Victor Davis Hanson with a timely reminder:
…Once we get beyond the emotional high of seeing two young Americans rescued from such a creepy regime, I think we are going to collectively sober up and realize that we just did what we always said we would never do: bargained for the release of hostages from terrorists. Think away the notion of North Korea as a legitimate government, and we are indeed left with begging a terrorist clique, at a critical time in non-proliferation talks, to release those they kidnapped for the purposes of humiliating the United States. What would have been the press reaction had Bush I been asked by someone like Boone Pickens to visit Pyongyang to free two of his company’s kidnapped employees in North Korea with the complicit blessing of the Bush II administration amid talks about nuclear violations?
The genesis of the ill-famed “Iran/Contra” affair was the desire by President Reagan to get American hostages out of the hands of Islamist savages who had already proved their brutality by cruelly murdering some of their captives. An admirable and humane impulse, but it eventually led to giving weapons to the very Islamists we were actually in battle against. There can be no deals with terrorists – even if those terrorists have set themselves up in an organization which apes human government. Much as I was (and am) delighted that those two women were released, I wonder how many others will be made to pay the price now that the terrorists know we will deal with them in return for released hostages?
The Israelis have this same problem – time and time again they have given up hundreds of captured enemies because the Islamists have one or two Israeli soldiers in captivity. All these exchanges do is provide incentive for more taking more captives. I wonder how many of our enemies are wondering, now, just what we’ll give up for one or two additional American prisoners?
It is a hard thing, but it must be done – when an American is taken captive, our position should be that we will punish those who took captive and/or harmed an American…this punishment may range from criminal prosecution to a well aimed, Special Forces bullet, depending on what seems most appropriate. Regimes who sponsor capturing Americans must be advised that massive US military strikes will follow swiftly upon our conclusion that said nation had a hand in the outrage. Some of our enemies will not listen and will take captives and brutally kill them…but not that many, because there would be no upside for it.
Terrorists are despicable savages, but they do have an inner logic – they want us afraid and grovelling…show no fear and wield the sword for innocent, unarmed prisoners and the enemy will make different calculations.
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