[p2p-research] Is open diplomacy possible?

[Matt]

Bioethicist Peter Singer <http://www.princeton.edu/~psinger/>  has a 
thought-provoking piece on Wikileaks' Cablegate, in which he discusses The 
Treaty of Versailles <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles> , one 
of the most notable pieces of secret diplomacy. Since the treaty bore 
substantial responsibility for several of the conditions that led to World War 
II, Singer says "it has a fair claim to being the most disastrous peace treaty 
in human history." He brings up points both pro and con:

Openness is in this respect like pacifism: just as we cannot embrace complete 
disarmament while others stand ready to use their weapons, so Woodrow Wilson's 
world of open diplomacy is a noble ideal that cannot be fully realized in the 
world in which we live.
We could, however, try to get closer to that ideal. If governments did not 
mislead their citizens so often, there would be less need for secrecy, and if 
leaders knew that they could not rely on keeping the public in the dark about 
what they are doing, they would have a powerful incentive to behave better.

Is open diplomacy possible? 
<http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/singer69/English> 
(project-syndicate.org)



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