Iran: the dumb and the smart
As you've all read by now, Iran is freeing the British hostages prisoners guests sailors that they've been keeping around for a couple weeks.
The dumb move: Now, no matter how much Iran knew that they were stirring the pot by taking the British into custody, did they really have to follow the Terrorist Tactics For Hostage Taking 101 textbook? Filming them saying they were being treated well and that they were clearly wrong is exactly what the majority of the Western world would expect from Middle Easterners, and it just ends up making Iran look like a terrorist-run state. I'm surprised there weren't any shots of hooded men holding Kalashnikovs to the sailor's heads.
The smart move: They did it to the British. There was news this past weekend that there was anti-Iran demonstration in London...that involved a dozen people. And that only about 7% of the country thought that the UK should ready itself for war.
Now, far be it for me to say that I'm in favor of war over stuff like this, and maybe it shows that the UK realizes that it just needs to get out of the Middle East altogether, but seriously? Whether the boat was in Iranian waters or not, the act of taking the sailors hostage was clearly intended only to send a message that Iran isn't afraid to mess with larger militaries, and won't back down at the slightest amount of pressure. So finding the country that will react to their military being taken prisoner for several weeks over a pretty small act with, "Listen, sorry for all the fuss and bother, but if you wouldn't mind finding your way to letting them go sometime in the next month or so, that would be smashing." Do it to the US, and it virtually guarantees that the next president will be as much if not more of a hawk that W.
Job well done, Iran: message sent loud and clear, knowing that all you'll get in return is a polite, but strongly-worded response. Tip for next time: track down some Canadians.
3 comments:
Andrew Sullivan puts it well (surprise) here.
Was that "(surprise)" sarcastic? He usually puts things pretty well, but I don't really read him very often.
I was surprised that he didn't mention the videotaping. I was really shocked by that. I guess that you could make a case that it showed that they weren't being harmed, but about the only time anyone in this country has seen footage like that for the last 6 years has been when terrorists have taken hostages. It seemed like a dumb move to me.
But Sullivan's right: it worked out really well for Iran, and the chances of the UK doing anything about it at all seem pretty slim.
The "(surprise)" is absolutely sarcastic. I've been reading that guy more and more, and I find myself agreeing with, or even having my mind changed by him, much of the time.
As far as the video goes, it's against the Geneva conventions just like the U.S. Defense Department's release of pictures of enemy combatants, as Sullivan points out via a cringeworthy Bill O'Reilly clip.
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