A Narrowly Avoided Crisis

The safe return of British sailors should not erase the seriousness of the situation:

A potentially serious international crisis was averted yesterday as a group of British sailors and marines were released, after having been captured by the Iranian Revolutionary guard. Iran claims that the British forces were violating Iranian territorial waters as they conducted a search of a vessel bound for Iraq. Though Britain maintains that the group was clearly within Iraqi waters, Iran had held the sailors in a secret location for nearly two weeks, while rumors circulated of criminal trials. Then on Wednesday the 4th of April it was announced that all members of the party had been “pardoned” and were being released back to Britain.

With the release of the 15 British sailors and marines on the 4th there has been heavy media coverage of how well Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pictured to the right with one of the captives), and the Iranian government handled the situation. Many news anchors and political commentators have claimed that Iran, “played its hand just right”, seemingly standing up to the west, avoiding a serious military confrontation and then appearing to be a benevolent host by returning the group as a “gift”. There has also been a great deal of airtime devoted to showing the sailors and marines meeting with President Ahmadinejad, shaking hands and thanking him for being so kind and merciful, while also admitting to violating Iranian waters. Indeed, remembering how long the Iranian hostage crisis on 1979 had dragged on, this turn of events is indeed surprising and in many respects the most beneficial outcome for all parties involved. However there are three things that should not be forgotten during the homecoming celebration for British service men and women.

The first and most widely noted point is that President Ahmadinejad was not likely the deciding party when the time finally came to release the hostages. While the President was able to seize the opportunity and make a very good public relations gesture, it must not be forgotten that he is not simply the benevolent smiling patriarch that has been shown repeatedly in the last 24 hours. For instance, even though this crisis is now over Ahmadinejad and Iran are continuing to operate against UN and IAEA nuclear protocols with each passing day. Second, the gratitude of the British sailors (shown on the left arriving in Britain) should be put into context. While it is clear that each captive was exceedingly grateful to be returning home it should be noted, as was made clear in an interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, that British sailors are trained to capitulate with their captors in the event of their imprisonment. One former British serviceman, Royal Marine Scott Fallon who had also been taken hostage in Iran noted that captured soldiers try to be as cooperative and friendly as possible in order to develop a personal bond with their captors, hopefully improving their treatment and ensuring their survival.

Third, it is still unclear whether Iran was justified in their action. The British maintain that they have GPS data that indicates that the incident took place within their rightful zone of influence. In the map the published, (pictured to the right) they note the orginaly postion declared by the Iranian Navy, whcih was later modified by military spokesperson. If this is the case then the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that made the arrests, were in effect committing and act of war, and then falsifing evidence of their actions. This is especially disturbing when it coupled with recent claims by the Bush administration that parts of the Revolutionary Guard are operating outside of the control of Iranian government. If this is the case then the events of the last few weeks are another indication that at least part of the military command in Iran is unconcerned about instigating a conflict with allied forces in the region. Given that there are still two American aircraft carriers, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS John C. Stennis, operating in the region, it is truly fortunate that this crisis did not spiral out of control. In short, while this crisis ended up smelling like a rose, we must not forget the bed of thorns that was very narrowly avoided in the process.

Others Answers

While it is my goal (as stated in my bio) to understand the world, and then cure all its ills, I have found it is tough going it alone. Therefore I am looking for other people’s solutions this week. The plan is to find a few different points of view on today’s major international issues, and see what other serious bloggers suggest we do about them. Then, after some careful consideration, comment with what recommendations I have, in hopes of further developing the discussion. Thus without further ado I would like to direct your attention to a Needlenose.com article entitled “Persian Paranoia?” and a Huffington Post blog from February 24^th: “How to End the War in Iraq - In A Way That Will Actually Work”. For your convenience I will post my responses to these articles below, along with direct links to the corresponding pages.

Comment 1: To Needlenose in regards to “Persian Paranoia?”

