June 23, 2013
Think about why you keep secrets. Embarrassment. It's your own private business. You'll wait for the right time. Obviously not an exhaustive list.
Governments keep secrets for one reason: Security.
Now when I talk about a government I mean the government as a whole. I'm not talking about a senator who would like to cover up a infidelity or a less-then-ethical president.
So why should governments keep secrets? Simply because every government has enemies. Even a small, stable government with little international interaction still will have a least one individual that would like to see it toppled. But of course a government's enemy does not have to be just one individual, it could be few, many, or even another government. Not every enemy of a state will express its' dismay in a peaceful manner and it would be irresponsible of anyone to assume that they will.
Since governments have enemies and they should not all be assumed to be peaceful then a government would need to be ready to use violence against any violence done onto them. Part of being a government is having a near-monopoly on the legitimate use of force (I say near-monopoly because individual's have the right to self-defense).
Now lets get to why government can/need to keep secrets. There are four main reasons, that I see, with some possibility for overlap.
Firstly, a government's enemies are keeping secrets. Why give your enemies the advantage of knowing what your going to do, who your looking for, what your looking for? Your enemies will operate in the shadows and if you want to avoid giving them an advantage, you have to operate in the shadows as well.
Secondly, a government has to provide security to its' people and it self. Part of being secure is your enemies not knowing your capabilities. If your enemies do not know what you can/will do then that mystery can either deter them or be a much needed surprise when your adversaries do attack.
Thirdly, governments and their enemies are engaged in a game of secrets. But it is not a game for fun. When one side finds out, or if they fail to find out, the others secrets, people either go to jail, or they die. If the government uncovers a secret terrorist plot, those terrorists (ideally) go to jail. If the terrorists are not found out, or they find fatal holes in a security plan at an airport or military base, property gets destroyed and people die.
Fourthly and finally, people sometimes don't really need to know. Unless you work in the particular area do you really need to know everything? Do you really need to know every person that the United States ambassador or president is talking to? Are you an expert on foreign policy or a military strategist and can provide meaningful commentary to the specifics of such things? Are you willing to trust everyone with sensitive information? Now the argument can be made, in the United States at least, that the people would want to stop the government from doing stupid things. Seems reasonable enough, if it weren't for the fact that you did (or had the option to) vote those decision makers into office. There are many people who work in government and who are not elected but high level policy making positions are appointed by those who were elected, other positions are given those who do well on competitive merit exams or have a great deal of experience in the military (so how are you better qualified?)
That being said, I would say (and for the sake of transparency) that once the secret has served its' purpose that it could and should be made public.
The End.
If you wish to comment your are more then welcome to do so, and if you like what you have read (or even dislike but respect my opinion) then please choose to follow my blog.
Thank You.
No comments:
Post a Comment