The kind of the source
The source is a diplomatic cable record that describes the social and political agendas involved in organizing and celebrating a Caucasus wedding. The document is available from the WikiLeaks database and is labeled confidential. The source is written in the form of a report that contains a detailed description of the events, people, their statuses, and the political and social implications of their involvement in the wedding.
The author of the source
The source was written by a diplomat representing the Russian government. The information about the author of the document is implied by the indicators of Russia Moscow as a sender, and “Group Destinations Commonwealth of Independent States, Russia Moscow Political Collective, Secretary of State” is labeled as the bodies to whom the document is addressed (The Public Library of US Diplomacy, 2006, para. 1). Since the author is a representative of Russia reporting information about Dagestan, the data might be partially biased due to the interest of Russia in learning the rooted power distribution between the political representatives. The author implies many instances of data rather than reports facts, which triggers the subjectivity of some of the claims.
The origin of the source
The source is dated 2006, which is the time of the events reported in the diplomatic cable. The source was written close in time to the event, which allows assuming that there is no risk that the author forgot some of the details. Thus, the timeliness of the document concerning the reported events might be regarded as a factor contributing to the source’s reliability.
The type of the source
The analyzed diplomatic cable is a primary source, which is validated by the information provided in the document. Indeed, the author directly states that they were witnesses to the events of the wedding. Moreover, there were no indications of the fact that the data was taken from anybody else. Since the author relies on their personal experience and observation and does not use external data in the document, it is regarded as a primary source. Thus, this diplomatic cable might be considered a reliable source of information.
The type of information in the source
The information presented in the diplomatic cable is first-hand due to the direct involvement of the author in the described events. Indeed, according to the source, “the wedding in Makhachkala, which we attended, was a microcosm of the social and political relations of the North Caucasus” (The Public Library of US Diplomacy, 2006, para. 3). First-hand information is much more reliable in terms of historical research than second-hand information, which validates the credibility of the source.
The target audience of the source
The diplomatic cable in question is addressed to the government of the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The document was apparently created with the recipient in mind, the author (The Danish National Archives, n. d.). Such an assertion is based on the particularities of the wedding that were primarily focused on the politicians attending the wedding, their gestures, and presents, as well as the power-related political implications of those actions. Since the focus of the document is on the interests of the recipient, some of the information might be hindered and biased.
The support of the source by other sources
The whole diplomatic cable does not refer to any external source. The telegram is a completely first-hand experience delivered from the perspective of the author, which implies a high level of risk of bias. The statements and implications of politicians’ roles and intentions might be delivered in a subjective manner since the analyzed document is merely one perspective and a single-sided account of the reported event.
References
The Danish National Archives (n. d.) The little golden book on source criticism. Web.
The Public Library of US Diplomacy (2006) A Caucasus wedding. Web.