I have to thank you for this post and the light it sheds on this issue. Like you, I am far from an “Islamic scholar” and as such I have only the most basic of understandings when it comes to sectarian differences in the Arab world. Knowing only as much about the “civil war” between the Sunni and Shi’a as CNN will tell me, I am that much more grateful to find a article that will look at the intricacies of the situation.

I could not agree more that poking things with a stick at this point would be inane beyond comprehension. But as someone who (if labels had to be applied) would be leaning more right then left I would like to say that it is not just the progressives that need to ensure that this issue is handled with finesse. We all need to take a more Bismarck like approach to understanding not only the factors involved in the Middle East, but also how to reconcile our actions and support with our own ideals and self interests.

Comment 2: responding to “How to End the War in Iraq - In A Way That Will Actually Work”

I think you have some champion-able causes here. We do need to take a more hands on approach when it comes to our representation if any change is to be made. And I agree that we as Americans need to overhaul the face we show the world. But I wonder about a few things. If Iraq were to pursue the decision to “divide into more than one country along ethnic lines”, countries that would be self determined and nationalistic in nature, wouldn’t we be confronted with another 1930’s German analogy? That is, several small, relatively weak ethnic states bordered by large and militarily ambitious countries with traditional rivalries to those ethnicities.

And while the world would certainly benefit from more charitable donations, certainly far too many people go hungry every day, isn’t the United States already the world’s largest charitable donor? Maybe the key to helping reshape the global economy isn’t the percent of donations given, but better organizing and administering what we already do.

What ever the case may be, I agree that it is high time we start moving away from “private solutions” and work together to make things better and safer for us all.

- T.W.M.K- http://twmkatirusc.blogspot.com/

Exploring Alternative Views

This week I have the privilege of turning to other blogs to provide sustenance for my intellectual curiosity. In hopes of inspiring the cross pollinization of thoughts and ideas I am seeking out two other blogs that deal with international relations to shed light on a looming specter in current events. Actually two specters; Iran, and North Korea.

Once heralded as members of the “Axis of Evil” these two countries have continued to be of eminent importance to the United States, especially in regards to national security. Indeed, either one of these states can usually be found on the nightly news on any given day. And now, with growing concerns over Iranian involvement in Iraq, and questionable nuclear developments in both countries in the last few months, I feel it is important to gather information on what appear to be the next major centers for global political development and security.

With all due modesty I can say I know very little about both countries, and hope that by interacting with other writers concerned with nations I may alleviate that unfortunate condition. As mentioned before, it is my intention to make this excursion interactive, and to that end will not only be commenting on what I find, relating my findings here, to be listed below:

My first find in this excursion was a fellow blogger post providing a history and commentary on North Korea. My hope was that it would provide a solid foundation for interpreting the events that are unfolding on that peninsula, and hopefully provide some analysis of those same events. The post does indeed provide a rich background of the nation’s history, which will likely alter one’s views on current events. However the point of view of the post verges on being radically different then a standard western viewpoint. Indeed the author would probably consider “radically different” from standard western views a compliment. But seeing as the most informative and productive modes of enlightenment and learning can often come from developing an understanding and appreciation of alternate views, I was encouraged to proceed.

I find that I do disagree with the author on several points, but am still grateful for an opportunity to better understand how others; and probably a significant number of others, interpret the situation in North Korea. Due to a formatting issue with blogger, the link to that comment can be found at the end of this post.

My second search found the politically motivated DigbysBlogspot which had a recent post regarding American diplomatic and military policy with Iran. The poster had provided a appreciable number of provocative print sources to substantiate his point. The effect made what appeared to by a cynical commentary turn into a thought provoking presentation of evidence of diplomatic failures in dealing with Iran. Again I was compelled to make a statement of my own which can be seen here.

The comment on the blog inre: North Korea is http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/2007/02/understanding-north-korea.html#comment-1862285855685045229