Chelsea Manning

Sent to court-martial for the largest suspected leak of classified material in U.S. history, Manning allegedly transmitted hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and classified military reports, much of it published by WikiLeaks. Whether you see the alleged leaks as the criminal act of a petulant junior soldier or critical to exposing questionable battlefield actions and diplomatic conduct, their release helped fuel the Arab Spring. The leaks also proved a wake-up call over lax security and potential insider threats throughout the military, diplomatic and intelligence communities. Manning’s case embarrassed the government and forced massive reforms over how information is accessed and distributed that will be felt for decades.