Leaked Documents Show Insight Into World Leaders

WikiLeaks, as you may have heard, is in the spotlight right now for its release of many classified documents of diplomatic communications. Some of these documents give readers like us a chance to learn about various world leaders' behavior, characteristics, and quirks. The documents described King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as a "wry and forthright interlocutor" who battles with a "speech impediment". The documents also describe Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's phobias and his obsessive dependence on his blonde nurse. He has a fear of long fights and flying over water, and appears to have a romantic relationship with this nurse; he always makes sure to travel with her. The documents labeled French leader Nicolas Sarkozy as having an "eye for grabbing attention and credit." They go on to talk about the leaders of Italy, Russia, and Germany. These documents are actually pretty amusing to read. It's interesting to learn some of the strange tendencies of the people who run the world. It's relieving, too, to get that assurance that these people have nothing special about them and behave in similar ways to all of us. Nothing huge here, just an interesting read.

Leaks offer less-than-flattering look at some world leaders