They might not have known precise numbers, but they still had a fairly good idea of what's going on. Even when the US presented the USSR as a major threat. In reality they could see it was collapsing and were simply buying time until it did.

I agree that this leak seems to be totally pointless though. It hasn't really changed anything other than to make international diplomacy seem as phony as it is.

So, a country that struggles to hold itself internally is powerful, while a stable democracy, where the talk of the day is the president's fart joke is weak? The fact that people think about what their government is doing and have the power (albeit limited) to change the direction they are going is a sign of great personal freedoms and a free country is more innovative, productive and open to new things (so it does not stagnate). Of course, this means it's more vulnerable to outside hardships, but with every attack it adapts easily and responds accordingly. And that's why democracy is the worst form of government, except for every other form of government.

Democracy is weak and strong at the same time, most countries from eastern europe were democracies before WWII, and they were all conquered by USSR, until the americans (today´s villians 4 many people here) stopped them on Austria and Germany . At last democracy seems to win, but we could face huge times of darkness. Having today freedom is not a guarantee for next generations freedom.
And i found all these obsesion of europe´s media with America really pathological.

Why don't these people focus on revealing the identities of those who keep sending me 419 emails? I hate those guys.

I guess in China the goverment would just turn of all access to WikiLeaks and all discussions about it. So yeah, living in a democracy has its advantages.

I am basically concerned about the lack of respect for individual freedom that is shown during the ever ongoing threat of worldwide terrorism. It undermines principal rights and shows the limits of democracy. In the last 10 years the surge towards closed loop observation has been really great and thats sad. If WikiLeaks can uncover some of these things, thanks to the people behind that service.

I don´t receive that kind of mails, you seem to be a victim of spiders. Shouldn´t put your e-mail on the web without editing it.

I've never done that, and you insult me by suggesting I do so. It's like all those idiot kids who post on cheat boards and say "omglolorz send me the saavgaym to dumbnuts@lalaland.org". I laugh at them.

Excuse me madam, but your assertion that I deserve Berlusconi makes me cry.

These bastards take their data from two places, first one spiders, second one formularies (like registering ones) from certain webpages, and third one your own contacts and friends (malware, i worms and other shit), or even your own computer. To prevent that I use a special gmail account only to web register, other to pay sites like this, and two ones only to comunicate with people and a good antivirus.

No intention to offend anyone, sorry.

I agree.

What? Oh, no. I was being facetious. My point was I never hand out my email or post it publicly, nor my phone number or chat aliases. I've already sued the local newspaper once for littering on my property because they didn't stop putting in a "Local Values" circulation, which is just a collection of advertisements and prices for local markets, in my mailbox. I said to them, and I quote, "My mailbox is not a proper wastepaper receptacle. I've requested, politely I might add, that you stop littering on my property. You have not, and so I shall see to it that you are fined the maximum amount, and will sue you for property damages".

But all of that is waaay off topic.

And hilarious. I now think you are the funniest man on GOG.

Seconded, your belligerent brand of facetiousness tickles my funnybone regularly.