Dear Colleagues,
In this week's media briefing, the Conference of Defence Associations
(CDA) would like to draw your attention to media coverage in the areas
of:
- WIKILEAKS
- AFGHANISTAN
- CANADIAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE ISSUES
- RECOMMENDED READING
--- WIKILEAKS ---
The Guardian, Der Spiegel and The New York Times were given access to 92,000 documents obtained by Wikileaks on the war in Afghanistan weeks prior to their leak last Sunday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logshttp://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html Andrew Exum for The New York Times says that Wikileaks provides no revelations about the Afghan war, except to further muddy a complex situation by releasing thousands of primary sources out of context.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/opinion/27exum.html?ref=todayspaperChristie Blatchford for The Globe and Mail claims “Wikileaks [is] hardly a revelation on Afghanistan.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/Somnia/article1652563/An editorial in The National Post argues that the leaked Afghan documents contain few surprises and therefore are unlikely to negatively impact the war’s prosecution and may even force Pakistan to assume a more active role against the Taliban.
http://www.nationalpost.com/enemy+Pakistan/3325986/story.html Mark Mazzetti et. al. for The New York Times provides an in depth examination of the Pakistan connection with the Taliban in the 90, 000 documents released by Wikileaks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26isi.htmlHussain Haqqani for The Wall Street Journal contends that Pakistan remains a committed US ally in the war against the Taliban and the Wikileaks do not reflect Pakistan’s sacrifices and successes in combating the insurgency.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703700904575391581626604078.htm...Reuel Marc Gerecht for The New Republic writes that Leslie Gelb’s alarmist reaction to reports on Pakistan contained in the Wikileaks documents has been overstated and an American withdrawal, as suggested by Gelb, would further deteriorate the security situation.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/76588/what-wikilieaks-pakistani-loyalt... Greg Jaffe and Peter Finn for The Washington Post predict that the massive leak of American intelligence will not change the course of the war because it adds little to the public narrative.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/26/AR20100726056...Gabriel Shoenfeld for The Weekly Standard decries the New York Times decision to keep secret a trove of over 90,000 documents provided by Wikileaks, containing the names of Afghan civilians cooperating with ISAF forces and thus exposing them to reprisal attacks.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/new-york-times-coverPeter Worthington for The Toronto Sun describes Wikileaks as ‘Wikiweak,’ because of its dearth of new facts on the ISAF mission.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/peter_worthington/2010/07/28/148...Eric Morse for The Ottawa Citizen sheds light on the credibility of the Wikileak documents, identifying them as unedited ‘raw bulk data.’
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Weak+leaks/3334740/story.htmlAn editorial for The Financial Times compares and contrasts the leaked Afghan documents in 2010 with the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/966bea12-98e6-11df-9418-00144feab49a.htmlFred Kaplan for Slate explains why the Wikileaks ‘Afghan War Log’ does not even approximate the Pentagon Papers released in 1971.
http://www.slate.com/id/2261780/Thomas Joscelyn for The Weekly Standard analyses documents in the Wikileaks war log that demonstrate a connection between Iran and the Taliban.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/what-wikileaks-documents-say-about-iran-a...Colonel (Ret’d) Alain Pellerin is interviewed by Emmanuelle Latraverse on Radio Canada Television on the subject of Wikileaks.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/24_heures_en_60_minutes/2009-2010/Entrev...Robert Baer for Time is concerned less with the content of the leaked documents than with their quality, which suggests that allied forces are ‘blind in Afghanistan.’
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2006738,00.htmlJohn Goetz and Marcel Rosenbach debate the ethical nature of Julian Assange’s mission to publicize government documents on Wikileaks and its implications for democracy.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708632,00.htmlAn op-ed for The Wall Street Journal argues that Wikileaks proves the American classifies too many documents as secret, considering there was little to learn from the leaked Afghanistan war documents.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703700904575391142863583852.htm...Tony Karon for Times reviews the leaked documents and concludes that “Washington is neither loved nor feared as much as it is increasingly ignored.”
