What a week it has been for diplomacy. Thanks to WikiLeaks, no important country was untouched and very few feathers were left unruffled.
While only pigeon feathers have been shaken loose in India so far, ostrich-sized feathers were painfully ripped out of countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia, China and Iran.
And to stretch a metaphor to breaking point, America's best friend Pakistan was not only plucked clean but also trussed up and marinated.
It seems America does not trust its closest ally, Pakistan, and fears for its stability. US diplomats believe Pakistan will never give up militancy and is very, very anxious about the country's nuclear arsenal.
The overall picture of America that emerges is a nation that is trying to ensure that its best interests are maintained while still remaining reasonably near its founding principles of freedom and equality. The American world-view, unsurprisingly, is grey.
Every country wants to be America's friend. And while the Americans are no heroes, at least they are trying to influence things in a slightly positive manner.
Or you could take the view that the Americans are obviously trying to control the world because of their greed for oil and power. But that view only naively divides the world into black and white.
The US is threatening severe action against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for the act. The US claim that was an international crime. Julian is currently on the run, being accused of sexual harassment and facing an Interpol warrant for his arrest.
Wikileaks have definitely proven that the US exerts a massive amount of influence in the world. Now it is beginning to focus all that influence on the Australian. Let's hope he can escape this attention as well as he has managed to get it.
Full Coverage: Wikileaks
Swedish court rejects WikiLeaks chief's plea against arrest in rape case | A compilation of reactions to the WikiLeaks cables
Text: Vinayak Hegde
Images: AP/PTI
