There are a lot of red-faced diplomats in Washington and in embassies around the world today. Over the weekend, the WikiLeaks Web site unleashed a mother lode of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, yanking back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes.
There's hard-nosed back-room bargaining. Brutally candid assessments of foreign leaders. And alarming reports about metastasizing nuclear and terrorist threats from Iran and North Korea.
Yes, these leaks are embarrassing to many diplomats who expected their reports and opinions would remain private. But they are also fascinating reading for Americans who usually witness diplomats in public, smiling, shaking hands and issuing bromides about "frank exchanges."
Want to know what the diplomats and world leaders think? What they said? Read these cables.
One important revelation: The U.S. and Israel have been loud and public in warning about Iran's mounting nuclear threat. But Iran's Arab neighbors? They've been silent. Now we learn from the leaked cables that the U.S. and Israel have a sotto voce Arab cheering section, urging a harder squeeze on Iran.
We learn that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged the U.S. to attack Iran: "Cut off the head of the snake" before it is too late.
We hear King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain say "the danger of letting (Iran's nuclear program) go on is greater than the danger of stopping it."
And this blunt talk from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan: "(Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad is Hitler."
Those aren't the kinds of things Arab leaders say in public, for fear of angering Iran or inviting a backlash from their own populations. If only they would speak honestly to the world: A chorus of strong Arab voices would increase the current pressure on Iran to back off its nuclear ambitions.
•••
The leaked cables also reveal the chilling news that the two remaining charter members of the Axis of Evil are active trading partners: North Korea sent Iran 19 advanced missiles, putting Western European capitals within Iran's range for the first time.
Ahmadinejad dismissed the leaks on Monday as a ploy to make him look bad. He said "the countries in the region are like friends and brothers and these acts of mischief will not affect their relations."
What he's saying in private, well, we imagine it's not so … diplomatic.
