Resolved: Wikileaks is a threat to National Security

Transparency in government, in the bodies of politic men and women who lead democratic nations is, and always has been, an important part of how democracy functions. The general public unarguably deserves a degree of respect and information in this respect, in order to further that democratic discourse. There comes a point, however, when those who seek to publicize and actively disseminate volatile information in search of a narrow, high ideal do so at the cost of the safety and well-being of millions of people around the world and, most importantly to today's debate, in the United States. Hello, I am Tristan Haas,and I will be affirming the resolution that Wikileaks is a threat to national security. The release of uncensored, unfiltered information under the auspices of the Wikileaks organization is unforgivable; that release constitutes an undeniable threat to national security. In the interest of today's debate, we would like to define national security as the well-being of the general public and the general operations of the United States government. We would also like to define a threat to that security as some action that increases the risk of harming the well-being of the general public or the operations of the government. As the well-being of both US citizens and the US government is dependent on global security, Wikileaks is not just a threat to national security but also a threat to that global security. The release of this information is dangerous and poses a grave threat to people around the world. Our three main contentions regarding this threat are: First, the release of classified information increases risk of severe terrorist or extremist damage to critical global infrastructure. Second: Wikileaks's actions in posting this information implicate it as the main culprit in increasing this risk. Third: the spread of this information has and will damage American foreign policy and bargaining positions, and has illegally released vital military information. For these reasons, and for the overarching argument that these releases have increased the threat level to our national security, I urge the readers to affirm the resolution. First: the release of classified information increases risk of severe terrorist or extremist damage to critical global infrastructure. The releases posted by wikileaks over the past year have contained sensitive information from governments around the world; the most concerning leaks were from the United States Department of State to posts in various sensitive areas around the world. A particular cable, written on February 18, 2009, outlines hundreds of sites around the world "whose loss[es] could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States." In the words of the cable, the sites listed provide clear sites which terrorists can target to cripple global governance. The clear classifications at the top of the cable (NOFORN, which means No Foreign Nationals, SECRET, and NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION) provide the ramifications with which this cable should have been treated; these laws were broken and, as a result, the terrorist threat to the integrity of the United States government was further compromised. The sites listed in this cable include many undersea cable sites, several nuclear powerplants, mines and pharmaceutical sites, hydroelectric dams, oil pipelines, weapons and munitions factories, and natural gas lines. The list goes on and on...essentially, for a terrorist to inspire terror and fulfill his mission, all he has to do is target one of the hundreds of sites on this list; a more complex group like Al Qaeda could even target several without the world governments being able to find out and thus truly cripple the world, and certainly harm our national security. Second: Wikileaks's actions in posting this information implicate it as the main culprit in increasing the risk to national security. In the case of posting these cables to the Internet, Wikileaks showed no restraint and total lack of journalistic discretion, and posted every piece of information without any redaction or consideration. The cables outline military strategies, describe critical infrastructure sites, and release the names of Afghan and Iraqi civilians aiding the US military, which can amount to a death sentence in these areas. Due to these reasons, Wikileaks, although not the sole perpetrator in this web of intrigue, was totally responsible for its actions; this information would not have found its way into a public forum if not for the efforts of Julian Assange and his organization. Thus, Wikileaks is at fault here, and, seeing as how we have proven that the release of this information is a threat to national security, it follows that Wikileaks is then a threat to national security. Third: The spread of information has and will damage American foreign policy and bargaining positions, and has illegally released vital military information. We have shown to you how one cable has potentially compromised the safety of citizens around the world; what follows adds on to that one piece of evidence. In several of the cables released recently as well as in many of the Afghan and Iraq War Logs, tactics and positions used by the Allied forces in those countries were released, potentially giving terrorists a wholly unnecessary look at how our military functions. We the citizens of the United States may arguably have a right to this information, but we really don't need to know it. Foreign nationals, who can now access these cables, have absolutely no right to see this information. There are no true benefits for us to seeing in type the words of diplomats; there are only drawbacks in the form of possible terrorist action. The New York Times reported on the tense situation in Egypt in the past two years; a leak through Wikileaks revealed some of the strategies Hillary Clinton had been planning in her talks with Hosni Mubarak. With these strategies revealed, Ms. Clinton was left with her position lessened, and possibly made less headway in her diplomatic talks. All in all, the existence of Wikileaks is a threat to not just national but global security. In the interest of continuing to keep the world's governments functioning, I urge the readers to affirm the resolution today. Thank you.