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2006493,00.html#ixzz0v08x2bxI--- AFGHANISTAN ---
Peter Bergen for The National Post asks what Afghans want for their country and appeals to coalition nations to continue building security in Afghanistan and honour their commitment.
http://www.nationalpost.com/Keeping+promise+destitute+country/3335104/story.htmlJack Devine for The Wall Street Journal argues that a military victory is impossible in Afghanistan and it is time for the CIA to devise a covert plan that accounts for historical lessons.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704201604575373253893718806.htmlMatthew Fisher for The National Post reports that Afghans are disappointed by Canada’s unilateral decision to withdraw in 2011, without consulting their Afghan partners.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Afghans+frustrated+planned+Canadian+pullout/...Karin Brulliard for The Washington Post reports that American troops rely on local strongmen to exert control into the remote and treacherous reaches of Kandahar province.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR20100728061...Lauara King and Paul Richter for The Los Angeles Times scrutinize the impact of Taliban launched surface-to-air missiles on a coalition campaign that is highly dependent on helicopters.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/28/world/la-fg-afghan-missiles-20100729Yahoo News comments on an updated code of conduct for allied forces issued by General Petraeus instructing soldiers to ‘fight hard’ in Afghanistan but be a ‘good guest.’
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100728/pl_afp/afghanistanunrestusmilitarycorrup...Joe Klein for Time urges his readers to look beyond the Taliban to the more central and pressing security concern that exists in Pakistan.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007243,00.htmlJayshree Bajoria for The Council on Foreign Relations examines the accusations that the Inter Services Intelligence Agency supports the Taliban.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11644/isi_and_terrorism.html#p2 David Ignatius for The Washington Post posits that America has no choice but to continue working with Pakistan in attempts to close Taliban sanctuaries along the border with Afghanistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/27/AR20100727048...An editorial in The New York Times explores Pakistan’s double-game playing off the West and the insurgency, which will lead to an American defeat unless Pakistan’s allegiance and fullest cooperation can be secured.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/opinion/27tue1.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaperAryn Baker for Time examines the devastating consequences for Afghan women that would result from a withdrawal.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007238,00.htmlJoshua Partlow for The Washington Post examines General Petraeus’ strategy for combating endemic corruption in Karzai’s government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR20100728056... Matthew Fisher for Canada.com reports that the rate of Canadian deaths in Afghanistan has dropped as the allied death toll rises.
http://www.canada.com/news/Rate+Canadian+deaths+Afghanistan+dropping+allied+t...The New Republic has created ‘The TNR Symposium’ containing links to articles by Fouad Ajami, Peter Bergen, et al, addressing what is next in Afghanistan.
http://www.tnr.com/afghanistan?utm_source=TNR+Daily&utm_campaign=25cc3ef59c-T...Benjamin Birnbaum for The Washington Times reports that General Mattis, newly confirmed Commander of CENTCOM, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that America would remain in the region.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/27/central-command-pick-backs-af...--- CANADIAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE ISSUES ---
Colin Robertson for The Globe and Mail argues that with its wealth of natural resources, it is time Canada starts to act like an energy superpower.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/lets-act-like-an-energy-superpow...Christie Blatchford for The Globe and Mail scolds the Canadian media for reporting as fact that four Canadian soldiers had been killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, when the evidence amassed and corroborated by the Canadian Forces proves that they were killed by Taliban-fired rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle in three separate incidents on September 3, 2006.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/christie-blatchford/canadian-med... Minister of Defence Peter Mackay in a letter to The Ottawa Citizen provides a cogent explanation for the government’s procurement of F-35 fighter jets.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/exercised+options+purchase+jets/33347...--- RECOMMENDED READING ---
Michael Bell for The Globe and Mail that foreign intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan has amounted to a thinly veiled form of cultural imperialism.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/Somnia/article1648824/Neil MacFarquhar for The New York Times reports that the United Nations has appointed Canadian Carmen Lapointe-Young as the next head of the UN’s internal watchdog agency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/world/29nations.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Carman%2...Christopher Drew for The New York Times writes that several parts on Lockheed-Martin’s VTOL version of its F-35 striker jet are failing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/28fighter.html?_r=1&ref=world&page...Aaron Friedberg for The New Republic explores the race for the seas that is developing between the US and China, where the latter is gaining considerable headway and becoming a viable contender.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/76551/china-navy-naval-power-pacific-i...--- TO CONCLUDE ---
The CDA continues to contribute to a non-partisan and informed debate
about security and defence issues important to Canada and Canadians. We
welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Regards,
Alain Pellerin, Colonel (Retired)
Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations
222 Somerset Street West, Suite 400B
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 2G3
Tel: +1 (613) 236-1252
Fax: +1 (613) 236-8191
E-mail: director@cda-cdai.ca
Web:
www.cda-cdai.ca
Home
Pages: 1
Wikileaks is No Smoking Gun (29 July 2010) (Read 4 times)
