What Are The Politics of Julian Assange???

[Rakhmetov]

Is the man a leftist or what???

[Widerstand]

Free Market Capitalist. He wants the leaks to stop financial speculation (those are coming up next) and government intervention.

Source - some interview don't remember which one.

[bots]

Free Market Capitalist. He wants the leaks to stop financial speculation (those are coming up next) and government intervention.

Source - some interview don't remember which one.

Heard the same thing on the radio this morning.

[redz]

Free Market Capitalist. He wants the leaks to stop financial speculation (those are coming up next) and government intervention.
Source - some interview don't remember which one.


Really doesn't matter that much - in asserting the public's RIGHT TO KNOW, and revealing secrets from the inner sanctum of American imperialism, WikiLeaks has become the lightning rod for the wrath of global imperialism and its primary target du jour. In the context of class struggle, WikiLeaks has delivered a blow against imperialism, and Assange's pious deference to the wonders of the "free market" not withstanding, the interests of the international working class lie with the side of WikiLeaks, "freedom of the press", and further exposures of these sinister documents. This mandates defending WikiLeaks and Assange against the ongoing and escalating attacks from the imperialist establishment.

Redz

[Red Commissar]

Free Market Capitalist. He wants the leaks to stop financial speculation (those are coming up next) and government intervention.

Source - some interview don't remember which one.

Yeah. According to an interview he did with Forbes-

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/an-interview-with-wikileaks-julian-assange/5/



Would you call yourself a free market proponent?

Absolutely. I have mixed attitudes towards capitalism, but I love markets. Having lived and worked in many countries, I can see the tremendous vibrancy in, say, the Malaysian telecom sector compared to U.S. sector. In the U.S. everything is vertically integrated and sewn up, so you don’t have a free market. In Malaysia, you have a broad spectrum of players, and you can see the benefits for all as a result.

How do your leaks fit into that?

To put it simply, in order for there to be a market, there has to be information. A perfect market requires perfect information.

There’s the famous lemon example in the used car market. It’s hard for buyers to tell lemons from good cars, and sellers can’t get a good price, even when they have a good car.

By making it easier to see where the problems are inside of companies, we identify the lemons. That means there’s a better market for good companies. For a market to be free, people have to know who they’re dealing with.

You’ve developed a reputation as anti-establishment and anti-institution.

Not at all. Creating a well-run establishment is a difficult thing to do, and I’ve been in countries where institutions are in a state of collapse, so I understand the difficulty of running a company. Institutions don’t come from nowhere.

It’s not correct to put me in any one philosophical or economic camp, because I’ve learned from many. But one is American libertarianism, market libertarianism. So as far as markets are concerned I’m a libertarian, but I have enough expertise in politics and history to understand that a free market ends up as monopoly unless you force them to be free.

WikiLeaks is designed to make capitalism more free and ethical.

[cowslayer]

He always seemed to me as if he would be part of the Zeitgeist movement

[Widerstand]

He always seemed to me as if he would be part of the Zeitgeist movement

He does indeed look a bit like an Anunnaki.

[The Vegan Marxist]

The Zeitgeist Movement, whether one agrees with all their views or not, are predominantly an anti-capitalist movement though. Julian's views wouldn't cross well with them, especially since they turned themselves into a technocratic movement with the Venus Project.

[bots]

I'd say most l337 h4x0rz are pretty right libertarian in their politics. You know, just to generalize and stir shit up I'd say that.

[cb9's_unity]

He may be a libertarian but he's the best libertarian there fucking is.

Honestly I don't want to know much about his politics because there's so much joy in watching the chaos he's creating in the U.S government. His progressive actions far outweigh his misguided ideology.

[Red Commissar]

I think it's amusing seeing some of the self-declared Libertarians (ala lolbertarians of the Glenn Beck shade) are fiercely against him, while it seems that many of those on the "left" seem to be more supporting of him. Politics makes odd bedfellows and all that jazz...

Though Ron Paul, in an interview with Fox Business, has come out in support of Assange and has stated he'll oppose any measure to prosecute Assange.

[Peace on Earth]

He's the type of libertarian I can live with, a true libertarian. Disagreements over economics aside, the man is fighting against the actions of the U.S. government, which I can support.

[RedSonRising]

It strikes me as odd when one who knows so much about the financial structure of the country and how it feeds into global hierarchies of power can't see the links which dis-empower the working masses. Spending so much effort and risking a lot as well, so we can have....better markets? AKA, mechanisms run by the elite who create the corrupted decision-making trends you're exposing in the first place? :confused:

I still appreciate all the man is doing, but I just don't get it.

