Wikileaks, Imperialism, And The Western Media
By Sean Fenley
15 September, 2010
Countercurrents.org
It’s odd that what has almost never been overlooked by a single Marxist commentator in human history, seems to be “outside of the box” for many progressive “pundits” and many in the progressive sphere. Of course, after Bush pushed — the MSM willing — for his debacle/bloodbath in Mesopotamia, there seemed to be a great deal of thought put into, apparently, what many had interpreted as a purported failure of the “mainstream” press. Commentators who took this line of approach, one would almost have to wonder, if they had ever read any of the MSM’s scrawlings? And if such persons making such an argument have read the mainstream “news” media; on U.S. foreign policy and a panoply of other things, and believed what it is that they are reading, then such commentators are surely living in a surreality of their own.
The mainstream media’s primary vocation, when it comes to the U.S. reach throughout the planet, is to slander, ridicule and report all sorts of dubious information on, those who are resisting the global neoliberal imperial economic order. Anyone who understands the facts of U.S. efforts to topple the democratically elected socialist government of Venezuela understands this as an elementary and incontrovertible precept. But a segment — if not the majority of the “progressive commentariat” — were left scratching their heads, after the goals of a particular imperial campaign were met and served by the mainstream media “bastions of journalism”? The obtuseness here, borders on the absurd, but these sorts of views that the mainstream should have deviated from a standard, long-standing and virtually uninterrupted practice; on Iraq, were not rare.
All of this has come to my attention, probably because I am not one, who has joined in the upswell for the “crusading” of Julian Assange and the support of his Wikileaks operation. Insofar as what he has released has been very much in line with the blueprint of ensconcing a wholly neoliberal planetary order. And so long as Assange’s revelations, push nothing other than a proliferation of the U.S. neoliberal imperial project; it will be unclear as to what masters it is that Wikileaks ultimately serves. Assange, despite purported education in a multiplicity of areas, would seem to be a neophyte in matters of intelligence and geopolitic schemes. The Western media and intelligence services, love nothing more than to engage in the manipulation of an unwilling person — as a kind of “propagandistic fodder” — that they can use, and can shape and can mold. I’m not saying that is what Assange/Wikileaks is; however, but I do look forward to forthcoming reports that will be damaging to U.S. imperial power, and client states such as Israel, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Egypt, etc.
As Noam Chomsky adeptly pointed out — after the release of recent cables — the United States and Israel are viewed by a plurality of average, everyday Arabs as far greater threats to them than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Yet, the cables that have come out have shown Arab leaders; far out of step with their own citizenry, calling for the US to stop Iran’s alleged nuclear proliferation program. In which, claims of a program for weapons of mass destruction are dubious, and should remind any rational observer of the “cherry picking” and “sexing up” that went on before Bush’s “blunder” in Iraq. Not to mention, of course, that India and Pakistan developed nuclear weapons and neither state was subject to monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, because neither of these countries had even ratified the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty). Israel, is a whole different story altogether, but unequivocally it has continued to operate as a rogue government, and not even make any official acknowledgment of any of its nuclear bombs.
The games that can be played to serve imperial power are certainly varied and duplicitous, indeed. Hollywood scenarios of Manchurian candidates and Mk-ultra zombies, performing psychological, and other intelligence operations, can be titillating and serve as great fantasy — and even a bit of fun. Just as likely; however, is that Assange/Wikileaks have moved out of the shallow end, and into the deeper end of the water. Knowing what we know about the Western media consistently and reliably servicing war, neoliberalism, and imperialism, we should be certain that Wikileaks is not involved in supporting them too. We don’t want to hop on the Wikileaks bandwagon of cheering for a man who is “surely” a force for peace, justice, transparency, and good.
Sean Fenley is an independent progressive, who would like to see some sanity brought to the creation and implementation, of current and future, U.S. military, economic, foreign and domestic policies. He has been published by a number of websites, and publications throughout the alternative media.
