Leaky Geopolitics: The Ruptures and Transgressions of WikiLeaks

Leaky Geopolitics: The Ruptures and Transgressions of WikiLeaks
A Geopolitical Forum:
Simon Springer: Department of Geography, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Heather Chi: National University of Singapore Alumni, Singapore; Jeremy Crampton: Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Fiona McConnell: Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK; Julie Cupples: Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Kevin Glynn: School of Humanities, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Barney Warf: Department of Geography, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; Wes Attewell: Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Geopolitics

The unfurling of violent rhetoric and the show of force that has lead to the arrest, imprisonment, and impending extradi-tion of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, serve as an exemplary moment in demonstrating state-sanctioned violence. Since the cables began leaking in November 2010, the violent reaction toWikiLeaks evidenced by numerous political pundits calling for Assange’s assassination or execution, and the movement withinthe US to have WikiLeaks designated a ‘foreign terrorist orga-nization’, amount to a profound showing of authoritarianism.The ‘Wikigate’ scandal thus represents an important occasionto take stock and think critically about what this case tells us about the nature of sovereign power, freedom of information, the limits of democracy, and importantly, the violence of the state when it attempts to manage these considerations. This forumexplores a series of challenges inspired by WikiLeaks, which we hope will prompt further debate and reflection within critical geopolitics.

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