The American Leak

The steady release of cables, written by US diplomats, demonstrate a convoluted, counterproductive US foreign policy. The US enters alliances with countries that do not share its expressed values, then tries to deny the differences. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman uses cables about Saudi Arabia by way of example, detailing the contradictions that emerge from US reliance on Saudi oil: while the US saps its resources to fight terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, secret cables describe Saudi Arabia as a major donor for terrorist organizations while urging the US to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. And China rebuffs US efforts to prevent North Korea from shipping ballistic missile parts to Iran via Beijing. The US lacks leverage with nations like Saudi Arabia and China because of its addiction to oil and cheap credit. “Geopolitics is all about leverage,” Friedman suggests. “We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home. But our politics never connects the two.” The US would have more leverage – and integrity – by reducing debt, easing borrowing and rapidly developing alternative energy sources. – YaleGlobal