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WikiLeaks can undoubtedly be a power for good by providing a safe haven for whistleblowers who want to bring to public attention the misuse of power by corporations and governments around the globe. A power for good, that is, if used responsibly.

It now seems clear that Assange's judgment in publishing the war logs was, however well intentioned in theory, fundamentally flawed in practice. His behaviour has been marked by woolly moral relativism and a lack of intellectual rigour. It seems to have been based on a somewhat naive belief that he could single-handedly stop the war. That was never going to be the case; there is no one big damning revelation that would make the public in the West see it in a completely new light. WikiLeaks was never going to end this war - but it may well have made it more difficult to win.