Julian Assange: The Wikileaks Files

Craig Barfoot talks to Julian Assange. Wikileaks came to prominence in 2010 with the release of 251,287 top-secret State Department cables, which revealed to the world what the US government really thinks about national leaders, friendly dictators, and supposed allies. It brought to the surface the dark truths of crimes committed in our name: human rights violations, covert operations, and cover-ups. This bookpod is an interview with WikiLeaks cofounder Julian Assange, who has written the introduction for the book, The Wikileaks Files, The World According to US Empire (Verso, 2015).  The podcast, produced and presented by Craig Barfoot, first appeared on the Ideas Books website. The WikiLeaks Files presents expert analysis on the most important cables and outlines their historical importance. In a series of chapters dedicated to the various regions of the world, the book explores the machinations of the United States as it imposes its agenda on other nations: a new form of imperialism founded on varied tactics from torture to military action, to trade deals and “soft power,” in the perpetual pursuit of expanding influence. It illustrates the close relationship between government and big business in promoting US trade.