In 2010, Chelsea Manning (at the time known as Bradley Manning) shared sensitive and confidential data with Wikileaks. The data contained information on a wide range of issues from the country’s military missions in such countries as Afghanistan and Iraq (Savage, 2017). The release of this information embarrassed the American government as it exposed questionable campaigns that the government had undertaken. Manning was arrested and sentenced to serve 35 years in prison. Before leaving office, President Barack Obama commuted her sentence and she is now a free citizen (Wright, 2017). Manning’s release of the confidential data sparked a debate regarding her identity. Some people such as President Donald Trump have labeled her a traitor. On the other hand, others have come to her defense and hailed her for standing up for transparency and democracy (Somashekhar, 2017). It is clear that Manning and other active-duty military personnel who release sensitive information are heroic patriots who campaign for openness and democracy.
To understand what a heroic patriot and champion for democracy such leakers as Manning are, it is necessary to explore the details of the information that she shared with Wikileaks. One of the issues that the leak shed light on is the military campaigns that the US is carrying out in Afghanistan and Iraq. A video that showed a US military helicopter firing at individuals suspected to be militants in Baghdad. It was later revealed that among those who had died in this incident were two journalists gathering news for Reuters news agency (Somashekhar, 2017). This video showed that the American forces were carrying out atrocities against innocent people who posed no threat. This is a blatant betrayal of the values and ideals that the American nation stands for and encourages its partners to embrace. It can be argued that Manning was inspired to leak the information after learning about the atrocities that the American forces were perpetrating. This makes her a hero who is convinced that governments must be held accountable and that all efforts must be exhausted to protect all lives.
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Another indication that such leakers as Manning are heroic patriots can be found in the public response to their actions. Most Americans regarded Manning as a traitor who betrayed her country. She received condemnation and there were calls for her to be punished. It is important to recognize that there was a small group of Americans who offered Manning their full support. Such organizations as the Fight for the Future have been active in making preparations for Manning to rejoin society as a free person (Somashekhar, 2017). The American Civil Liberties Union also campaigned for her to be provided with gender re-assignment treatment. The actions of these organizations indicate that Manning enjoys some support. This adds support to the argument that together with other active military personnel who leak information, she is a courageous patriot.
President Obama’s decision to order Manning’s early release is further evidence that she is a hero. As he commuted her sentence, Obama argued that the time that Manning had already served was sufficient (Somashekhar, 2017). While this is not an explicit declaration of her courage, it suggests that her actions did not amount to treason. President Obama essentially set an example for how courageous citizens should be treated. Instead of condemning those who leak information, the American people need to offer support and join them in pushing for accountability and democracy. The discussion this far has presented Manning and other active duty military leakers as courageous patriots. While this argument remains valid, it has to be noted that the actions of Manning placed the lives of military personnel at risk. Furthermore, it is argued that she compromised national security. Whereas these arguments have some weight, they are not sufficient to conclude that Manning is a traitor. She serves as the face of the freedom movement and a strong campaigner for transgender rights, democracy and transparency.
References
Savage, C. (2017). Chelsea Manning to be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence.
Retrieved 1st August 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/us/politics/obama-commutes-bulk-of-chelsea-mannings-sentence.html
Somashekhar, S. (2017). Chelsea Manning, who gave trove of U.S. Secrets to Wikileaks, Leaves
Prison. Retrieved 1st August 2017 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/chelsea-manning-who-gave-trove-of-us-secrets-to-wikileaks-to-leave-prison/2017/05/17/c988b6f8-399a-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html?utm_term=.5f69aa7818c0
Wright, D. (2017). Trump Calls Chelsea Manning ‘Ungrateful Traitor’ for Obama Criticism.
Retrieved 1st August 2017 from http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/26/politics/trump-chelsea-manning-traitor-obama/index.html
