with me alone rather than have staff in the room. It makes things more cumbersome. So it has done damage." Similar comments were made by the Defense Department, where spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said the military had seen foreign contacts "pulling back" and that "generally, there has been a retrenchment." Foreign relations have been damaged and thus national security is being threatened. National Security depends on foreign relations assistance in many instances. B. While under prosecution, "Assange was reportedly threatening to release a 'deluge' of leaked government documents should he come under threat from foreign governments" Says Macnicol of Business Insider. He directly threatened the US with his infinite data, and demonstrated that wikileaks can harm the US national security. According to the Daily Mail UK Assange has "distributed to fellow hackers an encrypted 'poison pill' of damaging secrets, thought to include details on BP and Guantanamo Bay." This is a direct declaration of intentional harm on the US.