Since the WikiLeaks document dump on Nov. 28 that saw thousands of private diplomatic cables released to the public, there have been calls for the killing of WikiLeaks head and founder, Julian Assange.
Direct Calls to Kill Assange
The day after the documents were released, Professor Tom Flanagan of the University of Calgary appeared on CBC’s Power and Politics program. The former advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told host Evan Solomon, “I think Assange should be assassinated, actually. I think Obama should put out a contract to maybe use a drone or something.” After Solomon commented that his statements were harsh, Flanagan told the host he was feeling “manly” today.
Two days later, Flanagan again appeared on the show and issued an apology. He said, “I never seriously intended to advocate or propose the assassination of Mr. Assange.”
There seems to be a consensus of opinion that if Flanagan was indeed trying to tell a joke, it was not a good one. As pointed out by Maclean’s, he should quit comedy and stick to politics.
One person who was definitely not kidding was Washington Times columnist Jeffery T. Kuhner. His column that was published on Dec. 2, 2010 was titled, “Assassinate Assange.” It’s impossible to be any more direct than that.
Kuhner argues that Assange poses a clear and present danger to the US and the latest release has severely crippled both American diplomacy and the ability of the US to engage the terrorists. The columnist argues that Assange is not simply a whistleblower, but someone who is working to secure the defeat of the United States. He should be taken out just as those who are killed in drone attacks.
Others Have Been Less Direct
Some other prominent people have implied that Assange should be taken out without being as blunt as Flanagan and Kuhner were.
On her Facebook page the day after the documents were dumped, Sarah Palin said, “He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban. Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?”
In his Nov. 30, 2010 entry on the Weekly Standard blog, editor Bill Kristol questioned why WikiLeaks cannot be destroyed, both in cyberspace and in physical space.
Targeted Assassination as Part of US Foreign Policy
Although there is no standard definition of targeted assassination, it refers to the targeting and extra-judicial killing of a person or persons by agents of the state. These killings are ordered when the person or person is thought to create a danger to the security of the United States.
A Congressional committee found the CIA had taken part in several plots against leaders of countries hostile to the United States between 1960 and 1970. As a result of these conclusions, President Ford signed Executive Order 11905, outlawing such practice.
After the attacks of 9/11, President George W. Bush gave written orders to the CIA to kill certain named terrorist leaders.
Currently, President Obama is authorizing drone attacks to kill terrorists in Pakistan and elsewhere.
The Nov. 28, 2010 document dump appears to be more of an international embarrassment than a threat to the security of the United States. What happens in the future as a result of the leaked documents will likely determine whether Assange is a proper target for a targeted killing.
Maclean’s, Flanagan should quit comedy, stick to politics, retrieved Dec. 5, 2010
The Free Dictionary, assassination, retrieved Dec. 5, 2010
Facebook page, Sarah Palin, retrieved Dec. 5, 2010
Washington Times, Assassinate Assange, retrieved Dec. 5, 2010
Arthur Weinreb - Weinreb is an author, associate editor and columnist with Canada Free Press and the Canadian Affairs Feature Writer for Suite 101.
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