"We were told as diplomats, ‘Don’t ever put anything in a cable you wouldn’t want on the front page of a newspaper.’ It shows that they’re a lot of arrogant people, that the system itself wasn’t checking itself," says Ann Wright, Retired United States Army Colonel and former State Department official, of the latest documents released from WikiLeaks. Meanwhile, several of the diplomatic cables released describe possibly illegal actions by the US government, and Wright notes that the chances of anyone being held accountable are slim.
Ann Wright joins The Nation on Grit TV to discuss the latest releases from WikiLeaks, what they tell us about the Defense and State departments and what should happen—but probably won’t—to the people who have been breaking international laws.
The Nation on GRIT TV is a weekly video collaboration between The Nation and GRIT TV with Laura Flanders. Watch for Monday briefings, Wednesday commentaries, weekend conversations and more at TheNation.com. For full half-hour episodes of The Nation on GRIT TV, or local television air times visit www.grittv.org.