Foreign Affairs in the Age of WikiLeaks

The Digital Age represents a revolution in the history of the human race, a transformation in the way information is transmitted, processed and retrieved. The quantity of available information is approaching infinity, and access to it is increasingly direct and without intermediation. In international affairs, we are experiencing a revolution in the number and types of players and, even more significantly, their political empowerment. The reach and impact of individuals (witness Julian Assange and WikiLeaks) and crowds (witness Tahir ul-Qadri and the overthrow of the Egyptian government) are unprecedented, not least of all in their potential for challenging and changing the international order. Published in the National Post.