WikiLeaks are Not Terrorists — A Critical Assessment of the “Hacktivist” Challenge to the Diplomatic System

In an effort to explore the changing nature of international relations in the era of deterritorialized information and communication technology, this essay interrogates the responses of diplomats and other political elites to the “Cablegate” scandal, which resulted from WikiLeaks release of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables in late 2010. Following a brief historical background on the necessity of subterfuge in international diplomacy, I explore the demonization of WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, as “high tech terrorists” bent on attacking the United States and its allies. Using critical international relations theory, I argue that this response was highly predictable, despite the minimal damage done to Washington’s capacity to conduct its foreign policy in either the short or longer term.