Media watch: The WikiLeaks storm

International media talks about the latest WikiLeaks spill and discusses how it can impact global politics in future.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Around the World, Distress Over Iran

When Mr. Obama took office, many allies feared that his offers of engagement would make him appear weak to the Iranians. But the cables show how Mr. Obama’s aides quickly countered those worries by rolling out a plan to encircle Iran with economic sanctions and antimissile defenses. In essence, the administration expected its outreach to fail, but believed that it had to make a bona fide attempt in order to build support for tougher measures. (nytimes.com)

Analysis: Wikileaks vindicate, don’t damage, Israel

From an Israeli perspective, therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to say that WikiLeaks may have done the country a service on Sunday. By presenting the Arab leaders as more extreme in their remarks than Israeli leaders, the cables show the dissonance in the region and the danger involved in allowing Iran to continue with its nuclear program. (jpost.com)

WikiLeaks: India to wait, 'work it out'

The US had warned India and other key governments across the world about the potentially embarrassing release of classified documents by WikiLeaks which may harm American interests and create tension in its ties with its "friends". (economictimes.indiatimes.com)

Wikileaks: Iran's nuclear technology 'not as advanced as some believe'

In all the despatches released on Monday on Wikileaks, Beijing is shown to be playing a mollifying role towards Iran, urging the US towards direct discussions with the Islamic state, even when the situation appears fruitless publicly. (telegraph.co.uk)

US vs Wikileaks whose side are you on?

In sometimes angry and bitter correspondence, the two sides slugged it out in the days and hours before Wikileaks ignored pressures and threats to go ahead with the publication through select print media, causing worldwide convulsions that may reverberate for weeks and months to come. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

US concerned over French ship for Russia: WikiLeaks

Gates, a former CIA director who closely followed the former Soviet Union, also offered a severe critique of Russia, saying democracy had "disappeared" there and that the government was essentially an oligarchy dominated by the security services. In a meeting that touched on an array of issues, Gates "raised US concerns over the sale of a Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia as sending a mixed signal to both Russia and our Central and East European Allies," the cable said. (hindustantimes.com)