[Tatarin]

But it is pretty ironical, don't you think? He exposes the very documents that his ideology is based on. I think it is a little bit strange, I mean, it seems every country on the planet has something wrong that it wants to keep secret, yet this doesn't send him a clue about how liberalism perhaps isn't the best system there is (well, since almost every country rides on the ideology of liberalism it seems)?

On the other hand, perhaps it is better that he is a "liberalist" rather than a socialist? Else communism (online) would most likely be branded as extremely dangerous and banned from the internet?

(Besides, is Malaysia really the best example of a "working market"? Working for who, the guy in the ghetto who lives on 2 dollars a day???)

[ckaihatsu]

It's fetishism for the social machinery itself....

[punisa]

I still appreciate all the man is doing, but I just don't get it.

In essence he is a computer geek and you won't find a decent communist in that bunch (my apologies to all of the rare exceptions).

One forms his ideology from the oppression he/she encounters.
I've seen the exploitation and thus had to find reasons for it - it all led to the array of leftist ideologies.

Assange on the other hand is computer whiz and they usually distribute themselves either as "black" or "white" - meaning they'll either use their technical skills for the bad or for the good.
Ever heard of white and black hat SEO (search engine optimization)?

Personally I believe Assange knows little about politics, at least when compared to some of us here.
This lack of knowledge keeps him from endorsing socialism.
One other guy like this (but he is changing slowly) is Michael Moore.

Trying to tidy up capitalism is destined to fail from the start.
Capitalism itself must fail.

[Widerstand]

It strikes me as odd when one who knows so much about the financial structure of the country and how it feeds into global hierarchies of power can't see the links which dis-empower the working masses. Spending so much effort and risking a lot as well, so we can have....better markets? AKA, mechanisms run by the elite who create the corrupted decision-making trends you're exposing in the first place? :confused:

I still appreciate all the man is doing, but I just don't get it.

Perfect markets without capital investment, coupled with a reasonable tax system would lead to total wealth equality.

Yeah, that won't exist in capitalism, I'm aware.

[Savage]

Is there anyone else that works for Wikileaks that's well known? I'm sure that there would be leftists involved with Wikileaks.

[Thirsty Crow]

He's the type of libertarian I can live with, a true libertarian. Disagreements over economics aside, the man is fighting against the actions of the U.S. government, which I can support.
This is not a minor disagreement, like a matter of academic debate or something.
This guy's politics are aimed at the preservation of the rule of capital. It's that simple.

However, there is no simple, one-to-one correspondence between his politics and his actions (and the results it may bring).
The issue is whether his actions may bring forth results we, as revolutionary leftists, may embrace.
In other words, it is a matter of whether the leaks will consolidate the working class and bring about a rise in its militancy.
And reforms he hopes for are all smoke and mirrors. In this age I do not even think that legislation favouring the working class (higher wages, better working conditions, halthcare, education) may be enacted (witness the class form from above in the form of austerity measures).
So, I'm forced to conclude that any possible legislative result of his actions will not conform to the principle of empowering the working class.
Hell, all of this may even result in a new information legislation, tightening the control of state agencies over sensitive info (that is, if the disgruntled people do not hit the streets).

At best, I can imagine a rise in a vague anti-government sentiment, but that is a double-edged sword as Assange himself proves - it can be instrumentalized by the pro-capitalist forces, as well as revolutionaries.

[Widerstand]

This is not a minor disagreement, like a matter of academic debate or something.
This guy's politics are aimed at the preservation of the rule of capital. It's that simple.

However, there is no simple, one-to-one correspondence between his politics and his actions (and the results it may bring).
The issue is whether his actions may bring forth results we, as revolutionary leftists, may embrace.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if WikiLeaks, in the future, brought forward leaks discrediting leftists.

After all there is a very real control organ with an obviously pro-capitalist political agenda that filters the leaks.

[bots]

I think they're dropping info on major US financial institutions at the beginning of next year. As far as "discrediting" leftists goes I say who cares? Free information keeps people honest. Fuck knows the RCP USA could use some whistle blowing. I want to know what Bob's been up to!

[RED DAVE]

I think they're dropping info on major US financial institutions at the beginning of next year. As far as "discrediting" leftists goes I say who cares? Free information keeps people honest. Fuck knows the RCP USA could use some whistle blowing. I want to know what Bob's been up to!THE TRUTH ABOUT BOB AVAKIAN'S HIDDEN FINANCES – NEVER BEFORE SEEN HERE! (http://citysquares.com/b/avakian-financial-group-9232572)

RED DAVE