Published in USA Today * July 31, 2013 print edition
By Norman Solomon
Tuesday's verdict from a
military judge does not diminish the huge moral stature of whistle-blower
Bradley Manning. Next month, I will be proud to deliver a petition to the Nobel Committee in Oslo with a
simple message from more than 100,000 signers: "I urge you to award the
Peace Prize to Bradley Manning."
Thanks
to Manning, vast troves of information have become public knowledge, making
possible more informed debate about war and peace. For instance, he leaked the
now-infamous "collateral
murder" video, with a soundtrack of chilling banter as U.S.
servicemen in a pair of gunships fired on civilians in Baghdad.
Other
evidence that Manning brought to light includes a U.S.
diplomatic cable about
a covered-up massacre of at least 10 civilians, including young children, in
the Iraqi town of Ishaqi. That revelation stiffened the resolve of Iraq's
government to seek jurisdiction over American troops for criminal actions.
Washington found the demand unacceptable, thus hastening full U.S. military
withdrawal from the country.
Such
disclosures from Manning "helped end the Iraq War, and may have helped
prevent further conflicts elsewhere," according to Mairead
Corrigan-Maguire, a Nobel Peace laureate. She has formally
nominated Manning for the honor this year, saying "I can think
of no one more deserving."
Consent
of the governed is meaningful only to the extent that it is informed consent. Bradley Manning let
Americans, and many others around the world, know what their governments were
really doing. The disclosures caused problems for leaders in many nations who
much preferred to operate behind an opaque curtain.
Over
time, democracy and peace are closely entwined. Only a knowledgeable citizenry
can come to grips with actual policies that perpetuate war when shielded from
public scrutiny.
It's
easy to insist that Bradley Manning must face the consequences of his actions.
But we badly need whistle-blowers like Manning because U.S. government leaders
do not face the consequences of their actions, including perpetual warfare
abroad and assaults on civil liberties at home.
No
government should have the power to keep waging war while using secrecy to
cloak policies that cannot stand the light of day. Thank goodness for the
courage of Bradley Manning.
__________________________________________
Norman
Solomon is author of War
Made Easy, founding director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and
co-founder of RootsAction.org.