Julian Assange: Did he or didn't he?

I'm linking without comment to the most detailed and interesting article I have seen yet on the sexual misconduct allegations against the WikiLeaks founder, in the Sydney Morning Herald. Whatever the truth turns out to be, you can bet the American, British and Swedish governments are talking nonstop about how to get Assange extradited to the United States.

The coverage of the sexual allegations in the U.S. press has been pretty poor as far as I can see, leaving the field mostly to the imagination of wild-eyed bloggers, some of whom are trying to connect accuser Anna Ardin with right-wing anti-Castro groups.

I will be based in Sydney for a month beginning in just a matter of days, so I look forward to more stories in the Australian press, which seems to be a little ahead of the game if this article is any indication.

PS--I'd be grateful to readers for links to any other interesting stories they see.

Afterthought: A lot of commentators have criticized WikiLeaks for releasing some documents with the names of Afghans who have been cooperating with the U.S. government. But a story in the New York Times about the unsavory character of one such informer (a drug lord) makes me wonder if Americans are not entitled to know exactly who we are dealing with? Especially as we are sending our young men and women to die in Afghanistan? And dying they are.

Update (or downdate): Another perspective on the accusations against Assange can be found here.

Photo: Macdiarmid/Getty