I always thought State missed a huge PR opportunity w/ the WikiLeaks release. While Assange’s actions were dangerous and likely criminal, the revelation of thousands of cables from hard working diplomats was in some ways American diplomacy’s finest hour. The release backfired. 1/

Instead of showing how evil America was, the releases largely showed the opposite. Everyone got a look behind the curtain and c/d see that there was no grand conspiracy hidden from the public. US diplomats generally approached the world how you w/d want and expect. 2/

US diplomats deplored the autocrats and HRts violators and sent back biting assessments. And some got evicted for it.



The cables also showed that US diplomats are phenomenal writers. They were witty, frank, astute and clear eyed. Book after book cites them for their insight.3/