
Julian Assange “will surrender” if UN rules against him - ascorbic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35489859
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plugger
I really wish Julian would pull his head out of his ass. I'm fed up with his
antics but more importantly I'm disgusted with how his cult of personality has
completely ruined what little legitimacy Wikileaks once had. There was so much
promise in the service initially, sadly that's all been ruined by his personal
transgressions and his attempts to leverage Wikileaks to protect himself from
criminal prosecution. It's pretty depressing.

~~~
andor
_his personal transgressions and his attempts to leverage Wikileaks to protect
himself from criminal prosecution_

That depends entirely on who you trust more, international politics or a
whistleblower on a mission for free information and accountability.

I can't say much about Assange, but I have learned that the primary concern of
nation states is to protect their interests, by basically maximizing the
outcome of a game theory model. Secondary factors like integrity, that
citizens might care about, can later be faked by covering things up.

~~~
plugger
Nation states are run by people. And people, Assange included, more often than
not have their interests as their primary concern. I don't share your view of
Assange as a whistleblower on a mission for free information and
accountability, otherwise he wouldn't turn a blind eye to Russia and Putin's
moves over the history of Wikileaks. He IS part of international politics now
due to his desire and track record of attacking both the US and western
interests more generally.

Regardless my point still stands. He's taken wikileaks from a hub of
wistleblowing and transparency to effectively a bullhorn for the Free Julian
Assange movement. Wikileaks IS Julian Assange, Assange IS Wikileaks. And
that's what saddens me more than anything else. What was once seen as a new
paradigm for anonymous whistleblowing has deteriorated into a poorly
masqueraded propaganda machine for his personal benefit. I think John Young
saw this before anyone else and all considered I think he was right.

------
beedogs
And, when they do, and when he's magically whisked away to some US-run gulag,
those of us (including Assange) who saw it coming will get to say "I told you
so."

Which won't really be very satisfying.

~~~
ascorbic
Fiver says he isn't.

------
nextweek2
I suspect he's waiting for the next US president. At that point what US
politician is going to want to extradite him and drag up all that old mud?

