The exchange of criminals for hostages is not a diplomatic triumph.
This from frontpagemag.com.
The reality is The Regime once again encouraged and rewarded taking Americans hostage. The only outcome of this “diplomatic triumph” will be that when Russia, China, Iran, or any other enemy nation wants to spring some of its operatives, they’ll lock up a few American diplomats and/or tourists.
The process works. So, why not continue doing it?
The only way to disincentivize hostage-taking
is to stop rewarding it.
And if the United States is going to keep trading for citizens who get locked up in countries like Russia or Iran, there needs to be a hard ban on traveling to those countries backed by serious financial penalties. Anything else simply feeds the same cycle.
While the families of hostages, whether in America or Israel, understandably want their loved ones released—sometimes at any cost—governments cannot function that way without expecting reoccurring hostage-taking.
Worse still, The Regime did not make this deal to save Americans, rather to prop up a sagging presidential campaign.
Yes, this was primarily about looking good, politically.
If the deal appeared somewhat less bad than previous deals it was because Putin was rushing to get this in ahead of a possible Trump presidency. He knew he was going to get a better deal from Biden than Trump and he was not disappointed.
Paying a ransom to kidnappers is bad policy
and an admission of defeat not a triumph.
But this is all The Regime-era has been. One defeat after another.
Bouts of appeasement followed by more of the same.
Final thought: The only way to disincentivize hostage-taking is to stop rewarding it.
