Massive Leak Reveals Criminality, Paranoia, Among Corporate Titans
Dow pays "strategic intelligence" firm to spy on Yes Men and grassroots activists.
LONDON - February 26 - WikiLeaks begins to publish over five million e-mails obtained by Anonymous from "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The emails, which reveal everything from sinister spy tactics to an insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs, also include several discussions of the Yes Men and Bhopal activists.
Many of the Bhopal-related emails, addressed from Stratfor to Dow and Union Carbide public relations directors, reveal concern that, in the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, the Bhopal issue might be expanded into an effective systemic critique of corporate rule, and speculate at length about why this hasn't yet happened, providing a fascinating window into what some corporate types fear most from activists.
Just as Wall Street has at times let slip their fear of the Occupy Wall Street movement, these leaks seem to show that corporate power is most afraid of whatever reveals "the larger whole", whatever brings systemic criminal behavior to light. Systemic critique could lead to policy changes that would challenge corporate power and profits in a major way," noted Joseph Huff-Hannon, Director of Policy the Yes Lab.
Among the millions of other leaked Stratfor emails are some that reveal dubious financial practices, including an apparent insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs Managing Director Shea Morenz, who joined Stratfor's board of directors and invested "substantially" more than $4 million in the scheme, called StratCap. "What StratCap will do is use our Stratfor's intelligence and analysis to trade in a range of geopolitical instruments," wrote Stratfor CEO George Friedman in September 2011. StratCap was designed through a complex offshore share structure to appear legally independent, but Friedman assured Stratfor staff otherwise: "Do not think of StratCap as an outside organization. It will be integral... It will be useful to you... We are already working on mock portfolios and trades."
The Yes Men and representatives from the Bhopal Medical Appeal will join Julian Assange of Wikileaks at a press conference at noon today, Feb. 27, at the Frontline Club in London.
from commondreams
