The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire

Does the title sound like an oxymoron? It is. I’ve been with Vine for around 6 ½ years. This is probably the slowest read I’ve ever reviewed. To be honest, I’m only about 1/3 through the book. We have deadlines to get these reviews up, and I feel I have the jist of it, & if my opinion changes, I will revise the review; as I fully intend to finish it.

First, call me paranoid, but I do not think it is wise or safe to discuss the content on a website of this size. The last time I checked, though no one else had put it that bluntly, 4 people largely avoided the content; the other disagreed with it.

The only comment I’m going to make regarding the content, is that I think this book (as bloody boring as the writing is) should be required reading for every literate human over 16, especially in the USA & the West in general.

Regarding the writing & concept: the cables are mostly paraphrased, not quoted; through checking, the url’s in the book leading to the actual cables are currently functional at the time of writing.

The problem: Though I consider myself quite intelligent, I do not like academic writing, & it’s really inappropriate for the target audience that this information would most likely impact.

The format: Julian Assange wrote the long introduction. Part 1 (so far the most important part) was not attributed to any author, though public speculation seems to say it was also Assange. The other chapters / “parts” were written by a number of other authors, many of whom are part of Wikileaks.

To summarize: 1½ stars for the mediocre writing; 5 stars for the information. I am throwing math out the window & giving this 4 stars as it is of much greater importance then “the Pentagon Papers” or the seminal Woodward/Bernstein work.

My unasked for advice: next time get a talented (& sympathetic) author to write the book. I somewhat recently read activist musician Bruce Cockburn’s autobiography. As these causes are important to him, & he was an excellent writer, he may have been a good choice.

Informative, revealing, very very sad commentary on this country's current history and government.

This is a compilation of articles by various contributors with a wide range of experience in international affairs. They include Dan Beeton who has worked with the Center for Economic Justice; Phyllis Bennis, a fellow of the Institute of Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam; Richard Heydarian, an assistant professor in political science at De La Salle University in the Philippines; Dahr Jamil, an award-winning journalist who reported from the US-occupied Iraq; Alexander Main, a senior associate for international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research; Tim Shorrock, the author of ‘Spies for Hire’; Russ Wellen, an editor with ‘Foreign Policy in Focus’; Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco; and many others, two of whom have chosen to contribute their article anonymously. Their articles are: ‘America and the Dictators’, ‘Dictators and Human Rights’, and ‘War and Terrorism’. There is no named editor of this book. Since the book carries the name ‘WikiLeaks’ as part of its title, it seems appropriate that Julian Assange should write the foreword to it.

Leaked cables ‘relating to Latin American dictatorships and human rights abuses…disclose a pattern that is quite different from that of other regions, such as the Middle east, where the US clung tenaciously to dictatorship as its favoured political form’. The articles refer to leaked information some of which may be news to the public, and others will merely confirm what the public had been suspecting without proof. American administration ‘exploited the ploy of hand-wringing about a possible Israeli attack in high-level meetings with foreign officials to influence various governments’. One of which was Turkey. Leaked cables also show ‘evidence of a widespread US policy during the occupation [of Iraq] of shooting first and asking questions later, as well as detaining anyone and everyone “suspected” of having any links to attacks on US forces.’ Cable evidence also show ‘the seemingly contradictory situation of a liberal Obama administration – one of the most left-leaning in history, some conservatives say – intervening in both South Korea and Japan to reverse progressive change and maintain right-wing, pro-militarist governments more to the liking of the United States.’

This is surely a divisive book. Right-wing American hawks are likely to condemn it not just for its contents but may even condemn it merely by the name ‘WikiLeaks Files’ – even without reading the book. Others will advocate this as an important book that exposes the hypocrisy, ambitions, and deceit of the Neo-American empire builders. Neutrals, will find an extraordinary wealth of information and analysis that will keep thinking and honest people thinking and honest.

Super accounting of everything!

This book provides the deep dive on Cablegate that we've waited several years for. The first three chapters also cover some of Wikileaks's other accomplishments post 2010. Where formal scholarship has been too timid (and sometimes too servile) to tread, a variety of journalists and scholars charge through the Cablegate source material, to provide in-depth analysis and context for understanding why the cables are so important to the world. I like very much that this book is divided into regions, and that it doesn't waste time trying to convince us of its objectivity. The idea that any media source provides objectivity is absurd. I would suggest anyone expecting that from this book take a hard look at their assumptions about communications media, and then come back to the book later.

One question bothered me, however: who has written the first 3 chapters? while i respect the right of the author to remain anonymous if she chooses, i hope she knows that there are people who would support her if her identity were compromised somehow due to her journalism and scholarship. it bothers me that the climate for political dissent in the west is so bad that people writing a book like this might feel the need to hide themselves.

Sort of like reading a dictionary. Very interesting and disturbing information packed into a book but, there doesn't seem to be any consideration for the reader as it doesn't really seem as summarized as it could've been and because of this is VERY dense. It is still VERY interesting and the footnotes on every page are a nice touch in case someone wants to check every single citation used in the book.

This is a must read for every American over the age of 12.

save your money...nothing more than photocopy of what you can see online

Everyone needs a copy of it ! including and especially school children.

A must read