Reactions have been swift to the successful rescue of hostages by Seal Team 6 in Somalia:
Pirates moved an American hostage at least three times in 24 hours and threatened Thursday to kill him after US Navy SEALs rescued an American and a Dane in a bold, dark-of-night raid that raises questions about whether other Western captives are now in greater danger.
“If they try again, we will all die together,” warned Hassan Abdi, a Somali pirate connected to the gang holding the American, who was kidnapped Saturday in northern Somalia.
“It’s difficult to hold US hostages, because it’s a game of chance: die or get huge money. But we shall stick with our plans and will never release him until we get a ransom,” Abdi said.
But the reactions were not limited to Horn of Africa, it seems:
Building tensions between the United States and Egypt flashed into the open Thursday when Cairo confirmed that it had barred at least a half-dozen Americans from leaving the country and the Obama administration threatened explicitly to withhold its annual aid to the Egyptian military.
The travel ban came to light on Thursday after the International Republican Institute, an American-backed democracy-building group, disclosed that the Egyptian authorities had stopped its Egypt director, Sam LaHood, at the Cairo airport on Saturday before he could board a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates…
Just a day before Mr. LaHood was detained temporarily, President Obama had warned Egypt’s leader, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, that this year’s American military aid hinged on satisfying new Congressional legislation requiring that Egypt’s military government take tangible steps toward democracy, said three people briefed on the conversation.
Mr. Obama referred specifically to the criminal inquiry into several democracy-building groups with foreign financing, including the Republican Institute, the people who were briefed said, and he made clear that Egypt had not fulfilled the Congressional requirements, but Field Marshal Tantawi did not seem to believe him.
Then, after the travel ban on the Americans became public on Thursday, the administration made the warning public as well. “It is the prerogative of Congress to say that our future military aid is going to be conditioned on a democratic transition,” Michael H. Posner, an assistant secretary of state responsible for human rights issues, said at a previously scheduled press conference in Cairo on Thursday.
The US has given roughly $2 billion annually to Egypt since 1979; the North African country is the second largest recipient of American largesse. In response to the of a reduction or suspension in US aid, Egypt has acted to prevent designated US citizens from leaving the country at will.
The conditions of their captivity may be superior to that of those held against their will in Somalia, but when you count the dollars in play the Somalis are comparative pikers when it comes to extortion.
Hosni Mubarak could not be reached for comment.
It’s worse than that. So far, IRI and NDI are being wrongly characterized as NGOs. IRI and NDI are directly chartered and funded by the United States government to promote democracy abroad. They’re as much employees of the US government as, say, workers for the Import-Export bank or Voice of America, although they’re not accredited diplomats.
If the Egyptians decide to hold them for, say, 444 days ….
Cut every dime of foreign aid to any country that is not actually an ally in every sense of the word.
Israel- clearly on our side. Every Muslim country- clearly not so.
This would be good policy even if we were not broke and borrowing billions to give away to people who hate us.
Let them hate us on their own dime, not ours. If their kids die of disease, or their kleptocratic governments have to diminsh their Swiss savings accounts, too bad. Not our problem, not our responsibility, not our solutions. If anyone disagrees, feel free to mail a check to the despot or suffering heathen of your choice, but quit using my tax dollars to assuage your guilt.
As for the United Nations- don’t send them another dime either. If they want to move, wave goodbye.
What he said, plus 1 million.
I wouldn’t wave good bye to them, I’d give them a boot in the a$$.
John … As far as the United Nations headquarters is concerned, I would love to see it gone from the very expensive piece of real estate it occupies in Manhattan. Trouble is, with a global recession in full swing, no other country wants to harbor it either. The graceless member countries which make it up are entirely depressing examples of what happens when you give the ignorant and unsuccessful a little bit of power. You get a stunning display of ingratitude. What we need to do is figure out how to get rid of it and its irritations. I’m baffled…
Marianne
Post an eviction notice?
Start towing all their illegally parked cars and run them through the crusher?
Regards,
Mick
yep, don’t cite them, crush them! I’m totally OK with that!
“What sir? You went and illegally parked where? And your car vanished? What can I say, it’s New York New York. Must have been stolen.”
Egypt – stop all $$ NOW.
Somalia – Take the pirates at their word and carpet bomb the entire town where the hostage is being held. Sink every ship in the harbor, and destroy every expensive house and automobile in the surrounding territory.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
“But we shall stick with our plans and will never release him until we get a ransom,”
Sure, ok, fine Aladdin. Whatever you say. You’re the mother of all kidnappers. I don’t know whether to believe you or not given your culture’s fondness for hyperbole and over the top boasting.
OTOH, when you say “If they try again, we will all die together,”
I think, “No problem. Arrangements are being made and drills are being run at multiple sites by Teams and MEU’s for just such an eventuality.”
Hey, I give them this. They understand Obama perfectly. It’s “pay to play” in Chicago, too..
See “Rezko, Tony”
I decided a while back, that if I ever get captured by those-like folks, and they want my name to noise it about on the ‘net, I’ll tell ‘em my name is really Lewis Washington, no matter what it says on the passport.
Washington was held hostage by John Brown’s guys at Harper’s Ferry, and famously said, “Never mind us! Fire!”
I would rather take my chances with that than have my head sawn off with a dull knife, as Those People have been known to do.
P.s. As we know, it didn’t come to that. The problem was solved by Robert E. Lee and a company of U.S. Marines bearing empty muskets with bayonets fixed upon them.
Hmm, the UN. They like to point out how racist and the horrible, horrible environment the US is. I say, set up the UN in Rwanda or some other country along those lines. Then they can have white papers (no pun intended) on the racism and evil in THAT country. If not, I’d love to laugh harder at their anti-US reports as people are machete’d outside their front door.
Just a week ago, His Grace, our Archbishop, showed up at our church and presided at the service. He is from Rwanda, and a Tutsi. He had to go refugee and leave the country to avoid The Chopping.
In my experience, most people are more or less racist, at least in being suspicious of funny-looking strangers. White guys from Northern Europe seem to be the least-racist of anybody, but everybody else keeps yelling Raciss! at us. As a white guy who tries to do right, I’m feeling a bit butthurt on this question.
Dang! No more comments? What is wrong with you people? I just risked my liberty walking to the 7-11 to get more alcohol, as it seems we’re required to bring our own to this party. The least y’all could do is respond to my remarks in a negative way, hey?