| Do people need to keep secrets, or is secrecy harmful? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Supoprt your position with reasoning and examples taken frmo your readings, experience, or observations. |
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On this world in which the countries are deeply interrelated, secrecy is harmful for peace and overall development of world nations. Historically, secrecy, often connected with espionage, has increased international tension and the threats of nuclear weapon. Secrecy has rarely benefited the world. For example, German secret documents to Mexico during WW2, Nixon's Watergate incident, and the tension of Cold War, were either caused or intensified by secretive poilcies. Hence, these incidents show that secrecy should be abandoned. First, during the Second World War, Germany contacted Mexican government secretly, encouraging it to attack the United States. When this secret contact was exposed, it provoked resentment and fury in the U.S. citizens and thereby hastened the U.S. to participate in the War. Indeed, Germany was winning the war, and by the time the secret contact was exposed, only Britain among the Allies was fighting. Isolated in the islands, Britain had limited supplies which would last only a few weeks. At that point, the exposal of the secret contact, along with Germany's submarine attack of the U.S. ships, brought the U.S. to the war. The participation of the U.S. turned the war to another direction. Germany lost the war. The secretive policy Germany pursued brought it defeat instead of victory. Second, Nixon's Watergate affair showed another negative aspect of secrecy. Nixon, while preparing his second-term presidency election, tried to win the election by illegal methods. A secret team working for Nixon got caught while setting microphones in the Watergate building to eavesdrop the conversations of the Democratics. The president denied his involvement, but when his own voice, talking about the affair over the phone, was exposed to public, he could no longer deny his involvement. He had to resign his term. Indeed, the Nixon affair illustrated the harmfulness of secrecy a democratic country. Last, the secretive actions of the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War showed another type of danger secrecy might bring. During the Cold War, the two countries were busy spying the other side. Both countries doubted that the other side would be creating nuclear weapon, and under that assumption, they became more and more armed. The tension and the arm race posed a serious threat to the world peace. If the two countries opened up and discussed matters on the table, the situation would have ended much earlier. The three examples above showed negative aspects of secrecy. Secrecy often brings corruptness and threat to the entire world. Indeed, for further development and world peace, the nations should become more frank and open. |