I wish that both PFC Manning and Julian Assange had considered the dangers to persons hired as interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They need to be protected by anonymity, exactly as we do, here on the Ross Institute website. And the price of being exposed by name as assisting the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, is the risk of death, often by torture, and risk to one's family members, too.
However, with this said, the whole sorry mess has revealed the extent to which the US military and intelligence services failed to take precautions and failed to vet personnel, allowing a child like Bradley to walk away with staggering quantities of data on a flash drive.
It is my considered opinion that if Mr Assange had showed better judgement, we would still have Wikileaks available as a resource.
I support in priniciple Wikileaks, but not what it became under Assange's injudicious leadership.
As for the charges he faces, he would, under Anglo American common law, be considered innocent until proven (beyond a reasonable doubt) guilty.
How things pan out in the Swedish legal system remains to be seen.
Some further discussions here
Columbia Journalism Review
Small Wars Journal
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smallwarsjournal.com]
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www.google.com]