Like all of you I was profoundly shocked at the latest beheading of a good man. A man who risked his life to help others. And it makes me wonder how we can have a more effective response to kidnap and blackmail.
Our current bombing response is bound to kill the innocent as well as the guilty. And by innocent I include young people swept up by religious fervour into a nightmare situation neither they, nor we can control.
I have no hope of a James Bond type hero swooping in to rescue the remaining hostages. Our governments will not allow ransoms to be paid nor negotiations to take place. But if it were my son being held I would want my government to negotiate. By being seen publicly to be the voice of reason in the world we could potentially calm some of the blood-lust and change peoples' allegiances. Right now we are just increasing the misery...
Our current bombing response is bound to kill the innocent as well as the guilty. And by innocent I include young people swept up by religious fervour into a nightmare situation neither they, nor we can control.
I have no hope of a James Bond type hero swooping in to rescue the remaining hostages. Our governments will not allow ransoms to be paid nor negotiations to take place. But if it were my son being held I would want my government to negotiate. By being seen publicly to be the voice of reason in the world we could potentially calm some of the blood-lust and change peoples' allegiances. Right now we are just increasing the misery...
1 comment:
Someone has paid a ransom to free a British Teacher in Benghazi.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29494784
I am not sure why they want ransom money when they have access to all the funds they need. I guess it is the publicity that they crave. The more shocking acts they can perform the better, hence the aid worker being a high news profile target.
Christine
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